The worlds largest Disney store opened its doors to the public in Shanghai on Wednesday (20 May), giving fans of Mickey and Minnie the chance to browse row upon row of toys and Disney-themed products in the heart of Shanghais financial district.
The 53,000ft2 store is the first Disney store in China, adding to the more than 340 locations the company has worldwide. It will allow the entertainment conglomerate to cash in on an increasingly affluent middle class in the worlds most populous nation.
Outside the store, 24-year-old Zhao Jieyu showed off his purchases.
[This is a] cowboy doll. This one is exactly the same as the one in Toy Story. It also has Andys autograph on it. And it also has a pull-tab to make a sound, so its fantastic. Its completely the same as that in the original movie, he said.
For 27-year-old Wu Jiani the fact that the store offered performances was a major draw.
Its better than my expectations. There are lots of images showing details from fairy stories. I also heard they will have activities every hour, which Im looking forward to. Theres so much fun inside and I think it is worth a tour. But there are quite a lot of people at the moment so I suggest people come on work or regular days, she said.
In addition to the Disney Store, Shanghai is set to get its own Disneyland theme park in the spring of 2016. The company had earlier set a target of a late 2015 opening but decided to add attractions to the park, a $5.5bn (£3.54bn) joint venture with Chinas state owned Shanghai Shendi Group.
