Disney Store Closed!

[Kram Nebuer]

Thanks for the info, Cinderelly! I'm glad that your Disney Store is still doing good. I always see families in our Disney Store and the same cast members each week.

Do the Disney Stores (excluding DisneyStore.com) still offer DVD preorders with Lithos? I know I asked this in another thread, but I never got a chance to ask a cast member.

[Disney Guru]

All of the ones in our State except The One in The Provo Towne Center Mall and one up in Salt Lake have shut down. At one time they were very pupular but their popularity is dropping down to almost nothing!

[Starion]

All of the ones in our State except The One in The Provo Towne Center Mall and one up in Salt Lake have shut down. At one time they were very pupular but their popularity is dropping down to almost nothing!

Wow, there's only two stores in Utah?? It's too bad that the stores are closing. Hopefully the store in the Towne Center Mall and Salt Lake will stay open.

Thanks for the info, Cinderelly! I'm glad that your Disney Store is still doing good. I always see families in our Disney Store and the same cast members each week.

Do the Disney Stores (excluding DisneyStore.com) still offer DVD preorders with Lithos? I know I asked this in another thread, but I never got a chance to ask a cast member.

JimmyJackJunior said that the retail stores are not offering Lithos with preorders for "The Three Musketeers" and "Home on the Range". If you want the lithographs, then you'll need to order the movie online. I pre-ordered Brother Bear at a retail store in a mall and recieved the free lithographs.

[AwallaceUNC]

Cinderelly, I wish all the Disney Stores were as on the up-and-up as your's. I think you've stated in the past (correct me if I'm mistaken) that your's is one of the more successful Disney Stores in the nation (congrats, btw, if that is the case). I know that my local Disney Store is better than some others, but still not of the quality of the better locations. I'm glad to see that you and your fellow cast members are happy to see guests of all ages come in (unlike the bitter old woman who runs our store- errrr, I'm not gonna get started on my ongoing feud with her ), and that you still have all those collectibles. If all the DSs were like that, we might not have as much to complain about.

-Aaron

[reyquila]

There were two stores here in Island (Puerto Rico) and both were closed two years ago. My sister used to work in one of them and she told me it sold between $15,000 to $25,000 daily. Bad decision !!!! Now no DVD with lithos for me, because I dont like to wait for them if I order trough internet.

[AwallaceUNC]

Well, it looks like The Children's Place has signed a non-binding letter of intent to purchase the Disney Store chain:

http://www.reuters.com/financeQuoteComp ... letype=RTR

Two interesting items there that I didn't know, besides the headline:

*Shopper traffic in malls has declined in general, it seems
*TCP was the only NA bidder for TDS.

-Aaron

[DisneyGirl]

The Disney Stores by my house (There used to be two) are doing very well, the larger one though, does VERY well, and so it stayed open while the other closed. The larger one, is at a mall which is constantly swarming with tourists, especially from Japan, which just have oodles of money to spend on useless things like Automatic Mickey Lollypop Turners and a million stuffed animals. (I admit to buying a stuffed animal here and there, but not in the quantity they do). Meanwhile, the other store, which was at a different mall which is occupied mostly by locals, closed from lack of business...*sigh* I guess as much as I hate to admit it, tourists, particularly Japanese, (though not limited too), keep me and mine afloat over here.

[Kram Nebuer]

I guess as much as I hate to admit it, tourists, particularly Japanese, (though not limited too), keep me and mine afloat over here.

You bring up a good point. All the Disney Stores in my area are still open, but some seem like they might close soon b/c of lack of customers. The one at the Deptford Mall, closest to us, is always filled with families and kids who go to that mall for the Build-a-bear store and b/c it's so close to our township, which is filled with A LOT of families and A LOT of kids b/c it has A LOT of schools. THis is probably why ours aren't closed yet.

[AwallaceUNC]

This was among 2004's best threads, so I'm honored to resurrect it with some relevant information three years later. It looks like The Disney Store is doing a lot better these days, but tension is mounting between WDC and TCP, which might mean a new contract in the near-future.

Children's Place Feels the Magic
By Anders Bylund May 22, 2007

Children's Place (Nasdaq: PLCE) has plenty of good buzz for its insourced Disney (NYSE: DIS) stores. Buzz Lightyear, to be specific.

The children's clothing retailer saw sales rise by 11% in its eponymous chain of stores, and by 18% in the Disney shop-o-ramas. Overall, that's a 12% year-over-year revenue boost; the Disney Store concept remains the smaller contributor to overall results, despite its speedy growth.

Mickeyville is improving in other ways, too. Two years ago, that segment contributed a modest $8.5 million of full-year operating profits to company coffers. Last year, it was $10 million -- despite a $14 million loss from that segment in the first quarter.

This time, the Disney Store's operational losses in this seasonally weak quarter stopped at $4.5 million, boding well for the full-year outlook. The Children's Place stores remain the company's peanut butter and jelly, bringing in $53.6 million in operating profits versus $48 million last year. Still, the Disney contribution doesn't look too goofy anymore. It's falling with style.

That's why it's important to work out a new deal with the House of Mouse. Disney says that Children's Place hasn't kept up with the remodeling and renovation agreements stipulated in the two companies' contract, and it's threatening to cancel the whole deal. The latest word is that a new contract is in the works, and while there are no guarantees, a quick and positive resolution is in sight.

It would be a shame to abandon this developing store concept just when it starts to gain traction, and I'm stumped as to who else could handle it better than Children's Place. Target (NYSE: TGT) and Wal-Mart (NYSE: WMT) don't live at the mall, Gymboree (Nasdaq: GYMB) has its hands full with internal growth projects already, and Gap (NYSE: GPS) is looking to simplify, rather than diversify, its offerings.

As of now, it seems like The Children's Place and Disney are nearing a final agreement for the various modifications necessary. Most likely, the company will have to follow a strict schedule on updating and renovating existing Disney Stores. While the negotiation is not yet final, the company already has plans to integrate Disney's new lineup of theatrical releases into its upcoming merchandise. Hopefully, that'll ensure that Children's Place's revenue stays healthy to infinity and ... well, you get the picture.

<i>The Walt Disney Company and Gap are two Motley Fool Stock Advisor recommendations. Gap also joins the rootin'-tootin' roundup gang at Motley Fool Inside Value, right next to Wal-Mart.

Fool contributor Anders Bylund is a Disney and Gymboree shareholder, but holds no other position in any of the companies discussed here. You can check out Anders' holdings if you like. Foolish disclosure is so glad you're not a dinosaur!</i>

http://www.fool.com/investing/general/2 ... magic.aspx

[Disneykid]

The Disney Stores in my area definitely need some renovations. The interior designs have been largely the same for over a decade. All I ask is that a) they don't draw the construction out for too long, and b) they still implement the idea of sculptured characters through-out the store. I miss the old animatronic window displays as it is; I'd hate to see the new design be made up of painted artwork only.

I've been very impressed with The Disney Store since The Children's Place took over. They've been coming out with lots of nifty things for adults, and I find myself coming out of there with something new every time I visit. Before The Children's Place deal, I only bought something from The Disney Store maybe three times a year or so. Hopefully these contract deals won't affect the steady growth of progress I've been seeing (unless it's for the better).

[musicradio77]

In New York, we got a few Disney Stores in our town, Yonkers, White Plains, Poughkeepsie and Albany. A few years ago, it was at 5th Avenue in New York City, but it was replaced by the World of Disney store in New York City.

[AwallaceUNC]

I've noticed a lot of improvement* in Disney Store upkeep, cast member disposition, and especially merchandise. It's still not quite what it was when the store opened, but it's getting a lot closer to that and further away from what it was when this thread first opened. The remodeled Disney Stores I've been in are nice but smaller and not nearly as cool inside as the original designs (which have fortunately been maintained at most of the stores I frequent). Maintenance is good but I'm hestitant to see redesigns at all stores.

*Caveat: one Disney Store -- the one that I'll soon be nearest too -- is a big exception to my observations of improvement. It's gotten smaller with less merchandise and has become musty and gross inside over the last year or two.

-Aaron

[PixarFan2006]

I have had only one Disney Store close near me and that was at the Meridian Mall. There is still a Disney Store at the Lansing Mall last time I checked.

[DisneyGirl22]

I have had only one Disney Store close near me and that was at the Meridian Mall. There is still a Disney Store at the Lansing Mall last time I checked.

the best one around here is the one at Fairlane mall. Bigger then the others and nicer products. There is also one in Novi and one in the Southland mall.

[PeterPanfan]

We have a great one here in NEPA. It's not that big but they managed to cram tons of things in without making you feel uncomforatable.

[jeremy88]

I remember in two of the usual malls I go to, one of them closed for about four years and then it recently reopened in a different section of the mall all re-modeled an stuff. The other stayed open for a while and then shut down for a couple months to get re-decorated.

I like seeing Disney Stores but I don't usually go into them anymore mainly because I feel that most of the merchandise is only for kids and toddlers. Plus everytime I attempt to look around, I feel like a dork being in there all by myself because my friends & family don't like to go in with me because there "embarrassed" even though they say there not

[Dottie]

All Disney Stores in Germany closed some years ago. The last one was in Munich, and then it moved to a different (hard to find) location in Munich and then it closed. It's sad!

[dvdjunkie]

Those of you planning a summer trip to Branson, Missouri this year will be happy to know that the "Official" Disney Clearance Center is still open and thriving. It is a very large store, and very neatly kept. The employees are all dressed in Disney character costumes, and are very polite. They have everything from stuffed animals to VHS videos to DVD's. They have quite the Disneyland Records library also, and high on the walls surrounding the store are pictures highlighting the history of Walt Disney Pictures.

Prices at this store are phenomienally low. I bought the Lilo and Stitch dolls for my wife (the large 28" tall ones) and only paid $9.99 each for them. They don't do mail orders, it is a first come first serve walk-in store, and is open from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 12 noon to 6 p.m. on Sundays.

[Disneyfreak1990]

the one nearest me is an hour away in Northpark mall near dallas. it hasn't closed but it's the only one i've seen in texas and let me tell you i've been to the mall in san antonio and the galleria and they don't have them. it's like my grandpa used to say 'it ain't a mall without a disney store'.
but in my old home town of Irvine we were close to two malls that both had disney stores. they were both about ten-fifteen minutes away. the one going toward dan diego had a regular one while the one going north to Disneyland had a double one meaning it had a disney store and right next to it was an animation store. i went back there for the 50th and they got rid of that little animation store and replaced it with a cloth store . i loved their little tv in the back.

[brownie]

I haven't seen any Disney Stores around here closed, thank god. They've renovated all the ones I seen so they're mainly white and have that big red Mickey Mouse entrance. So I'm guessing they're still successful.


I really miss the huge plush displays they used to have at the back with the TV screen. The first thing I always used to do when I went into one of their stores was run to the back to see that display! Last time I saw one there were only plushes from Winnie the Pooh, Mickey Mouse, and The Lion King. And the stuff playing on the screen sucked.