After popularising many of its cartoon characters in China through its animated movies, Warner Brothers now wants to gain more profit from spin-off products related to the movies. In its new store in Shanghai, you can choose merchandise ranging from the irreverent humor of Bugs Bunny and the madcap chases of Tom and Jerry, to the magic of Harry Potter and the awesome powers of Superman and Batman.

Located on one of Shanghai's busiest commercial streets - Nanjing West Road - the cartoon world has already attracted plenty of passersby to come in and have a closer look.

Female1, "I like Harry Porter very much so I've bought a lot of products. I spent more than a thousand yuan last time when I walked by the store and found the things here quite interesting. I'll buy something more today."

Male1 "I was just walking by and came in for a look. I thing I'll come back sometime later."

Female 2 "Though the characters are quite popular, I think the products are a little pricey, for example, a notebook sells for more than 70 yuan, and a Harry Potter "Goblet of Fire" costs over 1000 yuan."

Most visitors said they dropped into the store because they knew the company and its movies well and were interested to see what it had to offer. From Superman's badge to Harry Potter's 'goblet of fire'; from cushions with Tweety Pie's face on them to resin models of Batman - there's sure to be something that cartoon lovers will find exciting and attractive!

After this first store in China, the company plans to open about 200 licensed stores in major cities including Hong Kong and Macao.

Jeffrey Whalen, Senior Vice President of Warner Brothers Consumer Products, said he's confident about their partnership with Chinese enterprises.

"I think with our partner PMW, I'm quite confident having them here in Shanghai to grow Warner Brothers'
business. With the studio, the most wonderful thing is that when our characters are so popular. There's tremendous strength in the partnership."

The company is now attracting interested partners to join them as their chain stores spread all over China. It's estimated every store will need a hefty initial investment of at least 1 million yuan.

The formula is similar to that of Warner Brothers' biggest rival, Disney, which so far has around 1,700 retail spots in China. Many international entertainment groups including Sony and Universal Pictures are searching for Chinese partners to sell their products here, as the Chinese public's interest in their merchandise grows stronger.

For China Drive, this is Xiaoyu.