Changsha snack store earns Guinness record with 35,000 products

The world's largest snack store opened on Friday in Changsha, Hunan province, and immediately earned a certificate from the Guinness World Records.

Similar to that of 30 basketball courts, the store, namely Snack Kingdom, comes in at a colossal 12,000 square meters. It has more than 35,000 kinds of snacks in stock, one third of which are imported from about 70 countries and regions.

The store has everything from Chinese specialties such as Hunan's Pingjiang spicy strips and Chongqing's Tianfu Cola, to global goods including chocolate from Hokkaido, Japan, and purple wrapper candies from Russia. If one item were tasted each day, it would take roughly 96 years to try everything.

"The store has set a new Guinness World Record," said Luo Qiong, an adjudicator. "It is not only a leader in size; what is even more impressive is how it transforms a vast array of global products into an explorable, interactive, immersive experience."

Different from the display-based sales model of typical shops, the store is organized like a treasure map. Shoppers follow themed areas including the Snack Corridor, Instant Noodle City, Beverage Town, Global Snack Station, and Snack Museum. There are also dedicated sections for super-sized snacks and for mini snacks. Visitors can shop, stroll, take photos, and have fun.

"We hope to bring snacks of all kinds from around the world here for consumers," said Yang Wei, who is in charge of the marketing center of Busy Ming Group, operator of the store. "We hope this will be a place that adults and children will want to visit at least once."

"Consuming snacks should not be a purpose-driven act, but a pleasure of browsing," he said. "We want to create a 'snack amusement park', a maze-like space where visitors will react with a sense of wonder as soon as they step in. As they explore and wander, they will discover surprises and experience pure, simple happiness."

Yang further added that Changsha is a national hub for new consumption, boasting an atmosphere of experiential consumption, a large young population, and abundant urban vitality and innovation.

A large crowd of consumers waited in long lines to enter since 11 am. Wu Yitang, 22, was one of the first visitors.

"I think the selection here is amazing, and the atmosphere is really nice. There are so many people here, all sharing the same love for snacks," he said, adding that most of the items are the kinds he enjoys, including lots of novel flavors, some of which are imported and hard to find. "For example, my favorite thing here is instant noodles. They have a huge range of foreign brands from places like Japan and South Korea. When I saw that entire wall covered with noodles, I was absolutely shocked. I'd never seen anything like it. It really took me by surprise."

When asked about the meaning of snacks, he said they are his go-to companion for leisure time.

On its opening day, more than 500 new products made their debut at the store. Over 20 leading food companies, including Yankershop Food, Master Kong, and Want-Want, held product launches, live-streaming interactions, and tastings.

Jolin Guan, deputy partner of consultancy Prophet, said that the store represents a perfect blend of the "City of Entertainment" DNA and the dividend of cost-effectiveness in real estate.

Its natural photogenic appeal is bound to spark a wave of check-in visits by influencers on social media platforms, Guan said.