SCOTS have queued since 5am to be among the first in MINISO’s first-ever Scotland store.
MINISO, a pop-culture retailer found around the globe with only five locations in the UK, has brought its range of products to Edinburgh.
Organisers estimated it was the biggest queue they had ever seen in the UK, beating out Bristol which opened in 2024.
The queue had been organised to be on the left of the store, located on Princes Street beside Ann Summers, but shoppers quickly had to start queuing on the right after reaching Fredrick Street — eventually snaking round the corner and on to Hanover Street.
Scotland's National Piper Louise Marshall (below) was also in attendance to welcome the hundreds of customers waiting with a song.
The store offers MINISO’s mix plush toys and licensed favourites like Hello Kitty, Harry Potter, Friends, and Pokemon to everyday products across beauty, homeware, tech, and snacks.
To celebrate the opening, the first 400 customers who made a minimum spend of £5 received a special goody bag valued at £25.
A family of four living in Edinburgh who had queued since 5am on Friday morning were first in line to enter the store after the ribbon was cut.
They said: "We know the brand already, but here it is the first in Scotland, so we came today especially for that."
When asked if the store was also for adults, they said: "Yes absolutely, I'm an adult and I love the stationary. They have very cute options, so we'll buy some of that today.
A mother and daughter who had queued since 8.30am told The National after coming out of the store that they were "really impressed" by the affordability of products. Another said they were happy not to have to shop online and for a physical store to be in Scotland.
A group who had waiting for two hours said they had visited the brand's stores in Bristol and Manchester just last month and "needed more stuff".
