Editorial: Uphill Battle for Disney Store Limited Time
A lot of people online seem to be blaming Disney for not going all out on this store: it’s not big enough, there’s not enough exclusives, there’s no plush piles, it’s not leaning into retro store design.
All of these comments have some validity, but they’re missing a key point.
Disney does not own this store. Go! Retail Group paid Disney for their brand, and are presumably receiving their product through Disney Store’s warehouse. Disney gets a cheque, and presumably had involvement in the design, but the money is only going into their coffers, not out.
Go! Retail Group’s roots are in temporary, seasonal stores. Calendars.com is only open in your local mall a few months of the year, so fixtures aren’t as elaborate as a permanent store. They’ve branched out into year-round stores, like Go! Toys + Games and Toys”R”Us, but the focus is on getting products onto shelves, not on building Disney’s brand.
It’s expensive to build an elaborate store. Go! is simply being cautious, and not wanting to invest at the same level as Disney once did. That’s understandable from a business perspective, and rational. But they’re dealing with a company that people have a deep personal attachment to, that’s known for doing things to the nines. Halfway doesn’t cut it, with Disney fans.
Go! Retail Group should take a lesson from the Philippines, where local licensor SM Group has taken their stores in two directions. The permanent stores are reminiscent of the Imagination Park design from Disney’s final decade operating stores in North America, with elaborate design and lighting.
But the temporary stores are deliberately quite finite, staying a month or two anywhere before moving on. The Pittsburgh area store has no closing date, but is open at least “until the holidays,” giving it a false sense of permanence despite the Disney Store Limited Time name. They lean into their impermanence, by being located in the middle of the mall, shoppers are expecting a quick jolt of fun product, but aren’t expecting magic that a temporary offering simply can’t provide.
It’s also a case that America is perhaps the hardest nut to crack. Various people shared online that they had seen all the product before on DisneyStore.com or in the parks. When you have free shipping from the web, and thousands of products, there’s less novelty. I think Go! Retail Group would have actually had better reception up here in Canada, where there is no local Disney Store warehouse, so often the shipping and tariffs on items cost more than the product itself.
It’ll be interesting whether the demand continues long-term at Ross Park Mall. How much of today’s excitement was just being looking to be there as it launches, and how much is genuine desire to purchase in-person? Will Go! Retail Group iterate on their plans in other cities, as the chain rolls out, or is this template going to be replicated nationwide? Only Limited Time will tell.
SM Greenhills Mall in Tabaco, Philippines.