Retailer Daily

Disney Imagines New Store Layout

Specialty kids’ retailer Disney Store will debut a new store layout in Times Square, New York in fall 2010. Disney Store plans to incorporate the new layout in more than 300 U.S. and European stores during the following five years. Disney Store’s new store layout will include elements such as an interactive Disney Princess Castle and a children’s theater. Disney says the layout will facilitate interactive play and imagination, host children’s activities, special events, and celebrity appearances. Product assortment will feature animated Disney characters and other licensed entertainment properties held by parent company Disney Consumer Products. Renovations at the retail location on Broadway are slated to begin soon.

Abercrombie & Fitch Debuts New Store Format in NY

Disney is not the only specialty youth-oriented retailer to pilot a new store format in Manhattan. Specialty youth apparel retailer Abercrombie & Fitch opened a new store format called EPIC Hollister in New York, NY in July 2009. Abercrombie describes the 40,000-square-foot, four-story store as “pure California fantasy.” In a press release, Abercrombie said the new format will feature “sight, sound, scent, taste, touch and positive energy.” The store features flatscreens with live feeds of surfers on Huntington Beach, CA. An associated microsite allows customers to submit applications to be store models, and offers interactive features such as screensavers, desktop settings and online postcards.

Burger King Actively Experiments with Store Formats

Fast food retailer Burger King has been very busy in the past year piloting a variety of different store formats. In October 2009, Burger King rolled out its latest restaurant concept at its highest-grossing global location, a store within Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam, Netherlands. Called “20/20,” the new design features an industrial look, expanded messaging and lower operational costs. 20/20 restaurants incorporate corrugated metal, brick, wood and concrete into their physical design, and also feature LCD menu screens, more prominent signage and graphics, and a flame chandelier-lit dining area. Using Duke Flexible Batch Broilers, Burger King is able to expand the menu while reducing broiler gas consumption costs by 52% and electricity consumption costs by 90%. To date, Burger King has rolled out the 20/20 concept to more than 60 locations globally, with another 75 openings planned for 2010. Burger King says following a 20/20 remodel, stores typically increase sales by 12-15%. Other recent Burger King store format experiments include the opening of its first Whopper Bar restaurant in Orlando, FL on March 10, 2009. Burger King has since opened at least two more Whopper Bars. The Whopper Bar features a smaller, more modern store layout and built-to-order sandwiches. In fall 2008, Burger King launched Burger King Studio, an interactive, urban-themed restaurant concept that has a complementary line of branded lifestyle merchandise. Disney Store operates more than 200 stores in North America. The retailer says it will strategically balance its retail portfolio and enter new markets during the next five years.