Warner Bros. Studio Store

An exterior of the last existing Warner Bros. Studio Store at Chevron Renaissance in Surfers Paradise, Queensland.

The Warner Bros. Studio Store was a chain of retail stores selling Looney Tunes and other merchandise based on Warner Bros. films, similar in style to The Disney Store. They first opened in 1991 and when Warner Bros. owner Time Warner merged with Turner Broadcasting (which owned Hanna-Barbera and the pre-1986 MGM library) in 1996, merchandise based on Turner properties were added to the product lines. In 2001 all Warner Bros. Studio Stores went out of business after just ten years but in 2006 the stores were reopened in China when Warner Bros. Consumer Products partnered with PMW Retail.

United Kingdom

The chain also existed in the United Kingdom, with outlets in various locations around London, including Regent Street, Gatwick Airport, Lakeside Shopping Centre, Bentalls Shopping Centre and Bluewater Shopping Centre. There were locations outside London such as Merry Hill Shopping Centre near Birmingham, Manchester, Gateshead Metro Centre, Glasgow, Chester, Preston and Aberdeen.

All UK Warner Bros. Stores closed in 2004.

Republic of Ireland

There were two stores in the Republic of Ireland. They were located in the Liffey Valley Shopping Centre and the Blanchardstown Centre in Dublin. They both closed in 2004.

The Middle East

In 1998, a franchise agreement was entered into to bring Warner Bros Studio Stores to the Middle East. Three flagship stores were opened, two in Saudi Arabia, in Jeddah and Al Khobar. Another was opened in Dubai. These stores opened with considerable success, but were closed by 2001, closely followed by most other WBSS stores internationally, as the business model failed worldwide.

Australia

A number of these stores still exist in Queensland, Australia, near the location of Warner Bros. Studios on the Gold Coast.

External links

• WBShop.com (official website)
• [1] (Press Release on Macau Opening)