Walt Disney Co's first retail store in China — the biggest in the world — will open in the Pudong New Area on Wednesday.
More than 2,000 Disney products, including clothing, smartphone covers, stationery and bags, will be sold in the Shanghai store at 180 Fenghe Road in Lujiazui.
The store's opening is part of the run-up to the opening of the Shanghai Disney Resort in the spring of 2016 — the first Disney theme park on China's mainland.
It will contain a 5.8-meter high mock-up of the Magic Kingdom's Fantasyland castle at its entrance, said Disney.
The Tsum Tsum Plush Collection, the most popular Disney toy range sold globally, will also be stocked in the new Shanghai store, said Disney officials.
Prices of products will range from about 20 yuan (U.S.$3.2) to more than 1,000 yuan, it was reported yesterday.
Prices are generally about 20-50 yuan more expensive than in Hong Kong and Tokyo Disney shops, thepaper.cn reported.
The shopping experience will also be interactive.
A three-minute show with clips of Disney movie classics will be shown on screens in the store every hour, when lights will be dimmed.
Favorite Disney characters like Mickey Mouse, Goofy, Donald Duck and Pluto were suspended from the ceiling in hot air balloons.
There will also be a Marvel section where visitors can see hand-made sculptures of some Marvel characters such as Iron Man, the Hulk and Captain America, said officials.
In front of the store will be an outdoor square, featuring flowerbeds in the shapes of iconic Disney images.
The store will be open daily from 10am to 10 p.m.
