Manor Geneva store: Gashapon sales to begin
– Genki Coop to provide 100 Gashapon machines
– Special spaces to be set up in Lugano and Basel
Summary from JETRO article.
Genki Coop: Gashapon
A Swiss wholesaler of pop culture related products.
Opens May 25th to July 24th, 2024 at Manor Geneva store in Switzerland.
Collaborates with a French group company of Bandai Namco Holdings.
100 Gashapon machines set up in a special space.
Manor, a major Swiss department store:
1. The special space at the Geneva store was well received and has been made permanent.
2. Special spaces will also be set up in cities such as Lugano and Basel.
We asked about the Gashapon project and the spread of Japanese content in Switzerland.
Genki Coop Marketing Director: Pierre-André Grasseré
Genki Coop was founded in 2007 and currently has 11 employees.
1. Purchases officially licensed anime and character products from Bandai.
2. Operates sales to specialty stores and online shops.
3. There are only five officially licensed distributors in Switzerland.
Genki Coop’s advantages:
1. Genki Coop has inventory in Switzerland and can fulfill small orders.
2. Stores 27,000 products in a 1,000m2 warehouse in Acrens near Lausanne.
Of these, 50-60% are products related to Japanese content.
“ONE PIECE”, “Jujutsu Kaisen”, “Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba”:
The best-selling work is “ONE PIECE”, followed by “Jujutsu Kaisen” and “Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba”.
Swiss department store Manor: Geneva store:
Manor has collaborated with Bandai’s French group company.
1. 100 Gashapon machines have been gathered on the toy floor of Manor Geneva.
2. A special space will be explained for a limited time from May 25th to July 24th.
Gashapon sales project:
Currently, Bandai is aiming to expand into France, Germany, and Italy.
1. Purchase tokens and insert them into Gashapon machines to use them.
2. This system makes it easier to expand to countries with different currencies.
This time, the test market is Switzerland, which has cultural diversity including language areas.
Gashapon prices:
Products are priced at 4 to 6 Swiss francs per unit (1 CHF = 174 yen).
1. 70% are licensed character products such as anime.
2. Unlicensed products such as cute sea animals account for 30%.
Customer demographics of Gashapon purchasers:
Gashapons of “Hamtaro” and “Kirby” were especially popular.
1. People who visit every two days to purchase, or people who purchase with their families
2. People who find content they like and purchase it, etc.
Gashapon sales are going well:
1. Initial sales were expected to be 4,000 CHF per week.
2. In the first four weeks, sales far exceeded expectations, averaging 6,000 to 10,000 CHF per week.
The special space will be made permanent at the Geneva store, and special spaces will also be set up in Lugano and Basel.
Digitec Galaxus: Migros online shop:
In the past four years or so, a major Swiss supermarket chain has been selling Japanese character goods.
Recently, they have begun doing business with the two major supermarkets, COOP.
1. Retailers, specialty stores, and online shops are looking for new products.
2. We would like to predict what popular things in Japan are likely to become hits in Europe.
Japanese pop culture:
1. Supporters in Europe are expanding from young people to families.
2. The number of Swiss travelers to Japan is increasing, and people have a favorable impression of Japan.
There is a desire to “experience the real Japan depicted in manga and other media.”
https://www.jetro.go.jp/biz/areareports/2025/5f7ef7d1fffa7c65.html