In Paris, rue de Rivoli (4th arrondissement) welcomes a new addition. With from Saturday April 4, at number 37, a store coming straight from Japan. Inside, 300 capsule machines, called gashapon. A name well known to those who have already traveled to Japan.
The concept? The customer slides tokens, which they have obtained from a vending machine, into the machine of their choice. Then, a ball comes out which encloses an object. “Really, there’s everything! “, smiles Philippe Gueydon, general director of King Cadeau, partner of the operation with the toy brand Bandai, which created gashapon at the end of the 1970s and is now the world leader.
Près de 3 000 références
Figurines, small cameras, licensed products… The list of products is immense. With around ten objects per machine, we are approaching 3,000 references, in this very first business of its kind in France, the sixth in Europe.
“This corresponds to several trends that we observe in France. Already, Japanese culture still appeals. And the collectible is very present. Once you embark on a product category, you stay there. “Customers don’t look left and right,” explains Philippe Gueydon. Also, toys are increasingly aimed at adults and are no longer reserved for children.
In terms of prices, count on five euros to buy a gashapon (or a capsule, if you are not yet familiar with the term). “On average, people spend between 15 and 20 euros,” estimates the general director of King Cadeau, who hopes to be able to install other machines of this type in some of his stores in France. For the moment, the one in Paris should remain on rue de Rivoli for at least a year and a half.
