The Entertainer invests £1m to create new flagship at Bullring
The largest independent toy retailer in the UK, The Entertainer, officially re-opened its doors on June 15th to its brand-new regional flagship store in Bullring.
As part of the £1m investment in the 9,000 sq ft store, The Entertainer has created immersive spaces for much-loved brands such as LEGO, Barbie, and Peppa Pig. Unique to Bullring, The Entertainer has also introduced its first Early Learning Centre shop-in-shop with a dedicated team of experts on hand to assist with any inquiries. Interactive areas have been introduced for customers to enjoy the wider selection of product ranges now available.
Stephanie Lacey, General Manager at Bullring & Grand Central, said: “The fact that a brand like the Entertainer has decided to invest in Bullring really demonstrates its continued popularity as a flagship destination. After the past few months, we know the new store is going to be a real hit with our customers, and we’ve already seen lots of our youngest shoppers visiting the store to pick up something new.
During this time we are working with all retailers, including The Entertainer, to ensure visitors can shop safely and within all the latest guidance from the Government.”
Gary Grant, Founder and Chief Executive of The Entertainer added: “We are delighted that the doors to our newly refitted Bullring store are now open and that our customers can finally enjoy the store following the lockdown period. Our aim for the refitted store was to fill it with even more fun for children than we had before and we have created immersive zones with family favourites such as LEGO, Barbie, WWE and Peppa Pig! The store is packed full of fun things to see and experience as well as all the latest toys and games. The store also has our first Early Learning Centre shop-in-shop, with a dedicated team of product experts to assist you with any questions you may have about supporting children’s early year’s development through play. We have worked with the Hammerson design team to create a toy store that will delight children and bring a new experience to the Bullring.”
New flooring and lighting throughout the store have created a brighter environment for visitors. All refurbishments works were led by an in-house team and implemented by external contractors.
Located on the lower level, adjacent to Sports Direct, The Entertainer’s revitalised store have implemented social distancing measures and are managing the footfall levels at all times. In addition, screens have been placed at all checkouts to ensure it is a safe environment for visitors to enjoy.
Hammerson also recently collaborated with The Entertainer to provide a monetary donation and supply of toys to Women’s Aid shelters in the Midlands.
ENDS
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Notes to Editors
Hammerson
Hammerson create vibrant, continually evolving spaces, in and around thriving European cities, with a focus on flagship retail destinations and Premium Outlets. As of 30th June 2019, our portfolio of high-quality venues had a value of £9.5 billion and includes 21 flagship destinations, 12 convenient retail parks and investments in 20 premium outlet villages, through our partnership with Value Retail and the VIA Outlets joint venture. Key retail venues include, Bullring & Grand Central, Birmingham, Bicester Village, Oxfordshire, Freeport Lisboa Fashion Outlet, Lisbon, Dundrum Town Centre, Dublin; and Les Terrasses du Port, Marseille.
The Entertainer
The Entertainer was founded in 1981 in Amersham, Buckinghamshire by husband and wife team, Gary and Catherine Grant who, along with two of their sons, instill the driving force and mission – “To be the best-loved toyshop – one child, one community at a time”. Today, it continues to be the largest family-owned chain of toy shops in the UK with a total of 170 stores.
As well as a strong High Street presence, The Entertainer has a successful website (TheToyShop.com) which offers a 30-minute click and collect service and has over 29 million visits annually. The Entertainer is also recognised for its charitable giving. Each year it tithes 10% of its pre-tax annual profit to charity. In addition to this, employees are encouraged to donate directly through Payroll Giving, with The Entertainer matching each donation pound for pound and raising over £1m to date. The Entertainer is also an active member of the Pennies scheme, the digital upgrade of the traditional charity collecting box, which enables customers to donate a few pence to charity at the point of sale when paying by card. On average, this generates £14,500 of customer donations to Children’s hospitals each week and has raised over £3m since it was introduced. The Entertainer currently employs over 1500 staff across the stores and a further 231 in the Head Office in Amersham, Buckinghamshire.
In December 2018 The Entertainer acquired POLY, a chain of 44 toy shops in Spain.
In February 2019 the Early Learning Centre was also acquired consisting of over 500 franchise stores internationally.
The Entertainer was featured in the in the prestigious Sunday Times “100 Best Companies to work for” in 2020.
Gary Grant was named among the 100 most influential people in retail in the Retail 100 2020.