Designer toy provider Pop Mart has recorded a significant expansion of its retail space in the ALEXA shopping centre in Berlin. The original 73-square-metre rental unit on the ground floor of the centre has been extended to 335 square metres. Following extensive renovation works, the store reopened and is now considered the largest Pop Mart store in the continental European market.
Sonae Sierra was responsible for the lease negotiations and the realisation of the space expansion. The company manages ALEXA on behalf of the owner, Union Investment. Pop Mart established its first German location in 2025, also in ALEXA. At the time, its market entry attracted considerable public attention and high demand, which manifested in over 700 regional and national media reports and led to an increase in visitors of approximately 14 percent in the opening week.
Strategic Investment and Market Commitment
Oliver Hanna, Sonae Sierra Centre Manager of ALEXA, stated that Pop Mart demonstrates the success of bricks-and-mortar retail when it evokes emotions and goes beyond mere product sales. He underlined the importance of social experiences in retail and highlighted that customers at Pop Mart experience belonging, surprise, and joy. From his perspective, Pop Mart complements ALEXA's high experiential quality and positions the centre as a destination for innovative retailers.
Steffen Liese, Head of Retail Central Europe at Pop Mart, emphasised that the investments in the renovation and expansion of the store at ALEXA Berlin are a clear commitment to the German market. With four times the sales area, the largest store in continental Europe, a revised store design, and a stronger focus on core products, an immersive collecting experience is being created. This places the collecting culture at the centre and redefines experiential shopping. Liese expressed confidence in generating sustainable added value for the community, the brand, and the entire retail location, together with their partner ALEXA, at this central capital city site.
Conceptual Alignment and Product Offering
The design of the new Pop Mart store in ALEXA is modelled on the flagship stores in metropolises such as Shanghai, Tokyo, or Bangkok. Bangkok is home to the world's largest Pop Mart store, spanning 760 square metres. For the reopening in Berlin, customers were offered exclusive figures and characters, available worldwide in limited numbers and only in selected Pop Mart stores.
