Netizens say Miniso, the Japanese lifestyle brand is not from Japan. Here’s what the founders say

Ever heard of Miniso? For those unfamiliar with the name, it is a Japanese-Chinese lifestyle and fast fashion brand selling items such as kitchenware, accessories and apparel that had made its way into Singapore recently.

While they are known for selling Japanese products and fashion items, what is even more well-known about this chain is the controversy surrounding the Japanese brand.

The brand, which has stores in locations such as Harbourfront Centre and Plaza Singapura may be new to shoppers over here in Singapore, has a strong customer base in China and due to this, it has faced its fair share of controversy outside of China.

Due to its name sounding closely similar to popular store Daiso and it’s logo looking like popular fashion chain Uniqlo, many consumers are questioning the origins of this brand.

In order to address these questions, the founders of Miniso, Mr Miyake Jyunya and Mr Ye Guo Fu, have come forth and explained that the name Miniso is derived from the word “minimart” and its logo is meant to be simple and modern. The colour red was chosen because it was believed to be auspicious.

The owners have also added on to their statement that Miniso is indeed from Japan and that due to its overwhelming popularity of stores in China overshadowing the performance of those in Japan (over a thousand outlets in China compared to just four outlets in Japan), many people have the misconception that it is from China.

The founders also hope to increase their presence in Singapore by opening additional outlets in the near future and added that they are confident of beating the competition in Singapore. They pledged to provide “high-quality products at low price points”.

A shopper at Miniso has remarked that the items on sale in Miniso are considered to be the middle price range between Daiso and more expensive brands such as Muji and that quality of products is in between Daiso and Muji as well.

So, what do you think? Genius copycat with answers for everything, or just a brand that, unfortunately, was not able to beat the competition at the home ground?