World of Disney Store Redesign Coming

Practical Pig

Well-Known Member
I don't care for the sterile aesthetic of the new design. It looks like somewhere old unwanted merch goes to die. But we'll see how they do. I've been in very few Disney stores. Our boys love the parks but never much cared about the merchandise except for the odd souvenir popcorn bucket or two purchased while at the parks. At this point, neither would be caught dead wearing any Disney branded clothing.

But when we were in New York last year to see a friend perform on Broadway, we did wander into the store in the Theater District while waiting seven hours for our hotel room to be ready. That store is still trying to sprinkle the pixie dust around.
 
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Deleted member 107043

I don't care for the sterile aesthetic of the new design. It looks like somewhere old unwanted merch goes to die. But we'll see how they do. I've been in very few Disney stores. Our boys love the parks but never much cared about the merchandise except for the odd souvenir popcorn bucket or two purchased while at the parks. At this point, neither would be caught dead wearing any Disney branded clothing.

But when we were in New York last year to see a friend perform on Broadway, we did wander into the store in the Theater District while waiting seven hours for our hotel room to be ready. That store is still trying to sprinkle the pixie dust around.

My employer has an office in the same building that houses the Times Square Disney Store. I was in NYC for work 3 times last year and never set foot inside the store. The Disney Store feels like a fancy toy shop for kids, and even as a Disney fan and avid shopper the Disney Store has experience never resonated deeply with me.
 
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TP2000

Well-Known Member
According to The NY Times the beta design for the new Disney Store design was rolled out last summer at Northridge Fashion Center. The success of that revamp will be the basis for the new look being rolled out across the chain, as others here have said.

“We really want to learn as we go, especially through the holidays, so we’re going to roll the new look out slowly,” Paul Gainer, executive vice president for Disney Stores Worldwide, said in an interview on Monday. “So far, we’re really thrilled with the results.”

https://mobile.nytimes.com/2017/09/...y-stores.html?referer=https://www.google.com/

Fascinating, Hans. Thank you for posting that article for us.

I'm amazed their big trumped up revamp of seven years ago, rolled out across the chain over the last few years, is already considered a failure and needs another total revamp. I like the idea of streaming live parades from Disneyland into the stores, but the rest of the remodel seems like a cheap and sterile way to abandon the likelier more expensive model of the previous custom built stores.

The furnishings and surfaces in this prototype store are basic mall hardware, nothing special and nothing impressive. The sole defining feature seems to be the big video wall that would stream live images from the theme parks or the latest movie franchise. Cheap and easy to do. But not a good sign for the long term survival of the Disney Store concept.

It doesn't sound like the people in charge of this store redesign "get it", and don't understand what has fans flocking to Disney products and properties. Just a bunch of charmless mall drones picking out laminate flooring and modular shelving systems to group around a big video screen. It's Paul Pressler all over again, except without the flair and the good hair.
 

Phroobar

Well-Known Member
Fascinating, Hans. Thank you for posting that article for us.

I'm amazed their big trumped up revamp of seven years ago, rolled out across the chain over the last few years, is already considered a failure and needs another total revamp. I like the idea of streaming live parades from Disneyland into the stores, but the rest of the remodel seems like a cheap and sterile way to abandon the likelier more expensive model of the previous custom built stores.

The furnishings and surfaces in this prototype store are basic mall hardware, nothing special and nothing impressive. The sole defining feature seems to be the big video wall that would stream live images from the theme parks or the latest movie franchise. Cheap and easy to do. But not a good sign for the long term survival of the Disney Store concept.

It doesn't sound like the people in charge of this store redesign "get it", and don't understand what has fans flocking to Disney products and properties. Just a bunch of charmless mall drones picking out laminate flooring and modular shelving systems to group around a big video screen. It's Paul Pressler all over again, except without the flair and the good hair.
Pressler's stores were amazing. His theme parks not so much.

Maybe they can move this guy into the MainPlace Mall Disney Store?

dsc_0029.jpg
 

TROR

Well-Known Member
Even during the Pressler Era guests didn't have to deal with the doors being open on the Monorail while it was moving.
 

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