Chinese brands bring a new buzz to Times Square

Chinese-owned toy retailers Pop Mart, maker of the extremely popular Labubu dolls, and Top Toy are set to open stores this year in New York's bustling shopping and tourist district of Times Square.

"The addition of these new stores to Times Square will add another playful layer to the already complex and diverse Times Square landscape and we are constantly celebrating new interesting international brands as they arrive in our neighborhood," said Tom Harris, president of Times Square Alliance, a nonprofit that improves and promotes Times Square.

The openings come as a growing number of Chinese-owned stores have become a prominent sight in Manhattan in the past few years, such as Mixue Ice Cream & Tea, Heytea, Miniso and Luckin Coffee.

Pop Mart will reportedly open its 650-square-meter emporium "in the second half of the year" at 1540 Broadway, which had "Pop Mart coming soon" in its windows as of June 16. Pop Mart signed a 10-year lease with Vornado Realty Trust, which owns the location, according to the media outlet Commercial Observer.

Mark, an 83-year-old Times Square visitor from New Jersey who declined to give his surname, said he welcomed seeing the new Chinese-owned stores.

"I like seeing the variety of stores here in Times Square when I visit. It's nice more are coming from Asia," he told China Daily.

"I find it interesting to see all of the products from different parts of the world. I like learning about different cultures and languages and people, so it's great to me that Pop Mart will open soon."

The Pop Mart in New York will be the company's flagship US store.

Meanwhile, Top Toy, the collectible toy subsidiary of Miniso, is the second store slated to open in Times Square on June 26, the New York Post reported.

The store will occupy a 185-square-meter corner at 1515 Broadway, according to commercial real-estate reports.

Appeal of toys

"Toy stores are going to appeal to families that are visiting New York, so that's a good thing," said A.J. Morris, 30, from New York.

Chinese retailers are setting up shop as the local retail industry saw 8,234 chain retail store closures in 2025, according to Coresight Research, a US retail data and consultancy firm.

Coresight projects that retailers will close around 7,900 US stores in 2026, a 45 percent drop from the year before.

The domestic retail industry has faced several challenges in the past several years, including fallout from the coronavirus pandemic, tariffs, changing consumer shopping habits, and slow integration of brick-and-mortar stores with online shopping, said a retail analyst.

Carol Spieckerman, a global retail analyst and president of retail consultancy firm Spieckerman Retail, said: "Offering multiple checkout options ensures that retailers can engage a wide range of shoppers. It isn't a question of bricks versus clicks, both must be continuously evaluated and upgraded for retailers to remain competitive."

Times Square, known as the "crossroads of the world", is a hub for business, entertainment and culture.

According to Times Square Alliance's monthly economic indicator report from May, there was an average of 218,227 pedestrians visiting Times Square daily that month. There was an 89 percent storefront business open rate.

"For over a hundred years people have been traveling to Times Square and many times making return trips to the iconic neighborhood. It's wonderful to see the variety of offerings within our retail market continue to grow and diversify. There is something for everyone in Times Square and that only becomes truer with each new offering that opens here," said Harris from the Times Square Alliance.

belindarobinson@chinadailyusa.com