While the US downsizes from Disney Stores to Disney Shops, Shanghai is getting the largest Disney Store in the world

Jim Hill

10 years ago

So what exactly is going on with the Disney Store these
days?

The reason I ask is … Well, it wasn’t all that long ago (October of 2009, to
be exact) that The Walt Disney Company announced that it would be reinventing
all 340 of its stores in the United States
and Europe. We’re talking floor-to-ceiling redos that
supposedly drew their inspiration from what Steve Jobs had done with the Apple
Store.

Well, these rebranded “Imagination
Park” Disney Stores soon began
popping up around North America. 40 of these interactive
retail outlets — which featured a Disney Princess castle with a magic mirror
that came to life whenever a child waved a magic wand in front of it — were
supposed to open in North America by the end of 2011.
With an additional 20 NextGen Disney Stores supposed to open in eight countries
outside of the U.S.

An example of the interactive
Disney Princess castle which stands in each “Imagination

Park” Disney Store. Copyright
Disney Enterprises, Inc. All rights reserved

But then in May of 2012, Jim Fielding — the President of
Disney Stores Worldwide (more importantly, the guy who was the main cheerleader
of the “Imagination Park”
project) — left the Company to go become CEO of Claire’s Stores Inc. And the
two folks who replaced Fielding — Paul
Gainer & Molly Adams — didn’t exactly share Jim’s enthusiasm for that “best
30 minutes of a child’s day” conceit which drove this Disney Store redesign.
More to the point, Gainer & Adams reportedly questioned how long it was
going to take the Company to actually recover the estimated
$1-million-per-store-cost of outfitting each North American Disney Store with that
“Imagination Park” ‘s interactive technology (Not to mention
reorganizing & redecorating each store so that it could then accommodate a
Pixie Dust Trail as well as a Disney Store Theatre).

By January 2012, Disney Store management had clearly lost
its enthusiasm for the “Imagination
Park” project. Given that only
13 stores in North America were slated to receive these
million dollar makeovers over that fiscal year.

The Pixie Dust Path which
winds through each “Imagination Park”
Disney Store …
Copyright Disney Enterprises, Inc. All rights reserved

Mind you, overseas, it was an entirely different story. At
the National Retail Federation‘s “Big Show” in New York
City that same year, Disney Store executives trumpeted
that they’d be opening “Imagination
Park” themed stores in 12
countries by the end of 2012. These would include a new showcase Disney Store
in Milan, Italy
as well as The Walt Disney Company’s inaugural retail location in Shanghai,
China.

And speaking of China
… At this very same presentation, the Mouse revealed that it was committing
to opening 25 to 40 Disney Stores in that country over the next three years.
Whereas in the US
… Given all of the problems that North American brick-and-mortar stores were
now having thanks to the large number of consumers who were doing a lot of
their shopping online these days, Disney Store management made a conscious
decision to start letting its leases lapse at many malls across the country.

… which then leads
shoppers to the Disney Store Theatre.
Copyright Disney Enterprises, Inc. All
rights reserved

Which is why — as of today — there are more than 200
Disney Store locations in North America. Which is down
considerably from the 340 North American retail locations that the Disney Store
operated back in 2009.

Which isn’t to say that Disney’s rental footprint in North
America has actually diminished. Thanks to the deal that Mickey
cut with JCPenney back in September of 2012, there will soon be 565 Disney
Shops located inside of JCPenneys all over the US.

Photo by Jim Hill

This past weekend, I made a special trip to the Pheasant
Lane Mall
to go check out our local Disney Shop (which opened at the Nashua,
NH branch of JCPenney back in October of
2013).

Photo by Jim Hill

And our local Disney Shop was pretty much what the initial
press release promoting this new retail arrangement promised. It’s a 800 – 1,100
square-feet section that has been carved out of this JCPenney’s children’s
section which then offers an assortment of Disney-themed plush toys, dolls,
figurine sets and sleepwear as well as role-play & fashion apparel for kids
sizes 2-10.

Photo by Jim Hill

And as you looked around the Nashua, NH version of the Disney
Shop, it was clear that JCPenney had been actively working with Disney Consumer
Products to make sure that the merchandise which was on sale here not only
featured The Walt Disney Company’s most popular brands but also supported the
Studio’s most recent efforts. So in addition to the “Doc McStuffins“
merch …

Photo by Jim Hill

… “Toy Story” …

Photo by Jim Hill

… “Cars” …

Photo by Jim Hill

… and “Planes” related items, there were also shelves loaded with
toys that keyed off of the release of the most recent “Disney
Fairies” film, “The Pirate Fairy
” …

Photo by Jim Hill

… as well as “Muppets Most Wanted.”

Photo by Jim Hill

It was also kind of intriguing to see that — while a lot of the “Monsters
University
” merchandise had been remaindered …

Photo by Jim Hill

… the only “Frozen
” -related item that was still available for
purchase was an enormous plush version of Olaf. Which retailed for $500.

Photo by Jim Hill

It was also kind of bizarre to note JCPenney’s complete lack of “Captain
America: The Winter Soldier” merch. Especially when you take into
consideration that — just seven miles up the road at the Disney Outlet at the
Merrimack Premium Outlets Mall …

Photo by Jim Hill

… they had all sorts of “Winter Soldier” stuff available in that
store’s Marvel section.

Photo by Jim Hill

To be fair here, given that the Disney Shop is located in JCPenney’s children’s
section, DCP made a deliberate choice to limit the selection of merchandise in
this part of the store. Making sure that the items which were on display here
only really appealed to kids 2-10.

Photo by Jim Hill

Mind you, Pheasant Lane’s
Disney Store used to feature Marvel merchandise as well as a small selection of
adult items …

Photo by Jim Hill

… but that storefront now stands vacant in the mall. Right next door to the
still-up-and-running The Children’s Place store. Which — I know — will appeal
to all your irony fans out there.

Yeah, to hear Disney Store executives talk these days, the future of the
Company’s retail operation really seems to lie overseas. Which is why the Mouse
is concentrating most of its efforts these days on projects like its just-announced
flagship store in Shanghai. Which
— when it opens in that city’s financial hub in 2015 — will be the largest
Disney Store in the world. Boasting 53,000 square feet of retail space as well
as a Disney-themed outdoor plaza.

Meanwhile, Jim Fielding — that longtime Disney Store / DCP
employee — has traded Mickey for Shrek. Just yesterday, Fielding revealed that
he would be leaving Claire’s Stores, Inc. to go run the merchandise side of DreamWorks Animation‘s AwesomenessTV.

Which isn’t to be confused with that $2.4 billion
“DreamCenter” that DreamWorks Animation plans on opening up in Shanghai
in 2017. This massive entertainment complex will not only feature a 500-seat
IMAX cinema but also a “Dream Avenue” theater district modeled on
London’s West End and New York City’s Broadway.

Is it just me? Or does it seem like entertainment
conglomerates Disney & DreamWorks are concentrating most of their best
efforts these days on emerging markets like Shanghai?
Meanwhile back here in the States … Well, it seems like we’re seeing a lot more
of these less-is-more efforts like JCPenneys’ Disney Shops?

Are you like me and wish that the Disney Store would step
away from its collector doll efforts …

… and just go back to being an ambassador for the entire
Disney brand? A place where you could go between trips to the Parks and then
get a quick Pixie Dust fix?

Your thoughts?