Miniso to open first Glasgow store in Braehead mall
Braehead Shopping Centre is the destination with the brand's 'engaging and unique store format… set to attract a wide and loyal customer base' and its pop culture offer 'appealing to everyone from trendsetting Gen Z shoppers and students to young professionals and families'.
Its 40th UK store also aims to 'strengthen the centre's position as Scotland's go-to destination for retail, lifestyle and family experiences'.
Tthe 2,267 sq ft store will bring its colourful and immersive retail experience featuring an 'ever-evolving range of affordable, design-led products and exclusive collections' with characters from Sanrio, Harry Potter, Disney, Stitch, Pokémon, Care Bears and more. Other features include popular blind boxes, beauty products and plush toys.
Rob Jewell, managing director, Asset Management at centre operator Pradera Lateral said: ' Miniso is a highly anticipated addition to our retail mix and reinforces Braehead's position as a leading retail and leisure destination in Scotland. As a globally recognised brand with a unique and engaging offering, [it] brings a dynamic new product range to the centre.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Euronews
an hour ago
- Euronews
EU urges China to drop sanctions on two Lithuanian banks
The European Union called on China to revoke sanctions imposed on two Lithuanian banks in retaliation for EU penalties on Chinese lenders linked to Russia's war in Ukraine. Beijing announced the measures this week against Urbo Bank and Mano Bank despite the fact that these Lithuanian banks do not operate in China, giving Beijing's move a largely symbolic character. Nonetheless, the tit-for-tat measures underscore the deepening divide between Brussels and Beijing over China's support for Russia in its war on Ukraine. At EU headquarters in Brussels, European Commission spokesperson Olof Gill defended the bloc's sanctions on Chinese banks. China 'must respect the problems we have identified,' Gill said. 'Our sanctions are the centrepiece of our efforts to minimise the effectiveness of the Russian war machine.' He said the Commission does not believe that the Chinese countermeasures 'have any justification or are evidence-based, and therefore we call on China to remove them even now.' EU sanctions on Russia's war in Ukraine The EU's latest Russia sanctions package, adopted in July and effective 9 August, included Heihe Rural Commercial Bank and Heilongjiang Suifenhe Rural Commercial Bank. The bloc accused them of providing crypto-asset services that help Moscow evade restrictions. In explaining its sanctions on the Lithuanian banks, the Chinese Ministry said the EU sanctions on Chinese firms had "a serious negative impact on China-EU economic and trade relations and financial cooperation.' The banks and the government in Lithuania said the sanctions were not expected but would likely have little practical impact. 'According to the preliminary assessment, this decision will not have a significant impact on either the country's financial system or the activities of the banks themselves, since the business models of the mentioned banks are focused on the local market,' the Bank of Lithuania said on Wednesday in a statement. Marius Arlauskas, the head of administration at Urbo Bank, also said that 'since we do not have any business partnerships with Chinese individuals or legal entities, the sanctions will have no impact on the activities of Urbo Bank and the implementation of prudential regulations." Why has China targeted Lithuania? The Baltic nation has drawn China's ire for years. Beijing expelled Lithuania's ambassador in 2021 in response to Lithuania allowing Taiwan to open a liaison office in Vilnius, the Lithuanian capital. China regards Taiwan as a breakaway province and prohibits other countries from having formal ties with Taipei. Taiwan has long sought closer relations with the Baltic states, citing their past experiences under authoritarian rule and embrace of multiparty democracy and liberal values. In 2024, Lithuania expelled Chinese diplomats after a Chinese ship came under suspicion during an investigation into the severing of two undersea data cables. One runs under the Baltic Sea between Lithuania and Sweden.
Euronews
10 hours ago
- Euronews
The new 'Tiger economy': Vietnam's 2045 get rich quick plan
Beneath red banners and a gold bust of revolutionary leader Ho Chi Minh in Hanoi's central party school, Communist Party chief To Lam declared the arrival of 'a new era of development' late last year. The speech was more than symbolic—it signalled the launch of what could be Vietnam's most ambitious economic overhaul in decades. Vietnam aims to get rich by 2045 and become Asia's next 'tiger economy'—a term used to describe the earlier ascent of countries like South Korea and Taiwan. The challenge ahead is steep: Reconciling growth with overdue reforms, an ageing population, climate risks and outdated institutions. There's added pressure from President Donald Trump over Vietnam's trade surplus with the US, a reflection of its astounding economic trajectory. In 1990, the average Vietnamese could afford about $1,200 (€1,025) worth of goods and services a year, adjusted for local prices. Today, that figure has risen by more than 13 times to $16,385 (€13,995). Vietnam's transformation into a global manufacturing hub with shiny new highways, high-rise skylines and a booming middle class has lifted millions of its people from poverty, similar to China. But its low-cost, export-led boom is slowing and it faces a growing obstacle to its proposed reforms—expanding private industries, strengthening social protections and investing in technology and green energy—from climate change. 'It's all hands on deck. . . . We can't waste time anymore," said Mimi Vu of the consultancy Raise Partners. The export boom can't carry Vietnam forever Investment has soared, driven partly by US-China trade tensions, and the US is now Vietnam's biggest export market. Once-quiet suburbs have been replaced with industrial parks where trucks rumble through sprawling logistics hubs that serve global brands. Vietnam ran a $123.5 billion (€105bn) trade surplus with the US trade in 2024, angering Trump, who threatened a 46% US import tax on Vietnamese goods. The two sides appear to have settled on a 20% levy, and twice that for goods suspected of being transshipped, or routed through Vietnam to avoid US trade restrictions. During negotiations with the Trump administration, Vietnam's focus was on its tariffs compared to those of its neighbours and competitors, said Daniel Kritenbrink, a former US ambassador to Vietnam. 'As long as they're in the same zone, in the same ballpark, I think Vietnam can live with that outcome," he said. But he added that questions remain over how much Chinese content in those exports might be too much and how such goods will be taxed. Vietnam was preparing to shift its economic policies even before Trump's tariffs threatened its model of churning out low-cost exports for the world, aware of what economists call the 'middle-income trap,' when economies tend to plateau without major reforms. To move beyond that, South Korea bet on electronics, Taiwan on semiconductors, and Singapore on finance, said Richard McClellan, founder of the consultancy RMAC Advisory. But Vietnam's economy today is more diverse and complex than those countries were at the time and it can't rely on just one winning sector to drive long-term growth and stay competitive as wages rise and cheap labour is no longer its main advantage. It needs to make 'multiple big bets,' McClellan said. Vietnam's game plan Following China's lead, Vietnam is counting on high-tech sectors like computer chips, artificial intelligence and renewable energy, providing strategic tax breaks and research support in cities like Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, and Danang. It's also investing heavily in infrastructure, including civilian nuclear plants and a $67 billion (€57bn) North–South high-speed railway, that will cut travel time from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City to eight hours. Vietnam also aspires to become a global financial center. The government plans two special financial centres in bustling Ho Chi Minh City and in the seaside resort city of Danang, with simplified rules to attract foreign investors, tax breaks, support for financial tech startups, and easier ways to settle business disputes. Underpinning all of this is institutional reform. Ministries are being merged, low-level bureaucracies have been eliminated and Vietnam's 63 provinces will be consolidated into 34 to build regional centres with deeper talent pools. Private business to take the lead Vietnam is counting on private businesses to lead its new economic push—a seismic shift from the past. In May, the Communist Party passed Resolution 68. It calls private businesses the 'most important force' in the economy, pledging to break away from domination by state-owned and foreign companies. So far, large multinationals have powered Vietnam's exports, using imported materials and parts and low cost local labour. Local companies are stuck at the low-end of supply chains, struggling to access loans and markets that favoured the 700-odd state-owned giants, from colonial-era beer factories with arched windows to unfashionable state-run shops that few customers bother to enter. 'The private sector remains heavily constrained," said Nguyen Khac Giang of Singapore's ISEAS–Yusof Ishak Institute. Again emulating China, Vietnam wants 'national champions' to drive innovation and compete globally, not by picking winners, but by letting markets decide. The policy includes easier loans for companies investing in new technology, priority in government contracts for those meeting innovation goals, and help for firms looking to expand overseas. Even mega-projects like the North-South High-Speed Rail, once reserved for state-run giants, are now open to private bidding. By 2030, Vietnam hopes to elevate at least 20 private firms to a global scale. But Giang warned that there will be pushback from conservatives in the Communist Party and from those who benefit from state-owned firms. A Closing Window from climate change Even as political resistance threatens to stall reforms, climate threats require urgent action. After losing a major investor over flood risks, Bruno Jaspaert knew something had to change. His firm, DEEP C Industrial Zones, houses more than 150 factories across northern Vietnam. So it hired a consultancy to redesign flood resilience plans. Climate risk is becoming its own kind of market regulation, forcing businesses to plan better, build smarter, and adapt faster. 'If the whole world will decide it's a can go very fast,' said Jaspaert. When Typhoon Yagi hit last year, causing $1.6 billion (€1.4bn) in damage, knocking 0.15% off Vietnam's GDP and battering factories that produce nearly half the country's economic output, roads in DEEP C industrial parks stayed dry. Climate risks are no longer theoretical: If Vietnam doesn't take strong action to adapt to and reduce climate change, the country could lose 12–14.5% of its GDP each year by 2050, and up to one million people could fall into extreme poverty by 2030, according to the World Bank. Meanwhile, Vietnam is growing old before it gets rich. The country's 'golden population' window—when working-age people outnumber dependents—will close by 2039 and the labour force is projected to peak just three years later. That could shrink productivity and strain social services, especially since families—and women in particular—are the default caregivers, said Teerawichitchainan Bussarawan of the Centre for Family and Population Research at the National University of Singapore. Vietnam is racing to pre-empt the fallout by expanding access to preventive healthcare so older adults remain healthier and more independent. Gradually raising the retirement age and drawing more women into the formal workforce would help offset labour gaps and promote "healthy ageing,' Bussarawan said.
LeMonde
17 hours ago
- LeMonde
China shuts down a major lithium mine, triggering a surge in prices
Contemporary Amperex Technology Co., Limited (CATL), the world's largest battery manufacturer, confirmed on Monday, August 11, that it had shut down its mine in Yichun, southeastern China, as it seeks to renew an expired operating license. This mine is far from insignificant: It accounts for around 6% of global production. Lithium prices soared 8% at the close, while the share prices of international mining companies also surged. The fate of this mine had been closely monitored for several weeks due to speculation that Chinese authorities would not renew its license. In 2024, CATL controlled between 35% and 40% of the global market for batteries used in electric vehicles, supplying most Chinese automakers and many foreign manufacturers such as Tesla, Toyota and BMW. Lithium is not a rare earth element, but it is a strategic, very light metal, notably used in lithium-ion batteries that power smartphones, laptops and, crucially, electric vehicles. In just a few years, it has become a key metal in the global race toward the energy transition.
