From opening its first shop in Ealing, west London, in 2019, MINISO has bucked the trend of high street closures, opening scores of trademark bright, colourful stores across the nation – and blazing a trail to become the number one destination for collectibles and pop culture brands in the UK.
The brand has hit cult status with Gen Alpha and Gen Z members and sells one of its iconic ‘blind boxes’ – which contain a mystery mix of collectibles – every three minutes.
MINISO’s ethos of ‘Life is For Fun’ has proved to be a powerful predictor of its success. The incredible expansion has seen high street sales jump by 63 per cent in the last year alone, while eCommerce sales have achieved an unprecedented year-on-year 500 per cent leap in revenue and orders, according to the latest figures released today (3 November 2025).
The surge in online revenue is down to the MINISO team launching a new version of minisoshop.co.uk with clearer navigation aligned to customer journeys, more products and ranges added, and an improved, easier shop overall.
COO Saad Usman has steered the store from fledging brand in the UK to Covid lockdown hit to high street icon. He explains: “MINISO isn’t just a retailer, we started as a lifestyle movement and have shifted to being a pop culture and collectibles destination. With our average sale between £16 to £20, we provide affordable but aspirational items and accessories with customers being more of a community and visiting stores time and time again.
“Our high street success has established us as an anchor store. When a MINISO opens in an area, we improve footfall and sales for the whole nearby retail estate and lift everyone in the process.”
The store’s top selling ranges include the blind boxes, which tap into the social media ‘unboxing’ trend, with sales averaging almost 15,000 a week. This is followed by vinyl plush pendants and Sanrio collectibles, including Cinnamoroll, Kuromi and the Hello Kitty brands, and collectibles from Disney’s much-loved Lilo & Stitch range.
Its biggest launch of the year is yet to come at the end of November with the eagerly awaited Zootropolis, also from Disney. MINISO even gets a mention in the film.
Its ‘Surprise Bags’ are also a hit; they contain a selection of items, that are only known once that bag has been opened – hence the name – providing a value-added unboxing experience.
Food and Beverage is a growing opportunity, with MINISO, being a pioneer, sourcing and introducing new products to the UK market.
The retailer’s rapid expansion programme is being fuelled by demand for collectibles, plushies and fragrance from Gen Z and families. The retailer is also witnessing Gen Alpha shoppers now being part of the mix – all preferring an in-person shopping experience.
After a record-breaking 2024, where MINISO opened 15 new stores, 2025 will see an addition of more than 20 stores open, including new flagship sites which opened earlier this year in Edinburgh, Liverpool ONE and Birmingham Bullring and Glasgow Braehead also being a huge hit.
Through 2026 MINISO already has 10 new locations confirmed with more in the pipeline.
The brand has also expanded into ‘MINISO-Go’ travel stores at Paddington station, Victoria, Birmingham Grand Central station and Stansted and Belfast International Airports. It’s first ‘on platform store’ also opened at Glasgow Central.
Usman also notes that MINISO has been increasing store size, again bucking the downward retail trend. In 2024, the average new store size was 1,600sqft retail space, but the new stores average 1,780 sq ft, with the recently opened Kingston store in Southwest London reaching 2,710sq ft.
These larger stores are also complemented by MINI MINISOs, smaller concept stores, such as the one on Shaftesbury Avenue, London – a new offer, the first of its kind in Europe, focusing mainly on blind boxes and bestselling products.
A second store of this kind will open on London’s Oxford Street West, next to Bond Street Tube Station, shortly and a third in Brighton North Street.
In total, MINISO has created nearly 200 new jobs this year already with an additional 300 permanent roles planned for 2026.
With the crucial Christmas trading season beginning, Usman predicts the best-performing lines will be the surprise market, including the iconic blind boxes, vinyl plush pendants, plushies, plus the Disney Zootropolis line launching late November.
He concludes: “We can feel a shift. Only a couple of years ago we weren’t among the retail brands that suppliers had at the top of their lists to meet at industry fairs and events. Fast forward to now and prospective suppliers are queuing up to talk to our buying team and we are inundated with requests from customers to come to their town.”
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