Do you think a new improved version of The Disney Store will make a comeback someday?

[starlite_]

I just want a Canadian store with canadian shipping and no customs. I don't care which form it comes in.

 

[Leigh L]

Yes, exactly. It looks like they still have a store in New York City. I could see them having a few flagship stores in other large cities (Paris, London, etc.). And I really like the idea of a pop-up store, but it doesn't seem like that model worked at Target already. Maybe they'll try it again sometime.

That one is still there. I forget when we popped in, but it wasn't super long ago. We're in NYC at least a couple of times a year since DS lives near there now and the rest of my family is an hour away. We stop in that store every time we're in the city. All the ones near us closed as far as I'm aware (DC area).

Chicago closed I believe summer or fall of 2021. We had been out there and made a point to go to the Disney store that July, but then when we got home we read it was one of the ones slated for closing.

Edit: Ooops, I should have read ahead, I see a few of you have been there even more recently

I do agree with most of you though - while I'd prob shop in one if they were open, I don't see Disney (and other brands) investing in physical stores. Then again, I always stop in the NYC one because there aren't any near me, I'm not sure if I would if it was easily accessible other than every so often.

 

[Kennywood]

We often went to the Disney Store at our local mall. But that slowly changed as things that appealed to adults were removed and replaced with more and more things for children. Toward the end, there was no reason for us to go there.

The stores used to have really good collectibles, such as signed prints. There was clothing in adult sizes, but that ended up being only t-shirts toward the end.

I always thought that customers should be able to order anything from either the Disney Store or Shop Disney, and have it shipped to your local Disney Store for free. Yes, it might take a few weeks to arrive with the store's other merchandise. But you'd get more traffic in the stores and possibly additional point-of-purchase sales, when someone went to pick up their merchandise that arrived.

Toward the end, the Disney Store ended up being nothing more than a store for kids.

 

[DodgerGirl]

What I think The Disney Stores were trying to do when they were first launched in 1987 was trying to have competition with KB Toys and Toys "R" Us since they were big toy store chains and once The Disney Stores opened in malls I think the toy stores were hurt once The Disney Stores were launched because you could buy Disney toys for a better and cheaper price than at KB Toys and Toys "R" Us. But what could've been better for Disney Stores to do is sign a deal with Macy's and sell Disney merchandise. Because when you get the general picture Macy's has become king and by teaming up with Toys "R" Us to sell toys and since Macy's had done special merchandise for Disney in the 90's to the 2000's with debuting a Bandleader Mickey balloon and plushie in the 2000 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade a Santa Goofy plushie which also had a balloon in the 1992 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade and even a Sailor Mickey balloon in the parade as well. And I think Macy's would be a pretty good retailer to sign a deal for Disney to have a Disney Store section in Macy's stores and it would make tons of money and be successful

 

[DodgerGirl]

What I think could've also worked for the Disney Store that could've kept them alive and if a new improved Disney Store was revived is have sales on everything not just toys like plushies but stuff like Disney coffee mugs and kids and adults clothing. Because whenever I used to go to my Disney Store in my mall the Tink's Treasure Of The Day sale would always be plushies and it seemed that Disney Stores made a whole lot of money on sales of plushies because when you get the general picture kids adore stuffed animals "myself included" but during the holidays you never saw any holiday decor on sale and always holiday plushies and ornaments and a sales adjustment would do wonders for the new revived Disney Stores. But I think as Marvel continues to be popular Disney will start to develop Marvel Stores that will be the same thing as Disney Stores but be Marvel themed and sell Marvel merchandise. But seeing how popular the Character Wherehouse stores are in Florida why doesn't Disney decide to open Character Wherehouse stores in every mall in America not just in Florida and I think it would be better than a new revival of Disney Stores

 

[AurumPunzel]

Yes, particularly if they came back to prime shopping malls. Disney made a huge mistake closing down the stores that were still performing reasonably well in high footfall malls, and the concessions in other retailers are not a good replacement. Lego and Apple are able to maintain stores, and they provide a USP that cannot be matched by Target and/or other third-party retailers, so why can't Disney? They were supposed to be pioneers in experiential retail, particularly as the stores doubled as brand experiences that provided free entertainment, and CMs were often clued-up about all things Disney, so if for example you wanted to announce a surprise trip to your children or needed advice on an upcoming Disney trip, they're always happy to help. Can you get that with third-parties? No. The argument is that experiential stores in the thriving malls tend to perform reasonably well, but the whole "everything is shifting online" is symptomatic of an overdevelopment problem and a lack of regulations ensuring a level playing field, not to mention counterproductive manoeuvres and failures to reduce unit rates to reasonable levels. In London, only Oxford Street remains, and while that's a prime location that's still doing excellently, the two Westfields have lost them, even in the largest one to the west of the city, which is otherwise still a booming mall in spite of online pressures.

 

[jimmytammy]

I would love to see something like this come back. We used to go eat at a local mall every Sunday at a particular eatery, then visit the Disney Store. We would buy things there too, not just meander around. It gave us a Disney fix between park visits, and was a treat to talk with CMs. I like the stage idea, with storytelling and character visits, etc. Our kids loved the DS, now our Grands would be able to experience it as well.

 

[DodgerGirl]

If Disney could look at what New York did when they had the Toys "R" Us Times Square store I can tell you that Disney could design the new improved Disney Stores in a format like that. But when you take a popular thing and make a store of it sometimes it will work and sometimes it fails. Take American Girl when they decided to develop American Girl Place it was a place where you could finally buy the dolls and merchandise in person and they even had a theater for plays and a restaurant but it soon failed because the dolls were overpriced and the food at the restaurant was also overpriced too and it simply was a bad idea for American Girl to do. But if the new styled Disney Stores had a restaurant where you could meet characters for character lunches and dinners it would be a fine thing to eat before you shop. But like we have seen with Rainforest Cafe it is a good idea that actually works. But what I think caused Disney Stores to close and go downhill was the quality of the products. Because I noticed that a lot of the toys that Disney Store sold always broke easily and their clothing would fade or shrink and I can't figure out why Disney Stores sold this type of merchandise and if the Disney Store made a comeback they would sell good quality toys and clothing that would last a long time

 

[LoveDaisy]

If Disney could look at what New York did when they had the Toys "R" Us Times Square store I can tell you that Disney could design the new improved Disney Stores in a format like that. But when you take a popular thing and make a store of it sometimes it will work and sometimes it fails. Take American Girl when they decided to develop American Girl Place it was a place where you could finally buy the dolls and merchandise in person and they even had a theater for plays and a restaurant but it soon failed because the dolls were overpriced and the food at the restaurant was also overpriced too and it simply was a bad idea for American Girl to do. But if the new styled Disney Stores had a restaurant where you could meet characters for character lunches and dinners it would be a fine thing to eat before you shop. But like we have seen with Rainforest Cafe it is a good idea that actually works. But what I think caused Disney Stores to close and go downhill was the quality of the products. Because I noticed that a lot of the toys that Disney Store sold always broke easily and their clothing would fade or shrink and I can't figure out why Disney Stores sold this type of merchandise and if the Disney Store made a comeback they would sell good quality toys and clothing that would last a long time

The American Girl store in NYC is open still. I walked by it when I was there 2 weeks ago. It did not fail, I’m not sure where you heard that. The rainforest cafes by me all went out of business years ago. There is also a Disney store in NYC too, but it’s not very good, it is in Time Square and is 2 floors. If Disney wanted to do something better with it the could.

 

[flav]

Why open stores when almost every brand in a mall does a special association with Disney at one point or another? Uniqlo, Desigual, Levy’s, Old Navy, Aldo (shoes), Lego, etc.

The only thing that would be nice is for shop Disney to have better international forwarding/warehouses. Right now it is the store to avoid online because of it. Who wants a 50$ surprise custom handling fee on each separate package? ETA: They often break one order into multiple packages right now.

 

[Scalemaster34]

Heck my Mall is no more....

 

[Indy #1 Fan]

Yes I do expect the Disney Store to return and I'd place a bet on it.

 

[etherealcaitiff]

There is still a Disney Store on Champs-Élysées in Paris and it is small but beautiful. It is 2 stories and has a lot of merchandise that I have never seen anywhere else.

 

[Moliphino]

There is still a Disney Store on Champs-Élysées in Paris and it is small but beautiful. It is 2 stories and has a lot of merchandise that I have never seen anywhere else.

I was there last year and didn't see anything special. I'd been hoping they'd have some of the DLP 30th anniversary stuff, but there was nothing Paris specific at all.

 

[jimmymc]

I don't think the products sold in a Disney Store are expensive or high enough margins to justify the large, premium physical locations anymore. The Times Square location is more of an advertisement than a profit-generating store, and places like Bass Pro Shops sell much higher-priced items, like boats and expensive camping equipment. It's kind of sad, but it's really hard for a physical store to survive with just t-shirts and toys in 2023.

 

[AurumPunzel]

There is still a Disney Store on Champs-Élysées in Paris and it is small but beautiful. It is 2 stories and has a lot of merchandise that I have never seen anywhere else.

It sadly closed down recently.

 

[DisneyAuntie12]

Why open stores when almost every brand in a mall does a special association with Disney at one point or another? Uniqlo, Desigual, Levy’s, Old Navy, Aldo (shoes), Lego, etc.

I was thinking the same thing. We have a BoxLunch at a mall nearby and they have more adult Disney merch than the Disney store ever did (that I recall.)

From what I can tell the Disney “store-lets” at Target are their new strategy for brick and mortars. A shame because I’m not a huge fan of those… basically just the Disney toy aisle with a few cool touches thrown in (ours has a giant screen playing Disney related stuff and a rotating mouse ears overhead.) Also they tend to be perpetually trashed. But maybe those will expand to more unique merchandise at some point.

 

[wkrainey]

Since the Disney Store went broke I often wonder if perhaps someday a new improved version of The Disney Store will make a comeback in the future? Because the way I see it the new version of The Disney Store would be better and be like a Disney version of Bass Pro Shops but with Disney merchandise inside and each store would have a stage at the entrance for special events such as character and celebrity meet and greets and children's storytime hours and it would be so amazing and fun. Because seeing what FAO Schwarz and Toys "R" Us did with their stores in New York a format like this could revive The Disney Stores and Disney would make money with the revival of The Disney Store in this style of format. Because I found it shocking that Target and JCPenney sell Disney Store merchandise and this style of format for the Disney Stores would've saved them from going bankrupt and closing. And since big toy stores have disappeared from malls and almost anywhere a Disney Store revival would be just the ticket for Disney to do and it would sell a lot of merchandise and make a ton of money for the malls as well as Disney too
Do you agree that the Disney Store needs to be revived again?

It's had a comeback once before. Someone will see Disney Stores at select locations as a draw/reminder of the amazing things you can do at Disney etc. They'll place them in a few high-end malls around the country. After a few years those stores because of their locations will be seen as a success and Disney stores will blow-up and expand way to quick, and then the whole thing will implode again. It's happened twice already, so I don't see a reason a 3rd time isn't in the cards around 10yrs from now.

 

[DodgerGirl]

Warner Bros decided to copy Disney Stores with The Warner Bros Studio Store chain and it was almost like Disney Stores but with Warner Bros merchandise and when you look at the general picture Disney and Warner Bros are considered number 1 and 2 in animation companies and they both have stores where you could buy movie merchandise. But I think the main problem with Warner Bros Studio Stores was they sold their merchandise exclusively at the stores and not at Six Flags theme parks and if they teamed up with a store like Walmart like Disney Stores did with JCPenney and Target it would've kept Warner Bros Studio Stores alive. Because when looking at it from a different vision I think when Disney Stores were launched in 1987 as I mentioned in my opening post in this thread they were major competition for the big toy stores because not only did Disney Stores sell toys you could buy any Disney toys at Toys "R" Us or KB Toys because those two toy store chains were big at malls. And I remember going into KB Toys many times as a child and I always thought that they had the cheapest prices on toys comparable to Toys "R" Us and my KB Toys store in my mall was always busy with families with kids and relatives buying birthday/Christmas gifts for their nieces/nephews and grandchildren. Because it used to be that when you would take your children to the mall going into Toys "R" Us or KB Toys was a special treat because the kids would get rewarded with a toy for good behavior and Disney Stores had that same feeling as well. But I think once the children of the new generation were born and kids became teenagers that's when toy stores started to disappear from malls and that I think hurt Disney Stores. If you look at any mall today you will not see a toy store anywhere and it's replaced by stores like Build-A-Bear Workshop and Lego Stores and people buy the toys at Walmart or Target or even Amazon. I know this because when my mom and I would go to the mall we would drive by the Toys "R" Us in our mall and it would be completely deserted in the parking lot but my Disney Store was always busy. But maybe someday Disney will come up with an idea for ShopDisney to team up with JCPenney and set up an order pick-up area for people who order Disney merchandise through ShopDisney and have it ready for pick-up at JCPenney and it would work marvelously. Because the main problem I think ShopDisney has is people tired of waiting for their orders taking a long time and this would be a great idea to solve the problem