Chinese ice cream and beverage chain Mixue Bingcheng is building a merchandise business around its snowman mascot as it tries to stand out in the country’s crowded market.
Typical Mixue shops are small and sell ice cream and teas. But the store in a bustling Guangzhou neighborhood that opened last December offers beverages and food on the first floor, and a second floor dedicated to merchandise for its Snow King character.
Snow King blind boxes have become a hit with younger shoppers. Each box’s contents are a mystery until opened.
Blind boxes fueled the rise of Pop Mart’s Labubu character, another example of a recent drive in China to develop homegrown content.
Mixue began as a small beverage shop opened in 1997 by founder Zhang Hongchao and adopted its current brand name in 1999. The company’s mainstay soft serve ice cream and drinks are affordably priced at RMB 2–8 (USD 0.3–1.2), making them popular with students and families.
