The creative comms agency Here be Dragons will handle all of retailer MINISO’s upcoming store openings in the UK, as well as strategic communications and crisis work.

The brief includes press office and influencer work, and the agency will be responsible for raising awareness of the retailer in the UK as well as increasing footfall instore and online.

The account will be led by Here Be Dragons director April Hogan. PRWeek UK understands this is the first time the Chinese retailer has hired a UK agency.

Hogan said: “MINISO have already got a legion of fans for the way they have cracked the affordable lifestyle market. The mix of physical retail and influencer fandom is a concept that is scaling at pace, and one that perfectly complements Here Be Dragons’ courageous approach to communications.”

Sarah Gill, head of marketing at MINISO, added: “MINISO has taken the UK by storm, and we need an agency that can keep pace and share our ambitions.

"Here Be Dragons demonstrated its skills in both traditional and digital earned media and influencer capabilities, as well as showing us a healthy dose of brave creative work. It feels like the perfect team as we embark on a series of exciting retail launches.”

MINISO sells design-led lifestyle products including toys, tech, stationery, accessories, homeware, food, and health and beauty lines. The retailer has 21 stores in the UK and nearly 5,791 globally, 3,604 of them in China.