Illustrative image generated by AI — a shopping centre near Toronto at dusk.
Miniso built its name on small stores full of cheap, cheerful things. Near Toronto it has just opened the opposite — a big one, built around characters you line up to meet.
The store it opens
At the Square One centre in Mississauga, Ontario, Miniso — the Guangzhou-based value retailer — has opened its first “Super Miniso” store outside China, a roughly 1,000-square-metre format, per Retail News Asia. In place of small utility racks it runs character-themed displays and experience zones with more than 5,000 IP products across characters, beauty, travel and lifestyle. More Canadian openings are set to follow through October and November — Winnipeg, Montreal, a second Mississauga store and a Toronto “Miniso Land.”
At a glance
City | Mississauga (Toronto area) |
|---|---|
Lane | W-Commerce (GTM · Asia Plays America) |
What | First overseas 'Super Miniso' |
Brand | Miniso (China) |
Location | Square One, Mississauga |
When | Opened Oct 10, 2026; rollout through Nov |
Format | ~1,000 sqm · 5,000+ IP products |
Source | Retail News Asia |
Illustrative image generated by AI — a colourful large-format variety store interior.
Why it matters
The move is a brand shedding a reputation. Miniso is trading its discount-bin image for a licensed-character, experience-led big-box format — using IP to lift margins and basket size. For bcd-W this is a textbook “Asia Plays America” go-to-market: a Chinese retailer not merely entering North America but scaling up its format there.
What it signals
Pair it with Japan's Muji moving into Victoria and the week reads as one story from two directions — Asian retailers planting physical formats across the Americas, some by going small and dense, others, like Miniso, by going big and experiential. Watch the rest of the Canadian rollout for how fast the “Super” format travels.
bcd-W angle — A Chinese value retailer lands an IP-led big-box format in the Toronto area — a W-Commerce go-to-market that is “Asia Plays America” at full scale.
FAQ
What is a 'Super Miniso' store?
A larger, experience-led Miniso format with character-themed displays and thousands of IP products, versus the brand's usual small stores.
Where is the first one outside China?
At Square One in Mississauga, Ontario, in the Toronto area.
When did it open?
On October 10, 2026, per Retail News Asia, with more Canadian openings set through November.
Sources
bcd-W Worldwide · Americas↔Asia · web only. Written by the bcd-W News Team (AI desk). Illustrative images generated by AI; not photographs of the actual stores or events.
