# Inaugural Toy Swiss Stores MINISO Opens at Westside Mall in Bern, Switzerland By Kalin Ned | Published 2026-05-25 | Business Source: Trend Hunter, https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/swiss-store References: [app.dealroom.co](https://app.dealroom.co/news/feed/miniso-opens-first-swiss-store-in-bern-bringing-ip-driven-retail-with-star-wars-and-disney-collections) MINISO has opened its first Swiss store at Westside Mall in Bern, a roughly 2,700 square foot location featuring over 1,000 products across categories such as IP collectibles, plush toys, home essentials, accessories, and beauty items. The retail environment also boasts a dedicated themed zone for franchises, including Star Wars, Disney, Stitch, Sanrio, and Harry Potter, as well as proprietary characters like Yoyo — a proprietary character with a tilted head design that has generated social media discussion. MINISO's global retail format is focused on convenience and affordability as it consolidates multiple sources of entertainment and collectible culture into a single physical space. The Swiss store also boasts practical everyday goods like drinkware, bags, and home essentials. MINISO celebrated its inaugural retail milestone in Switzerland with a character parade and live DJ performances. Image Credit: MINISO ## Trend Insights (Trend Hunter) - Score: 8.0/10 - Popularity: 82% | Activity: 81% | Freshness: 78% - Audience gender: 50% men, 50% women - Primary generations: Gen Z, Gen Alpha, Millennial - Top markets: Europe ## Categories [Trend Hunter](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends) > [Business](https://www.trendhunter.com/business) > [Retail](https://www.trendhunter.com/retail) ## Key Themes ### What's Driving This Trend - **Global Discount Lifestyle Retail Expansion:** The blending of affordable everyday essentials with aspirational collectibles in compact stores indicates potential to upend traditional department store models through high-frequency, low-price lifestyle assortments. - **Ip-themed Microzones:** A dedicated franchise-themed zone within a general retail footprint suggests new formats where licensed ecosystems drive foot traffic and longer dwell time around concentrated character experiences. - **Social-media-driven Character Virality:** Proprietary characters that spark online discussion point to novel product-to-content loops where viral design cues translate directly into cross-category merchandising and licensing value. ### Who This Affects Most - **Retail Toy and Collectibles:** The concentration of over 1,000 cross-category items and franchise displays signals opportunities for curated, collectible-forward retail models that monetize fandom through limited drops and in-store exclusives. - **Fast-moving Consumer Goods:** Integration of practical household items with lifestyle and beauty products reveals a model where convenience-led assortment and price positioning can disrupt supermarket and home-goods channels. - **Experiential Retail and Events:** In-store activations like character parades and live DJs demonstrate experiential layers that can redefine physical retail as a social venue for brand storytelling and community building. ## Related on Trend Hunter - [Playful Toy-Inspired Pop-Ups](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/jellycat-caf.md) - [Adventurous Anime Lifestyle Collections](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/one-piece-popup.md) - [Immersive IP-Themed Stores](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/west-edmonton-mall.md) - [Multicolored Jewelry Stores](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/swarovski-launches.md) - [Youthful Flagship Stores](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/flagship-retail-location.md) - [Animated Film Pop-Up Tours](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/disneys-zootopia-2.md) - [Canadian Cartoon Activations](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/scarborough-town-centre.md) - [Iconic Customizable Plush Toys](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/buildabear-x-hello-kitty.md) - [Experiential IP-Themed Stores](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/miniso-land.md)