China-based toy retailer Pop Mart continues to gain buzz in the trendier regional U.S. malls. Over the span of a little more than a year, there are now seven Pop Marts sprinkled throughout the country.
Even though Pop Mart has about 450 stores in 30 countries, it first began penetrating U.S. markets in December of 2022 with a shop in South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa, Calif. Last year saw four more stores appear: in the Oculus Transportation Hub in New York City’s World Trade Center in May; in the American Dream mall in East Rutherford, N.J., in September; in the Westfield Valley Fair in Santa Clara, Calif., in December; and a pop-up shop in Bellevue Square mall in Bellevue, Wash., also in December, which will become a permanent store by this spring. As for early 2024, February saw the opening of a Pop Mart store in the Westfield Century City mall in Los Angeles, and March saw a store open in the Glendale Galleria in Glendale, Calif.
As for future U.S. openings, Pop Mart has indicated it would like to ultimately open up to 200 stores in the U.S. over the span of the next five to 10 years. There is chatter that Las Vegas and San Diego are the next destinations for new stores, with the metros of Florida, Texas, Arizona and possibly Washington, D.C., also in the running for possible expansion.
Generally, Pop Mart prefers to be in regional malls in major metros, especially in areas with a large Asian population, as well as a thriving tech industry, as its Asian collectibles and toys feature comic-like character figurines that appeal to programmers and gamers in the 18- to 24-year-old age range. Inline or end cap units can vary in size depending on the population of a given area, with stores that can range from 500 to 5,000 s.f. Pop Mart is also keen to open its Robo Shops — namely, vending machines — next to its stores. These dispense “blind boxes” with a mystery collectible toy inside.
The various collectible characters its stores sell are available as mini figurines or 30-inch-tall toys, and may be in plush or vinyl, with prices that range from under $20 to more than $1,000. Many of the various collectible sets are available as a limited run series, either designed by famous artists, or through partnerships by well-known character-driven brands such as the Harry Potter series.
