Pop Mart has been making waves around the latter part of the first half of the year, largely due to Blackpink’s Lisa, who posted her Labubu finds from the company. This got people in the Philippines curious and wanting to own something similar to the K-pop superstar. Since there were no physical stores set up in the Philippines at that time, people had to either buy them online, travel abroad to purchase them from official stores, or settle for resellers at higher prices.
Just a month ago, Filipino celebrities joined the Labubu craze, with Heart Evangelista and Marian Rivera leading the way. Recently, Anne Curtis also showed off her Molly X Sanrio collection on Instagram.
Well, it’s about time Pop Mart opened one here in the Philippines. The grand opening took place on Nov. 2 at Level 2, North Entertainment Mall of SM Mall of Asia in Pasay City. There is one catch though—it’s only a three-month pop-up, so be sure to visit soon. Here are some important details I gathered from my conversation with the team and Pop Mart Southeast Asia (SEA) business director Jeremy Lee during the ribbon-cutting event and sneak preview (There was no selling—to be fair to everyone) last Oct. 31.
Very hands-on
Jeremy has been opening a lot of stores across SEA this year, and his team ensures they reassess each store opening to learn from the experience. “We will put the right mechanics in place to make sure that, as much as possible, everybody gets what they want.” He also shared that they will be very hands-on in terms of directly talking to local contacts and opening stores within the region.
On its first location
In between conversations, I noticed that Jeremy is quite familiar with Metro Manila. He smiled and credited his previous job, which involved traveling throughout the SEA region. When I asked why they chose SM Mall of Asia for their first location, he replied, “There are so many reasons. It’s probably one of the best malls. As a mall operator, it is very experienced, so I feel very confident to have our first location here.” He also complimented the iconic outdoor globe and the mall’s high foot traffic.
Shopping experience
First things first is to follow Pop Mart Philippines’ Instagram account and turn on notifications. They’ve posted the QR code for the shopping registration link for dates until Nov. 6, along with clear directions on what to do for pre-validated customers. Be sure to arrive at least 30 minutes before your reserved 20-minute shopping time slot.
“You don’t have to waste your time queueing up,” Jeremy said. “We’ve organized holding and waiting areas inside the mall, so it’s not so hot. This is to make sure that everybody has a fair chance of getting something, and that everything’s well organized. This approach comes after many lessons learned throughout the process.”
To make sure everyone gets a fair chance, there are items that customers are only allowed to buy one and two blind boxes.
On resellers
For those who don’t have direct shopping access, many turn to resellers. I asked Jeremy for his thoughts on this, and he said, “We always try to make it as fair as possible to allow everybody to get what they want. Whether it’s through the queue mechanics or in the allowance of one person to buy one, we really try to make it fair. It shouldn’t be something available to a select group of people. We try to make it accessible to everyone. We are working very hard to achieve this.”
On its authenticity
Jeremy acknowledges the issue of fake Pop Mart items being sold, saying, “It’s really very sad to hear consumers wanting the real thing only to pay for something that doesn’t match what was promised. I think it’s a terrible experience.” He added, “We are working very hard, along with our legal team, to make sure that these fakes are not available in the market.”
When I followed up with questions about how to authenticate their items, he advised, “If you want to get the real thing, just be patient and buy from the store.”
Unfortunately, all slots for these dates are full, so following its Instagram account is essential for updates and instructions for Nov. 7 onwards. Keeping my fingers crossed I get to shop at the pop-up real soon, too!