MUJI Chengdu Big Shop: Displaying Beautiful Life

Perhaps the identity of the other person, the Chengdu Caf & Meal MUJI waiter in the Wang Wenxin meal, nervously put a piece of steamed chop with the wind powder to the outside of the plate.

Wang Wenxin is

Managing director of (Shanghai) Commercial Co. Ltd.

No matter this flagship store, which is located in the Muji world flagship shop beside the Great Mosque in Chengdu, or the first Caf restaurant in China's mainland, Meal MUJI has some careful intentions.

The world flagship store opened in December 12th with 4 floors and a total area of 3141 square meters.

It is also the largest Japanese store in the world, even more than the flagship store in Tokyo.

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Yes, it is flagship store, which is widely used by commercial brands in China.

Just behind the flagship store of Muji world, a 3 story Starbucks flagship store opened just a few days ago.

Another Japanese brand, UNIQLO, has been booming since its entry into China. In September last year, it opened a 8000 square meter global flagship store in Shanghai.

These retail brands are constantly working with Chinese commercial real estate developers to try to please their most valued Chinese consumers with super large stores and the most complete products.

MUJI is also there.

MUJI has always had a blind dependence on big stores.

In 1993, it opened its first 1190 square meter shop in Japan and was obsessed with the pursuit of large shops.

By 2001, Muji average shop area reached 995.9 square meters.

In the crazy era, the developer can receive the invitation from 40 shopping centers at the same time, and if he meets the basic requirements, he will open more than 1000 square meters of shops here.

This led directly to its first loss in 2001, but the two larger stores also opened in Tokyo and Osaka.

In the following year, Tokue Junichi was the executive director of the good plan project and was responsible for its development.

Today's Chinese market may enable Muji to achieve its previous unfulfilled pursuit.

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The future is boundless. "

On the day of its opening ceremony, Kimi Masaki, President of the company's good quality program, told the first financial weekly in a tea room.

He gladly expressed his determination and desire to occupy the Chinese market.

The reason is obvious.

For example, when he talked about the importance of the Chinese market, the sales volume exceeded 500 thousand yuan in the flagship store 1 kilometers away, but in January 25th last year, when China's largest Muji was opened in Hangzhou, its total sales volume was 600 thousand yuan, surpassing the global record at that time.

Before reaching 500 thousand yuan, neither Kimi Masaki nor Wang Wenxin had a clear estimate of turnover.

In other words, they are full of optimism, but they do not know what kind of market returns they will mean in China starting such a world flagship store.

In December last year, Wang Wenxin, chairman of the company of Muji (Shanghai) Commercial Co., realized the goal of "100 stores in China".

"The 100 family is a time point," Wang Wenxin told reporters. "If the flagship store starts too early, consumers may have no knowledge of Muji.

Late action, people will think that Muji is only more than 600 square meters of limited number of shops.

The world flagship store is the 121st Muji store in China. Its stores have been laid in 38 cities in China.

As for why Chengdu, Muji claimed that it originated from the fit and relaxed atmosphere and rhythm of Chengdu citizens.

For some foreign retailers, Chengdu is a market full of potential but not so familiar.

As long as you go around the store, the commercial project of Chengdu is known by ocean pacific, and this project has been prepared for many years.

The brand portfolio here needs a Muji like shop to balance the single sense of luxury and clothing brands, while the flagship store's gimmick is also a common way to attract traffic.

Oceanic Taigi actively found Muji.

MUJI also took a fancy to the design of a single shop here, but opened a flagship store which is 4 times larger than the daily store area. The company is somewhat Caf Meal MUJI waiter.

Usually in the Chinese market, it takes only about two months for the location of the Muji new location to be surveyed, and then the opening up period will be completed within 45 days to 60 days. The world flagship store has spent 1 and a half years preparing for the exhibition, which only took 1 weeks to adjust the final display.

Support for such a large shop needs more than 100 Muji shop staff.

In addition to re recruitment, a group of surrounding cities employees were seconded to Chengdu to open shop support and work between a pile of scaffolding.

Wang Wenxin also needs to select 10 people from all over the country to go to Japan for two or 1 weeks of training. They now serve as IA (Interior Advisor) and SA (Styling Advisor) in this store, and provide consulting services for furniture or clothing, which naturally become the selling point of this store.

Since last July, in addition to President Kimi Masaki, interior designers of Muji consultants, Sugimoto Takashi and his studio Super Potato designers, and Muji Japanese goods development department staff have been appearing in Chengdu.

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They were mixed up in the famous commercial streets of Jinli Street, Kuan Alley and Zhai Alley and some second-hand markets in the city, which inspired the design of this store.

Interior designer Sugimoto Takashi is responsible for the overall design of the store.

His most famous work is actually Muji in stores all over the world.

One afternoon before opening, he patrolled his achievements in a shop on crutches.

He said stubbornly that there was no concept or design in this store.

But visually sensitive consumers can see obvious signs of Sugimoto Takashi and team in this store.

For example, in the stationery area to display workspace shelves, as well as stacked notebook container edge, you can see similar "Sichuan Yearbook" and other thick old books.

There are two decorative walls stacked with old books in Caf & Meal MUJI.

This is the decorative material of Sugimoto Takashi and Super Potato's designer from the Chengdu second-hand market and the Chinese countryside.

Such details can be seen everywhere in this store - a basket for displaying sauce on the stage, an old rocking chair for sweaters and pillows, and a wooden bucket.

You can also see the trolley used for farmland in rural China when you enter the gate.

MUJI display has a standard that can be replicated quickly and reappears in hundreds of shops.

Usually, the bottom of a large shelf is a sales area. Customers can get goods without obstacles. The middle space is high with consumers' vision and used for commodity display. High level display needs some design elements to highlight visual effects.

Shelves and clothing props are designed according to the specific size and display scheme of food, groceries and clothing.

The display design of any Muji shop in China is completed by the Japanese headquarters. China VMD (Visual Merchandising) is displayed on the basis of the design drawings.

The flagship store overturned this practice.

In addition to the changes in shelves and costumes, there are many art designs in the shop.

In other Muji shops, the rectangular stationery shelves are designed to be round, and the designers vertically pull down the steel wires from high places, and leave all kinds of colored pens on them.

Usually, 3 days before opening a shop, Japan's VMD will go to the scene to adjust, but this time the VMD of 8 countries worked in this shop for a whole week.

MUJI enthusiasts will be excited by this. They will go to a museum of MUJI products, and then forget about the consumption budget and pick something else they can buy at other stores.

Sugimoto Takashi denied that such a design display would be used in other Muji shops, which is not very realistic in space.

"There is no need to make every store exactly the same, and the design has contingency in the middle," he told reporters. "For example, the next flagship store in New York, every shop will take into account the elements and functions of the local design."

"Or you look at that chandelier," Sugimoto Takashi said, sitting in the seat of Caf and Meal MUJI, pointing to the most attractive chandelier outside the glass wall. "I will not deliberately design it, but in fact, there are some MUJI products, such as plastic soups and acrylic boxes."

Anyway, Muji really saw this store as too important.

In addition to Sugimoto Takashi, Fukazawa Naohito, a Muji design consultant and the original research institute, also appeared in Chengdu.

This is the first time that these 3 designers in Japan have been famous for their appearance in Japan.

If you want to understand Muji's popularity for the flagship store in the world, we need to talk about its loss of 3 billion 900 million yen in 2001.

At that time, Muji was first set up for larger stores, and then the development of goods, which led to the failure of the general merchandise category to fit in with such a big shop strategy at any time.

More than 10 years later, Muji did not want to repeat the same mistakes in the Chinese market.

Although in 2015, Muji plans to open 3 more flagship stores in China.

"The Chinese market plays a very important role," Kimi Masaki told reporters. "If there are problems in China's business, there will be problems in the whole good plan."

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But now Kimi Masaki looks much more confident.

In his view, the opening of the world flagship store in Chengdu proves that Muji has matured in China's commodity production and distribution, though it still can not satisfy his expectations.

The flagship store in Chengdu is the first time to sell Muji cosmetics and skincare products, but compared with 80 categories in last year's shop opening plan, there are only 20 products in the store.

There are 57 kinds of food products, including condiments and alcoholic beverages.

"It's still stuck in some Chinese laws."

Wang Wenxin said.

For example, any commodity with meat extract will be in trouble when it is imported, and the sale of such a gate store is often close to the "taste period" of food when it is sent to the store by the customs.

In order to comply with the relevant regulations of China,