Disney Store — BrandWiki

Disney Store

Overview

Disney Store Worldwide

type	Subsidiary
foundation	March 28, 1987 Glendale, California
locations	21
area served	Japan, North America, Europe, China, Philippines
industry	Retail
location	Grand Central Creative Campus
location city	Glendale, California, U.S.
parent	Disney Experiences

The Disney Store is a chain of specialty stores created on March 28, 1987, and sells only Disney-related items, many of them exclusive, under its own name and Disney Outlet. It is a business unit of the Disney Experiences division of The Walt Disney Company.

Disney Store was the first "retail-tainment", or entertainment store.[1] The company had operated a number of store chains beyond its flagship Disney Store chain such as ESPN-The Store and the short-lived Mickey's Kitchen restaurant. Currently, the company operates the stand-alone stores, Disney Baby, Walt Disney Gallery and Disney's Soda Fountain and Studio Store. Disney Store was a partner for Disney at Harrods, which included a Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique salon.

North America stores were owned and operated by The Children's Place's subsidiary Hoop Holdings from 2004 to 2008. The Oriental Land Company's subsidiary Retail Networks Co., Ltd. owned and operated the Japanese stores from 2002 to 2010. Since 2012, Disney departments exist in JCPenney in about 520 JCPenney locations. In India, two licensed chains, Disney Jeans and Disney Artist, are owned and operated by Indus Clothing and Ravi Jaipuria Corporation respectively.

History

The first Disney Store opened in the Glendale Galleria in Glendale, California, on March 28, 1987.[3]

The first Disney Store outside California opened in Bridgewater Commons in Bridgewater, New Jersey, on June 18, 1988.[4]

The first overseas Disney Store opened in November 1990 in London, England.[5]

Doug Murphy was hired by Disney Store as manager of new business development in September 1991, then promoted to head business development in April 1993.[6] The first Japanese location opened in 1992[7] as did the first Australian store.[8] In 1992, Disney Dollars were available at Disney Stores.[9]

A showcase 11000 sqft location was opened in the third quarter 1994 at the Post and Powell corner of San Francisco's Union Square.[10] On October 24, 1994, its Disney Store (Hong Kong) Ltd. opened its first location in a New Territories shopping center.[11] In 1996, Disney Store opened its flagship location in New York City.[12] A Disney Store location opened next to the El Capitan Theatre in its building in 1998.[13]

The first Walt Disney Gallery opened outside of the park next to the Disney Store at Main Place Santa Ana in California on November 4, 1994[14][15] and was operated by Disney Store.[14] Doug Murphy was appointed vice president of the Walt Disney Gallery for Disney Store in December 1994.[6]

In 2000, its store in Munich was closed.[17] In September 2000, Disney Store remodeled two stores, showing off prototype designs in Costa Mesa and Cherry Hill, N.J. These stores had more space and a high-tech look where theme park tickets could be bought via computer stations. When Disney indicated that this new model would be rolled out to 350 stores, they also indicated the closure of 100 locations worldwide. Analysts had indicated that Disney had overbuilt stores. By April 2001, 20 stores were redone in the high tech style when a new president, Peter Whitford, was hired.[18]

In late 2002, two new prototypes were rolled out in Canoga Park and Torrance. In March 2002, Disney Stores Worldwide announced that the chain would be split into two types of stores, Disney Play and Disney Kids at Home. They also continued closing stores to reach 350 by 2005. The Disney Play stores would stock Disney character toys, plush dolls and costumes aimed at young children, while Disney Kids at Home targeted parents looking to purchase home furnishings, clothing and bed & bath products for their children. Some were expected to be a hybrid of both concepts. This roll out of the two store brands was expected to take 3 years.[18] On March 31, 2003, its 16 Australian locations closed.[8]

With lackluster films, high-priced and high-margin items, sales dropped while continuing to overly open stores. The company closed hundreds of stores in order to make a slim profit. Whitford left in 2003.[19]

Licensed out North American and Japanese operations

Even though the Disney Stores maintained strong sales, mounting costs of sales and operation, and the loss of key executives who had driven the Disney Stores to success led The Walt Disney Company to convert the Disney Stores into a licensed operation. The Japanese stores were sold to The Oriental Land Company in 2002,[7] while most North American stores were sold and licensed in November 2004 to The Children's Place.[20]

The Walt Disney Company decided to keep the stores in Europe, along with the flagship store in Manhattan, which was converted into a World of Disney store run by Walt Disney Parks and Resorts in 2004,[12] while The Children's Place got the Chicago flagship location.[21]