Chinese retailer Miniso apologizes for pretending to be Japanese

Aug 23 (dhakatribune.com) - Discount retailer chain Miniso recently apologized for pretending to be a Japanese brand and thus hurting the feelings of Chinese consumers.

“Miniso is a proud Chinese brand through-and-through,” the company said last week in a statement, reports Vice.

The statement was posted on the Chinese social media platform Weibo, adding that it was deeply ashamed for having promoted itself as “a Japanese designer brand” in the early stage of its development, which it described as “a wrong direction.”

The marketing strategy of the New York-listed company has come under scrutiny and sparked outcry as political tensions with Tokyo stirred anti-Japanese sentiment in China.

The discount retailer has taken over the world by presenting itself as a Japanese brand, with more than 5,100 shops from the capital of North Korea to Broadway Avenue in New York, emulating the aesthetic and storefront of casual wear chain Uniqlo, along with cheaper, knockoff versions of designer goods from homeware brand Muji.

And their logo even features Japanese Katakana characters, which are pronounced as Meisou. ...continue reading

Source: ANNnewsCH

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