Animate Beijing Moves to Wangfujing and Reopens

Animate Beijing store interior after reopening in Wangfujing

On June 26, 2026, Animate reopened its Beijing store in the Wangfujing district, moving the branch into one of the city's busiest commercial and tourist corridors. The press release makes clear that this is more than a simple address change: the new shop adds a books section, expands the mix of goods on the floor, and will later introduce Gratte food-and-drink service.

What Was Announced

According to Animate Holdings, Animate Beijing relaunched at Wangfujing Joy City B2F, 301 Wangfujing Street, Dongcheng District, Beijing, with business hours from 10:00 to 22:00. The store now sells character goods alongside comics, art books, and magazines, giving the branch a broader fan-retail profile than a standard merchandise shop.

The release also highlights Animate Print, the in-store card-printing service that lets visitors create a card with a chosen design in about one minute. To mark the reopening, the store sold several kinds of lucky bags on day one, and the company said many customers came through the doors to inspect the new floor.

Why It Matters

For Animate, the move suggests a more durable retail strategy for Beijing. A store that combines goods, books, and customization services can keep fans inside the space longer and gives the branch more reasons to be visited repeatedly. That is an inference from the layout and service mix, but the press release itself supports it by emphasizing the new books corner and the planned Gratte installation.

It also shows how Japanese pop-culture retail can adapt outside Japan without becoming a generic souvenir shop. The Beijing branch is still clearly an anime-and-manga destination, but it now leans into the same layered shopping experience fans expect from larger Animate locations in Japan.

Context for International Fans

For readers outside China, Wangfujing is one of Beijing's most recognizable shopping districts, so the new location should be easier for visitors to reach than a hidden niche storefront. The official store page and related links suggest Animate intends the branch to function as an active local hub rather than a one-off announcement.

That matters because physical anime retail abroad works best when it is visible, easy to access, and broad enough to serve both tourists and local fans. A central location like this makes the store useful for a quick merch stop, but also for browsing books and checking future in-store features.

What Happens Next

The main follow-up is Gratte, which the release says will be introduced later. If that arrives on schedule, the Beijing branch will move even closer to Animate's typical Japan formula: merch, reading material, and themed food or drink all in one place. The official shop page is the best source for future updates.

Sources

Information was checked on June 29, 2026 at 20:42 JST.

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