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One Piece Mugiwara Store Opens in Bangkok
posted on by Rafael Antonio Pineda
Thailand character goods company Dream 16 opened the One Piece "Mugiwara Store" in Bangkok, Thailand last Friday. The store represents the second international branch of the store, after the first one opened in Taiwan last year. Dream 16, an affiliate of Dream Express, the licensee for One Piece in Thailand, operates the store in cooperation with Toei.
The store is located on the second floor of the Gateway Ekamai, and has a floor space of about 155 square meters. The store stocks One Piece-related goods such as stationery, themed clothing, and figures.
Dream 16 invested 10 million THB in the store. Vichien Vangveravongsa, managing director of Dream 16 and general manager of Dream Express, stated that the One Piece brand in Thailand has a market value of 500 million THB.
Most of the merchandise consists of imports from Japan and Hong Kong, and Vichien stated that some of the merchandise may be up to 30-60 percent more expensive than their respective prices in Japan due to import duty and transportation. Vichien hopes to produce more of the merchandise locally to have a better price range for the store.
Dream 16 is planning on opening another Mugiwara Store in Thailand, but is awaiting feedback from the first store. The company has earmarked 4-5 million THB for marketing events and promotions for the store.
Mugiwara Stores currently have locations in Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya, and Fukuoka in Japan, and in Taiwan internationally. The Taiwan store now generates a monthly revenue of US$50,000-$100,000.
Sources: NNA Asia, The Nation (Sucheera Pinijparakarn)
