Well-heeled city women are dropping yen by the millions on a Kansai Yamamoto couture line called Super Hello Kitty. Home-run-swatting ball players are handed a plush stuffed animal when they cross the plate. Each of Japan's 47 prefectures has its own adorable mascot, as do the Tokyo police and the government television station. They see backhoes painted to look like giraffes and police kiosks fixed up like gingerbread houses. They grow up to save money with cute (Miffy the bunny on Asahi Bank ATM cards), to pray with cute (Hello Kitty charm bags at Shinto shrines), to have sex with cute (prophylactics decorated with Monkichi the monkey, a condom stretched over his body, entreating, "Would you protect me?").
The Japanese are born into cute and raised with cute. There, the pull of the cute is a powerful and omnipresent force. To anyone who knows Japan, the assumption seems apt. The assumption is that Japanese men and women will line up for the opportunity to ride a jet whose fuselage, headrests, and beverage cups are decorated with the adorable yellow whatever-he-is, Pikachu. Over the last year and a half, the Japanese carrier All Nippon Airways spent upwards of a million dollars in licensing fees and paint to decorate the exterior of three Boeing 747s with colorful, 20-foot-high Pocket Monsters from Pokémon, the Nintendo Game Boy phenomenon-slash-hit cartoon-slash-just released Warner Bros. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.What can you say about a high-powered exec with an Elmo charm on his cell phone? He gets it. MORE NEWS: Michigan Legislature Gives OK To Tax Cuts Gov. We look forward to our Clinton Township and Rochester locations becoming destinations for fans of our brand and those who are looking for new ways to enjoy Sanders.” We appreciate the community’s understanding of our new reality and the contributions of the staff who created a positive experience for our customers for many years. Bill Elam, Sanders President said “Sanders retail locations have been a part of Metro Detroit life for generations. In the works is home delivery for Metro Detroit customers also. Our two-location retail approach will allow Metro Detroiters to help shape the future of the brand, while the company adjusts to the trends that shape our business.” We saw the ways consumers most want to enjoy Sanders. Jen Bauer, Chief Marketing Officer said in their statement, “Because of the strong demand for Sanders products online, nationally and locally, in recent months, we realized that we have needed to accelerate a new retail strategy,”.īauer continued, “With specialty retail closed since March in Michigan, we kept up with high demand via grocery and warehouse retailers and direct to consumer, via our website. READ MORE: Crews Discover 130-Year-Old Shipwreck In Lake Superior Where customers can sample new candies and desserts before they offered in stores. Next to their Clinton Township store inside their factory, they plan to build an Innovation Center. Those will become Metro Detroit’s only Sanders retail locations, featuring all Sanders products.
and their retail location in Downtown Rochester. Credit: – Sanders’ famous Chocolate Fudge Bumpy Cake has become a staple at special events across Michigan.Īs part of Sanders’ new strategy, they plan on investing in their stores at the Sanders factory on Hall Road in Clinton Twp.