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Macao opens first Olympic store outside the mainland
(Xinhua)
Updated: 2006-08-30 19:00
MACAO, January 27 (Xinhua) -- The first authorized retail outlet of the
2008 Beijing Olympic Games mascots and souvenirs outside the mainland
opened for business Friday in Macao.
The shop is housed in the office of a Bank of China (BOC) branch on
Almeida Ribeiro Avenue in the busy city center, not far from the World
Heritage-listed Historical City Center of Macao.
According to Xu Chen, BOC's Beijing Olympics Office Director, the main
reason why the Beijing Organizing Committee for the 2008 Games (BOCOG)
chose Macao instead of Hong Kong to open the first Olympic souvenir shop
outside the mainland is Macao's advantageous location. The organizers
believe the city as a popular tourist destination will boost the sales of
Beijing Olympic souvenirs outside the mainland and especially in Chinese
communities throughout the world.
Xu said the types of souvenirs available and the amount to be sold in
Macao would mainly depend on the initial sales volume and estimated
demands.
Future supply will also be determined by consumer preference and factory
output back on the mainland, where the Olympic mascot dolls and other
collectibles are made, he added.
Along with many other items bearing their images and the Beijing Olympics
emblem, the five cute plush mascots called the Fuwa and each sporting a
color of the five Olympic rings are being manufactured under extremely
tight supervision by a small number of toy factories considered the best
in the trade.
The BOCOG has vowed to ensure the best quality and to protect the
creations' intellectual rights even if that means a temporary short
supply in the market.
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