Shanghai Disney Store Opens

Today, Disney have opened a flagship store in Shanghai, China, ahead of their new Disneyland theme park opening soon.  The store features lots of unique and impressive items, that make it stand out as a major destination for visitors with a huge Castle, magic mirror, chandelier and much more.

Here is a press release from Disney:

SHANGHAI, May 20, 2015 /PRNewswire/ — Disney Store today opened the doors of its flagship store in the popular Lujiazui area of Pudong, Shanghai, China. The landmark store is the largest retail space of any Disney Store in the world featuring 5000 square meters of immersive shopping experiences and innovative product, and also features an outdoor plaza.

“We couldn’t be more delighted to open our first Disney Store in China, in Shanghai,” said Mr. Paul Candland, President The Walt Disney Company, Asia-Pacific region. “Disney Store plays a critical role in how millions around the world experience our brand and allows kids, young adults and families to have a uniquely fun and immersive experience while shopping for their favorite Disney, Pixar, Marvel and Star Wars products,” he added.

The Chinese characters representing the specific date and time chosen to open its doors to the public – May 20 at 1:14 p.m., represents highly popular social media code among young people as a time to openly express love and long-term commitment to each other.

In a momentous week for The Walt Disney Company in China, the opening of the Disney Store in Shanghai comes one day after the topping of the Enchanted Storybook Castle at Shanghai Disney Resort, which is due to open next year. “We want to thank the people of Shanghai for welcoming us to the City and could think of no better way than to open the store on May 20 at 1314 hours,” said Mr. Candland.

With an estimated 40 million tourists visiting the Lujiazui area each year, the Disney Store, with its unique product range and entertaining, immersive and innovative design elements, is set to become a world-class destination and meeting point among locals contributing to Shanghai’s reputation as a family, business, cultural, entertainment and tourism destination.

“We welcome the first Disney Store in China to Shanghai’s Pudong District and are excited about the unique role it will play to bring a new energy to Lujiazui. The Disney store is a stunning new landmark of retail, tourism and culture in China,” said Mr. Jian Danian, Deputy Governor of Pudong government.

The interior of the Shanghai Store was designed using Disney’s award-winning, innovative format, featuring elements unique to the area that will surprise and delight Guests and bring to life the most popular characters from across Disney, Pixar, Marvel and Star Wars.

The store has numerous design features unique to Shanghai which include:

• A Disney Magic Kingdom Castle, measuring 19 feet high (5.855m) at the heart of the store,  featuring an hourly musical and projection show
• A one-of-a-kind Marvel area complete with hand-sculpted statues of Iron Man, Thor, Captain America, and an 8-foot-tall Hulk
• A character balloon area with one-of-a kind sculpted hot-air balloons featuring Disney characters including Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Goofy, Daisy, Donald, Pluto, and Chip and Dale
• Unique Mickey Mouse-shaped roof sculpted with over 8,000 LED lights visible from key tourism vantage points such as the Pearl Tower
• A landscaped plaza

Key features of the Disney Store Shanghai include:

• Disney characters hidden in the 12ft tree landscape
• A Disney Portal Gateway area features an impressive gateway inspired by Pixar’s Monster’s University and featuring all the latest in Disney entertainment
• A crystal chandelier in the young-adult-female area where Tinker Bell can be found sprinkling her Pixie Dust
• A Magical Mirror which entertains guests who stand in front of the mirror

To mark the opening of its first Store in the country, The Walt Disney Company in China has announced a RMB620 000 (US$100,000) charitable donation to the Shanghai Charity Foundation (Pudong Chapter) to support programs that benefit kids and families in the Pudong District, where the store is located.

“Disney is proud to support our local community and do what we can to help bring happiness and magic to kids and families in need,” said Mr. Stanley Cheung, Chairman, The Walt Disney Company in China.

For regular updates on Disney Store China, please visit www.disneystore.cn.

About Disney Store

The Disney Store retail chain, which debuted in 1987, is owned and operated by Disney in North America, Europe, and Japan. Disney Store is the retail merchandising arm of Disney Consumer Products, the business segment of The Walt Disney Company (NYSE: DIS) and its affiliates that extends the Disney brand to merchandise. Disney Store carries high-quality products, including exclusive product lines that support and promote Disney’s key entertainment initiatives and characters. Disney Store opened its first store in Glendale, California and, in doing so, originated the themed retail business model. There are currently more than 200 Disney Store locations in North America; more than 40 Disney Store locations in Japan; and more than 70 Disney Store locations in Belgium, Denmark, France, Ireland, Italy, Portugal, Spain and the United Kingdom, plus online stores www.DisneyStore.com, www.disneystore.co.uk, www.disneystore.fr, www.disneystore.de,  www.disneystore.se, www.disneystore.dk, www.disneystore.it, www.disneystore.es and www.disneystore.co.jp. Each Disney Store location offers a magical shopping experience that can only be delivered by Disney, one of the world’s largest and most successful entertainment companies. For more information, please visit www.disneyconsumerproducts.com/press/us/disneystore or follow us at www.facebook.com/DisneyStore and www.twitter.com/DisneyStore.

About The Walt Disney Company in China

The Walt Disney Company, together with its subsidiaries and affiliates, is a leading diversified international entertainment and media enterprise with five business segments. Disney’s first animation screened in China in the 1930s and today our long association continues with offices in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou with over 3000 employees. The company is focused on creating high-quality entertainment experiences and effectively building local and Disney franchises in China. Disney currently has several established businesses in the country, including studio entertainment, parks and resorts, consumer products, media networks, interactive, and Disney English. In September 2005, Disney opened its doors to its first theme park in China, Hong Kong Disneyland and in 2011 announced ground breaking for Shanghai Disney Resort, a joint venture with Shanghai Shendi Group. On May 19^th 2015, the Enchanted Storybook Castle at Shanghai Disney Resort was topped out, and on May 20^th Disney opened the doors of its first Disney Store in China, in Shanghai. Disney is a Dow 30 company and had annual revenues of $48.8 billion in its Fiscal Year 2014. For more information about The Walt Disney Company please visit: http://corporate.disney.go.com/