M&M'S World® Celebrates Grand Opening in Shanghai

SHANGHAI, China, Aug. 11, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- M&M'S^®, the world's biggest chocolate brand, celebrated the grand opening of its first M&M'S World^® store in Asia – M&M's World^® Shanghai – on vibrant East Nanjing Road. Creating 130 new jobs, the 1,600-square-meter  'retail-tainment' destination is the first in Asia - showcasing the strong growth of the M&M'S^® brand in China and throughout Asia.

Spanning two floors of colorful, chocolate fun, the store offers M&M'S^® Brand Chocolate Candies in 22 colors and three varieties – Milk Chocolate, Peanut and Almond - and a wide range of M&M'S^® merchandise, including apparel, kitchenware, plush and Shanghai- and China-themed M&M'S^® branded products, such as mugs, tins and T-shirts, designed specifically for the Shanghai M&M'S World^® store. M&M'S World^® Shanghai is the fifth M&M'S World^® flagship store, joining the other iconic stores in Times Square, New York, Orlando, Las Vegas and Leicester Square London, which are visited by millions of people every year.  

"We are thrilled to add M&M'S World^® Shanghai store to our global store foot print. Shanghai is the ideal city for the first M&M'S World^® store in Asia, due to the city's truly global feel and appeal," said Brian Schiegg, General Manager, Mars Retail Group. "The location in the Brilliance Shimao International Plaza made perfect sense for the world's largest chocolate brand, since East Nanjing Road is one of the busiest pedestrian streets in China and a highly visited tourist destination in Shanghai. M&M'S World^® Shanghai welcomes visitors to a unique retail experience that combines shopping and entertainment, with an eye-catching, iconic-looking store that engages and excites fans of the M&M'S^® brand from all over the world," he said.

The store combines iconic Chinese landmarks and cultural elements with M&M'S^® in a colorful and fun way, making it a new "must-see" destination in Shanghai for both domestic and international visitors. Visitors to the store will be greeted by popular Red and Yellow M&M'S^® characters standing outside the main entryway, or Kung Fu Characters – Blue and Green dressed in kung fu clothing at the store's side entrance within the mall.

Yellow Panda in the Bamboo Garden features Yellow disguised as China's national treasure amidst bamboo stalks aglow in vibrant M&M'S^® colors and a lantern lit by a red M&M'S^® lentil. As guests walk up the stairs to the second floor, they are greeted by a large Moon Gate that previews the Great Wall of Chocolate. Large, colorful Character Columns depicting the M&M'S® characters and their signature catchphrases are also seen throughout the store. Daily performances by M&M'S^® characters allow visitors to engage with the life-sized characters in person.

The main focal point of the second floor features the Great Wall of Chocolate - the world's largest M&M'S^® candy wall - offering visitors an amazing photo moment and a chance to create their own customized blend of M&M'S^® Brand Chocolate Candies from 132 individual tubes.  Standing guard at either side of the Great Wall of Chocolate are Red and Orange dressed as Warriors.  In addition, the Lantern Garden features numerous hanging lanterns that illuminate and change colors as visitors step on the platform.

"The opening of M&M'S World^® Shanghai, a partnership between the M&M'S^® brand and Mars Retail Group, represents a significant investment and commitment to the Chinese market by Mars, Incorporated. We look forward to celebrating the world's most popular confectionery brand in China in a new engaging way that is guaranteed to make M&M'S World^® Shanghai one of the city's sweetest attractions," said Clarence Mak, President, Mars Chocolate China.

In keeping with Mars' commitment to sustainability and consumers' growing interest in the subject, M&M'S World^® Shanghai uses sustainable materials and energy efficient fixtures and lighting.

M&M'S World Shanghai is open from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. every day. For more information about M&M'S World^® and the M&M'S^® brand, please visit http://www.mmsworld.com and http://www.mms.com. 

About Mars Retail Group

Headquartered in Mt. Arlington, New Jersey, U.S., the Mars Retail Group creates and builds retail businesses that build the brands of Mars, Incorporated.  The iconic M&M'S World® stores, located in New York City, Las Vegas, Orlando, and London, currently represent Mars' largest retail business.  MRG also operates the company's Licensing and My M&M'S businesses, as well as the gourmet chocolate business that is sold under the ETHEL M® brand name. Mars Retail Group is a division of Mars, Incorporated.

About M&M'S World®

Offering a wide range of M&M'S® Brand Chocolate Candies and merchandise, the M&M'S World® stores reflect the huge popularity of M&M'S®, the world's most popular confectionery brand.  The stores' merchandise includes apparel, kitchenware, plush, and glassware, as well as seasonal items and specially-designed M&M'S® branded items that reflect the personalities of the cities -- Las Vegas, New York City, Orlando, Henderson (Nevada), and London -- where the stores are located. 

About Mars, Incorporated

In 1911, Frank C. Mars made the first Mars candies in his Tacoma, Washington kitchen and established Mars' first roots as a confectionery company. In the 1920s, Forrest E. Mars, Sr. joined his father in business and together they launched the MILKY WAY® bar. In 1932, Forrest, Sr. moved to the United Kingdom with a dream of building a business based on the objective of creating a "mutuality of benefits for all stakeholders" – this objective serves as the foundation of Mars, Incorporated today. Based in McLean, Virginia, Mars has net sales of more than $33 billion, six business segments including Petcare, Chocolate, Wrigley, Food, Drinks, Symbioscience, and more than 75,000 Associates worldwide that are putting its Principles into action to make a difference for people and the planet through its performance.

Mars brands include: Petcare – PEDIGREE®, ROYAL CANIN®, WHISKAS®, KITEKAT®, BANFIELD® Pet Hospital and NUTRO®; Chocolate – M&M'S®, SNICKERS®, DOVE®, GALAXY®, MARS®, MILKY WAY® and TWIX®; Wrigley – DOUBLEMINT®, EXTRA®, ORBIT® and 5™ chewing gums, SKITTLES® and STARBURST® candies, and ALTOIDS® AND LIFESAVERS® mints. Food – UNCLE BEN'S®, DOLMIO®, EBLY®, MASTERFOODS®, SEEDS OF CHANGE® and ROYCO®; Drinks – ALTERRA COFFEE ROASTERS™, THE BRIGHT TEA COMPANY™, KLIX® and FLAVIA®; Symbioscience – COCOAVIA™ and WISDOM PANEL™.

For more information, please visit www.mars.com. Follow us: facebook.com/mars, twitter.com/marsglobal, youtube.com/mars, linkedin.com/company/mars

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20140811/135120
Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20140811/135121

SOURCE Mars Retail Group