Interior of a store, very blue walls.

France, Spain join Disney Stores closure list, calling into question all European stores

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Only two Disney Store locations in France survive, and the company is getting ready to leave Spain, DisKingdom has learned. This follows word that all 15 of Italy’s standalone stores will close, and two shuttered stores in the UK.

All of this has us asking: will the chain is cease entirely in Europe?

 

All stores in Spain to close

After two decades, Disney Store is leaving Spain, local newspaper SUR in English reports. The store in Malaga is set to close June 16.

There are 12 stores in the country, according to Disney’s website.

The location at Larios Centro mall already has a stating simply “Thank you for being part of the magic.” The article cites not only Disney’s shift to e-commerce, but declining sales during the pandemic.

Most French stores closed

In recent years, France’s Disney Stores were largely located within the upscale department store Galeries Lafayette. At present, only the Galeries Lafayette Haussmann and Galeries Lafayette Marseille remain. The five other Lafayette stores (Bordeaux, Nantes, Nice, “Rosny 2”, and Strasbourg) are all listed as “Fermé” (closed).

Until recently, two standalone stores remained. The one on Paris’ Av. de Champs Elysées is still open, but a store at Cité Europe shopping centre, located next to the entrance to the Channel Tunnel, has closed.

The location at Disney Village, owned by Disneyland Paris, is not affected.

Interior of a store, very blue walls.

A location of the store Galeries Lafayette.
(Galeries Lafayette)

By August 1995, Disney had eight stores in France. Of them, the location on the Champs Elysées was perhaps the most noted, opening in 1993. Beyond its landmark location, the store was the chain’s top-selling location worldwide by 1994. It received a major glow up in 2003.

 

Are remaining European stores doomed?

Things are looking increasingly bleak for Disney fans in Europe.

So far this year, two stores in the UK have closed, and all 15 of Italy’s standalone stores are scheduled to shutter. There is no news yet on stores in Denmark (1 location), Ireland (3), Portugal (2), and Sweden (1). Last year, Disney closed its only store in Germany. The company opened its Regent Street location in London in autumn 1990.

Disney also owns or licensed stores in Asian countries like China, Japan, and India.

The company has so far announced or closed 61 stores in the United States and 2 in Canada this year. Beyond that, the remaining 15 Canadian stores are to close, according to industry publication Retail-Insider.com.

There are lots of rumours floating about the Internet, but only one thing is known for sure: Disney is relentlessly quiet about the closures. Whereas they issued a press release about closures in North America, they’ve yet to comment in Europe.

 

 

Locations in Spain

Barcelona:

  • L’illa Diagonal mall
  • Portal del Angel

Cadiz:

  • Centro Comercial Bahua Sur

Granada:

  • Parque Comercial Nevada Shopping in Armilla (pop-up store)

Madrid:

  • Gran Plaza 2 mall in Majadahonda
  • Centro Comercial La Vaguda
  • Centro Comerical Madrid Xanadú (pop-up store)
  • Parquesur mall in Leganés

Malaga:

  • Larios Centro

Murcia:

  • Centro Comercial Nueva Condomina

Palma de Mallorca:

  • Carrer de Sant Miquel

Valencia:

  • Juan de Austria

 

 

 

Additional sources: “Disney Store in Bentalls”, The Times (London UK), 11 January 1993. Maggie Mahar, “Not-so-magic Kingdom”, Barron’s, 20 June 1994, page 29.

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