Hamleys
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Hamleys is one of the world's largest toy shops. Its flagship store is in Regent Street, London. Major stores worldwide are in Dublin, [1], Dubai[2], and Amman[3].
The flagship store is considered one of London's major tourist attractions, and receives about five million visitors a year.
Unlike many companies using possessive names, Hamleys intentionally forgoes the use of an apostrophe in its name.[4]
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[edit] History
Hamleys is named after William Hamley, who founded a toy shop called "Noah's Ark" at High Holborn in London in 1760. A branch in Regent Street was opened in 1881, and the Holborn branch was destroyed by fire in 1901 and was relocated from 231 to 86–87 High Holborn.[5]
In 1938, Queen Mary, consort of George V of the United Kingdom, gave Hamleys a Royal Warrant. During World War II, the Regent Street store was bombed five times. In 1955 Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom gave the company a second Royal Warrant as a "Toys and Sports Merchant".[5]
The business has survived in various forms to the present day, and at one time was the largest toy shop in the world. Hamleys moved its flagship store to its current address at 188–196 Regent Street in 1981.
[edit] United Kingdom
The flagship London store has seven floors, all devoted to playthings, with different categories of toy on each floor.
In the late 90s, Hamleys opened a specific Spice Girls department dedicating their aisles to everything from Spice Girls stationery to Spice Girls Dolls.
The ground floor is traditionally for soft toys, and decked out with a remarkably diverse array of stuffed animals, from regular teddy bears to more exotic plushes such as turtles and dolphins, even to enormous life-sized giraffes and elephants.
- 5th floor: Boys — Action figures, vehicles, and an open cafe.
- 4th floor: Hobbies — Model kits, remote-controlled vehicles, model railways, Scalextric, etc.
- 3rd floor: Girls — Dolls, Arts & Crafts, Hello Kitty, Dress up etc.
- 2nd floor: Preschool — Toys for young children.
- 1st floor: Games — Board games, science, jigsaws; also a Build-A-Bear Workshop and Sweet Shop.
- Ground floor: Soft toys — a wide variety of stuffed animals, and also a Marvin's Magic section.
- Basement: Interactive — Lego, trading cards, gadgets, novelties and GAME (retailer).
In 1987 a second store was opened in York, however this was closed less than 12 months later.[6]
There is also an outlet store at Great Western Outlet Village in Swindon, offering a more limited range of products.
Hamleys run relatively smaller stores in London Heathrow Airport (Terminals 4 and 5), London Stansted Airport and Manchester Airport (Terminal 2). There is also a small store at St Pancras railway station.
Hamleys also has concessions in House of Fraser department stores in Glasgow, Belfast, Birmingham, Manchester and London Oxford Street.
Hamleys is also a holding company for several other toy companies in the United Kingdom. Most notably, Hamleys purchased The English Teddy Bear Company in 2004. The English Teddy Bear Company, originally established by Dominic Richards, failed to prove a success for Hamleys and all eight stores were closed down within two years.
[edit] Denmark
Three smaller stores can already be found in Denmark.
[edit] Jordan
Hamleys opened its first store outside Europe in Amman on 18 June 2008.[3]. The three-storey store in Mecca Street is run by the group’s franchisee Jordan Centre
- 1st floor:Girls world, soft toys, Hamleys Baby, magic & battery operated toys
- 2nd floor: Science, arts & crafts, outdoor games & puzzles.
- 3rd floor: Boys world, extreme sports, party supplies, video & electronic games.
[edit] Republic of Ireland
Hamleys opened a 3,250-square-metre (35,000 sq ft) store in Pembroke Avenue, located adjacent to Town Square,Dundrum, Dublin on 23 October 2008 The store appeals to all age-groups and interests, selling a wide range of toys from the much loved brands to more traditional and nostalgic toys and quirky and unusual products. These include the full range of Hamleys own brand, renowned for exceptional quality and play value. Demonstrators bring the store to life and the shop will host exclusive product launches. Other store elements include a fun2learn area for pre-school children, roaming magicians, a teddy bear park, a puppet area, a rally dome, a cuddly soft animal area and much more. Special events include face painting and visits from much loved children’s characters, treasure hunts, trails and amazing competitions [7].[1][8].
- 1st floor: Preschool
- 2nd floor: Boys World & GAME.
- 3rd floor: Girls World
[edit] United Arab Emirates
Hamleys opened a store in Dubai on 4 November, 2008[2].
[edit] Future expansion
Hamleys plans to open additional franchise stores in Glasgow, Russia, China, India, Turkey, and in Cardiff, Wales.
[edit] References
- ^ a b Hamleys Toy Store Opens In Dublin, British Embassy in Ireland, http://britishembassyinireland.fco.gov.uk/content/en/article/hamleys, retrieved on 2009-04-08
- ^ a b Roberts, Katie (4 November 2008), "Hamleys Dubai opens today", Toy News Online, http://www.toynewsmag.com/news/30485/Hamleys-Dubai-opens-today, retrieved on 2009-04-08
- ^ a b Thompson, James (18 June 2008), "Hamleys opens first store overseas", [The Independent], http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/hamleys-opens-first-store-overseas-849851.html, retrieved on 2009-04-08
- ^ Hartston, William (10 September 1997), "PEDANTRY", The Independent, http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/pedantry-1238437.html, retrieved on 2009-04-08
- ^ a b History - once upon a time a boy dreamed of owning a toy shop, Hamleys, http://myhamleys.com/experience/history.html, retrieved on 2009-08-04
- ^ "Hamleys returning to York after 17 years", The Press (York) (Newsquest Media Group), 18 October 2005, http://archive.yorkpress.co.uk/2005/10/18/334483.html, retrieved on 2009-04-08
- ^ http://www.dundrum.ie/pdf/FINAL_03%2006%202008_Hamley%27s%20Consumer%20Release.pdf
- ^ Fagan, Jack (4 June 2008), "€1 million rent for top toy store Hamleys in Dundrum", The Irish Times, http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/commercialproperty/2008/0604/1212365140149.html, retrieved on 2009-04-08
