The magic ingredients of world’s best toy stores
It takes a special mix of various elements to bring the magic of a toy store to life.
Hot on the heels of news that Toys “R” Us is relaunching its physical store presence in Australia with grand plans to open one of the nation’s biggest toy and baby stores in time for Christmas, Toys “R” Us ANZ chairman Kevin Moore said a love of toys was a good start to success.
Mr Moore, who first worked in the toy industry at age 15 in the UK, said the number one ingredient to a great toy store was a depth and range of product.
“The second thing is they’ve got to have environments that are bright and noisy and hands on and children aren’t being told off for playing with things,” he said.
“So, really experiential, let them run wild and make sure there are lots of live samples in the store for them to play with.”
Mr Moore said the concept of live samples was first founded in the 1980s by Toy and Hobby Warehouse in the UK.
“It was first company in the history of toys to say to their suppliers, ‘Everything you shipped to us we want a free one for each one of our stores so they can be played with’.
“It changed the whole concept of children being made to stand with their hands by their sides in stores.”
It was vital a toy store offered an array of product, Mr Moore said.
“You have got to be able to walk in there and shop for a child from a three-year-old to an 18-year -old,” he said.
“It’s very impressive to have long aisles of product but what engages is play, if they can play and they can get their hands on, and they can do things and there are people explaining things and showing things, that’s when it comes alive.”
The world’s best toy stores
Hamleys, London
Hamleys history dates back to 1760 when William Hamley opened the store then known as Noah’s Ark.
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By 1881, a new shop was opened in Regent Street London to cater for the growing demand, and spanned additional levels of toys.
Today, Hamleys still calls 188-196 Regent Street, London, home and has a reputation for being the finest toy shop in the world.
Mr Moore said in his opinion Hamelys was the number one toy store in the world.
“Hamleys London was the first store to ever be just a pure large toy store and they go back a long way,” he said.
“It’s always been a lovely brand. You walk in there, it’s about four levels, and there’s just noise, and there’s lots of people demonstrating, there’s people dressed up as Harry Potter throwing crazy things around the ceiling and flying back to them and it’s just a real energy in there.”
FAO Schwarz, New York
Operating for more than 150 years and described as the world’s most iconic toy store, the flagship store at Rockefeller Plaza, New York, is a ‘marvellous bountiful emporium full of extraordinary, one-of-a-kind toys from all over the world’, its website states.
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Mr Moore said the store, which was well known for its appearance in the Tom Hanks film Big, with the dance-on piano scene, has an incredible energy.
Toys “R” Us American Dream Mall, New Jersey
The New Jersey double storey store, which opened in 2021, features an ice-cream parlour and two slides between the floors.
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Described as ‘a playground for the imaginations of kids of all ages’ the store spans about 1858sqm.
Mr Moore said the store has a real energy, in addition to the two slippery slides but admitted he was biased because he was part of the Toys ‘R ‘Us family.
“It is certainly the most modern of the large stores in the world at the moment,” he said.
Toymate, Auburn
Touted as Australia’s biggest toy store, the newly opened New South Wales store also features the instore concept store, Babymate.
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“It’s just big. That’s the one we think we have just pipped because that’s 2960 square meters and it’s both toy and baby,” he said.
“I think they’ve done a great job.”
