Contact the editor at karina@plainlanguagemedia.com. Dr. Seuss Enterprises and its licensed partners are celebrating the graduation season with Oh, the Places You’ll Go!—for graduates young and old, rich and poor, silly and smart—with the book from Random House, a gift line from Hallmark, a Walgreens program with Vandor, and tumblers from Tervis. Funko adopts the home field of … [Read more...] about Experiential, Social & Retail: Updates
FAO Schwarz
Store Check: Holiday 2018 at Rockefeller Center
Contact the Editor at karina@plainlanguagemedia.com. FAO Schwarz has returned to New York City with a brand new flagship store at 30 Rockefeller Plaza. The toy store spans 2.5 levels with over 20,000 sq. ft. of FAO's signature toys, interactive experiences, and themed partner areas. In addition to holiday exclusives, the store's collaboration with specialty candy retailer … [Read more...] about Store Check: Holiday 2018 at Rockefeller Center
Retailer Watch: Sears, FAO Schwarz, TRU & NRF
By Karina Masolova. Contact the Editor at karina@plainlanguagemedia.com. Sears Holdings is joining the bankruptcy club, facing down $12 billion worth of debt (compared to $8.1 billion in assets). The retailer will undergo Chapter 11 reorganization and is expected to close 142 stores as part of those proceedings. Sears hasn't turned a profit since 2010 and has $134 million of … [Read more...] about Retailer Watch: Sears, FAO Schwarz, TRU & NRF
M&A: Toys & Entertainment Edition
Ubisoft acquires 1492 Studio, a French video game development house specializing in free-to-play episodic and interactive stories on mobile. eOne buys out the remaining 49% stake in The Mark Gordon Co. that it didn't already own in a deal worth $209 million. As part of the deal, founder Mark Gordon joins eOne as Chief Content Officer. Spin Master acquires plush manufacturer … [Read more...] about M&A: Toys & Entertainment Edition
Mergers & Acquisitions
Toys 'R' Us sells the FAO Schwarz brand to California-based toy manufacturer and distributor ThreeSixty Group. ThreeSixty will develop FAO Schwarz-branded toys and retail experiences, to launch next fall. Target partners with Alibaba to sell goods in China via the Tmall ecommerce marketplace. Viacom's Board of Directors forms a Special Committee of Independent Directors to … [Read more...] about Mergers & Acquisitions