We are excited to announce the expansion of “Brave stores”, the overseas merchandise sales business launched by Brave group Inc. in July 2024 to promote the globalization of Japan’s content industry!
What is Brave stores?
Brave stores is a global merchandise business launched to promote the international growth of Japan’s content industry. It operates physical retail stores and a global e-commerce business worldwide.
Special Website: https://bravegroup.co.jp/bravestores/en/
Official X: https://x.com/brave_stores/
Background of Business Development
In recent years, while Japan’s content industry has gained worldwide popularity, particularly in Asia, the international trade of counterfeit and pirated products has become a critical issue, reaching an estimated $464 billion in 2019 (equivalent to 2.5% of total world trade).
According to the 2022 Survey on Intellectual Property Activities in Japan, 13.9% of domestic companies reported damages from counterfeiting, yet only about 30% are taking countermeasures. The reasons cited include “difficulty in assessing the full extent of the damage,” “low cost-effectiveness,” “lack of funds and resources,” and “unclear methods for taking concrete action”.
Against this backdrop, the Brave stores initiative plays a crucial role in curbing the distribution of counterfeit and pirated goods and enhancing the credibility of Japanese content. We do this by delivering official merchandise and licensed products—from both our own IP and Japan’s leading anime and manga IPs—directly to customers worldwide through legitimate distribution channels.
Furthermore, our physical stores provide a secure shopping experience where customers can personally inspect products to confirm their quality, as we proactively eliminate defective or damaged items. Unlike cross-border e-commerce, we also offer the convenience of allowing customers to take their purchases home immediately.
Brave stores Performance: July – October 2024
Physical Stores
Tokyo – Haneda Airport Garden
“Haneda Airport Garden” directly connected to Haneda Airport’s Terminal 3, offers approximately 600 items and 10,000 products, including official merchandise from the latest popular anime and manga.
The store has been visited by many fans of Japanese content from both Japan and overseas!
＜Haneda Airport Garden Store Overview＞
- Business Hours: 10:00 AM – 8:00 PM
- Address: Haneda Airport Garden 2F, 2-7-1 Haneda Airport, Ota-ku, Tokyo 144-0041
Pop-up Stores
Shanghai – Bailian ZX Creator Center
At the “Shanghai Bailian ZX Creator Center”, one of China’s largest content merchandise facilities, we sold official goods from popular anime and manga, as well as merchandise from our own IPs like “MUGEN LIVE”, “HIMEHINA”, and “RIOT MUSIC.”
The store was a great success with customers. The “HIMEHINA Original Postcard”, distributed on a first-come, first-served basis as a purchase bonus, ran out on the first day, requiring an additional print run to meet demand!
Bangkok – Union Mall
At “Union Mall”, a shopping center for young people in downtown Bangkok, we sold over 200 items, including merchandise from the popular anime “WIND BREAKER”, original goods from talents belonging to the popular Thai VTuber agency “Algorhythm Project (ARP)”, and other popular anime and manga goods.
The ARP original goods were completely original products planned and produced under the full supervision of Brave stores, and they were extremely well-received by local fans! We also set up a shrine-themed special booth and photo spot where customers who spent over a certain amount could draw an
omikuji (fortune slip), which was enjoyed by many.
Event Exhibitions
Bangkok – Bangkok Nippon Haku 2024
At “Bangkok Nippon Haku 2024”, one of Thailand’s largest Japanese cultural exhibitions, we featured official goods from popular anime and manga and displayed merchandise for the Southeast Asian and Thai-speaking VTuber units “Chrono prince” and “Amakara.”
At the digital signage displaying our talents in the booth, many visitors were seen enjoying taking two-shot photos with the talents!
Bangkok – Book Expo Thailand 2024
At “Book Expo Thailand 2024”, Thailand’s largest book fair, we set up a booth within the space of “Luckpim”, a company specializing in the Thai translation and publication of Japanese manga. Similar to our pop-up at Union Mall, we sold original merchandise for “WIND BREAKER” and “ARP”, attracting many local fans of Japanese manga, content, and VTuber culture to our booth!
Guangzhou – CICF×AGF
At “CICF×AGF”, an anime and game festival held in Guangzhou, China, we conducted the first-ever sale in China of goods from the “Puchikyunn” series, featuring original super-deformed illustrations of characters from the popular anime “WIND BREAKER.”
The event attracted a large number of local fans of our own IPs as well as fans of the various anime and manga series.
E-commerce Site
In July 2024, we pre-launched our e-commerce site for customers in Thailand, “Brave stores Thailand.”
As a first step, we opened a dedicated page for “AStars production”, a VTuber production for the Southeast Asian and Thai-speaking regions operated by Brave group APAC (Thailand) Co., Ltd., and began selling debut commemoration goods for its affiliated talents.
Moving forward, we plan to expand our lineup to include official goods and licensed products from various anime and manga, in addition to our own IP merchandise.
Following Thailand, we also plan to open an e-commerce site in China. Please look forward to future announcements!
＜Related Links＞
Brave stores
For the latest information on Brave stores, please check the special website!
