MANILA, Philippines — Lifestyle retailer Miniso apologized for its Japanese styling and said it has been "de-Japanizing" since 2019.
BNN Bloomberg on August 19 published an article that said the Guangzhou-based company has posted its official statement on its Weibo account.
“We used wrong brand positioning and marketing campaigns during the early days. We feel regret and guilt,” part of the statement read.
According to the report published on Retail Insight Network website, some of the changes Miniso made since 2019 were redesigning its logo and shopping bags from Japanese characters to Mandarin in its more than 3,000 stores in China.
The brand also plans to make similar changes in its more than 1,900 overseas stores by end of March 2023.
Other reports said that the brand plans to "hold senior staff responsible" for the said marketing strategy.
Chinese outcry began last July after Miniso's Spanish branch posted a photo of Disney Princess toys dressed in Chinese cheongsam were labeled as Japanese geisha dolls.
Vice.com and CKGSB Knowledge as published on FoundingFuel.com said that the company was founded in 2013 by Chinese entrepreneur Ye Guofu and Japanese designer Miyake Junya. Vice.com is owned by American-Canadian digital media and broadcasting company Vice Media Group LLC while CKGSB Knowledge is the online publication of the Cheung Kong Graduate School of Business (CKGSB), China's first faculty-governed independent business school headquartered in Beijing.
Miniso has reportedly more than 5,000 stores all over the world.
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