Weeb Express is a UK based anime merchandise company created by Materials and Science Technology graduate Wing Hang Leung. The start-up imports anime merchandise from overseas suppliers and sells them in the UK through their online shop and exhibition stands. Products include figurines, plushies, posters, key chains from various franchises.
Wing Hang's story:
I have always been a big anime fan since I was little. I joined the Anime and Manga Society at UoB and met many anime fans with similar interests. Throughout the 3 years at uni, I could tell that the UK anime community is growing from the increasing number of our society members every year. Anime fans love to collect merchandise of characters/franchises that they are passionate about, the demand for anime merchandise in the UK is high, however there aren't many anime shops locally.
Anime merchandise is being sold overpriced and the product range is limited. Some hardcore anime fans would rely on proxy service to import products from Japan, but that requires extra postage and delivery time. This is something that I wanted to solve through Weeb Express which I founded in June 2021 with help from the B-Enterprising Start-up fund. Thanks to the support from the B-Enterprising team, we were able to use the funding for domain registration, online store development, brand building and PO Box rental.
Weeb Express have been running our store for just over a year now. We sell merchandise at our online store as well as various online sales platforms. In March 2022, we exhibited for the first time at Megacon Birmingham. Since July 2021, we have made over 300 sales and have generated a total revenue of £5,000. Weeb Express’s goal is to become the No.1 Anime Merchandise Business in the UK. We will continue to bring happiness to UK anime fans by selling a range of official anime merchandise at a fair, affordable price. We are planning to exhibit at more conventions around the UK in the future.
I hope working at The Exchange could help me to further develop my business management skills and further expand Weeb Express. This will also be a precious opportunity for me to get to know other startups and learn from each other.
We will be looking for investment in the near future to go towards our website upgrade and developments.