The flagship 2010 Shanghai World Expo store selling franchised products of the attraction opened in Wangfujing Street in Beijing Tuesday, Xinhua News Agency reported.

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Covering an area of more than 800 square meters, the flagship store is in the Wangfujing Gongmei Building, a shopping mall featuring artworks and handicrafts. The building also successfully operated the flagship franchise store of the 2008 Olympics in Beijing.

More than 5,000 types of official expo-themed souvenirs such as badges, porcelains, toys and handicrafts are available in this store, Xinhua said.

The flagship shop in Wangfujing evolved from a smaller store that opened last July.

An executive from Beijing Gongmei Group, the company operating the shopping mall, said the flagship store in Beijing will sell the latest expo-themed products simultaneously with its counterpart in Shanghai, which opened on January 20.

The 2010 Shanghai World Expo will take place from May 1 to October 31 and is expected to attract 70 million visitors from home and abroad.