closing of disney stores this probably doesnt go here but..

[SnowWhite5669]

Originally posted by VILLAINSRULE
I heard a disturbing rumor yesterday--that the Disney Stores will be closing their doors in February. I had remarked to some of my co-workers at the Disney Store that I thought it was odd that the last pick up dates for The Lion King and Nemo presales are only 3 days apart--in 4 years I have never seen that happen, so I got to thinking that perhaps February is the cut off date for the stores........then I heard that rumor yesterday from a source in WDW (manager of a store in Downtown Disney), and I cant say that it is true, but with all the rumors, etc, it gets you to wondering---where there is smoke there is fire, you know........Has anyone else (in WDW or elsewhere) heard anything? Is there some kind of February cut off? Has anyone in merchandising seen any plans beyond the Christmas season? I just wish they would tell us one way or the other--that seems like the fair thing to do, but I am sure the stores know if they announced imminent closings they would lose a lot of people during their most busy quarter.......

Rumors, etc...
:brick:

 

[SIR90210]

Two malls in my area (Washington D.C.) have Disney Stores. One of them was recently refurbished. Both tend to be packed.

 

[Woody13]

Originally posted by SnowWhite5669
Rumors, etc...
:brick:

No, it is not a rumor. The stores will either be sold or closed. In either case, The Disney Store is going out of business.



Disney: Who wants to be a retailer?
By Russ Britt, CBS.MarketWatch.com
Last Update: 6:01 PM ET May 22, 2003

BURBANK, Calif. (CBS.MW) -- Walt Disney Co. said Thursday that it plans to
put its troubled chain of retail stores up for sale, as the entertainment
giant looks to license its valuable brand name rather than remain a
shopkeeper.

Disney (DIS: news, chart, profile) will seek a buyer for its 548 Disney
Stores worldwide, the company announced after the closing bell. The
announcement had been expected since last week, after Chief Financial
Officer Thomas Staggs reportedly told an analyst that a sale was possible.

On Thursday, Disney solidified that stance, saying its goal is to sell the
operations outright. Peter Whitford, president of the Disney Store chain,
has resigned and will be replaced temporarily by Andy Mooney, chairman of
the company's consumer products division.

In a conference call with reporters, Mooney said it has proven too difficult
for the Disney Stores to compete for company capital with a number of
diverse entities such as movie studios, theme parks and the ABC Television
Network. Retail outlets are not a "core competency" for Disney, Mooney said.

He added that Disney would consider closing the stores if it could not find
a buyer.

"That would be one of the options," Mooney said. "We have absolutely not
made the decision to close the stores."

Mooney said there is no time frame for finding a buyer, adding the company
feels confident it can find interested parties.

Weak performance at Disney Stores has dragged down the company's consumer
products division.

Mooney said the stores stopped being profitable after Disney initiated a
plan to boost the store count in North America from 300 to 800 stores.
Disney has reduced that store count in recent years, and the North America
number now stands at 387.

More stores will be closed as Disney plans to at least reduce the number of
stores 300 again, and perhaps lower if necessary to prepare the division for
sale.

The group's sales have dropped 35.5 percent since1997, from $3.8 billion to
$2.4 billion in 2002. Operating income has plunged even more in that time,
$893 million to $394 million, a drop of 55.9 percent.

Operating income would get a boost if the outlets were sold, although
revenue also would drop, Mooney added. But the company's consumer products
division would not be folded back into another part of Disney should the
stores be sold, Mooney said, because its sales still are a small part of the
business.

In 2001, Disney sold its stores in Japan to the Oriental Land Co., which
owns and operates Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo DisneySea under a license
agreement.

Mooney said the company believes a specialty retailer would be an ideal
purchaser, or a financial buyer that would create its own retail operation.

Ahead of the announcement, shares of Disney, a component of the Dow Jones
Industrial Average, rose 24 cents, or 1.3 percent, to close at $18.12.

 

[trekkie]

TDS is awful now. I, for one, would rather see them get axed than watch it barely hang on as a gap with Mickey ears, princess outfits and cheaply made plush.
Just like I'd rather see DL shut down than become a cheap kiddie playground with outrageously over-priced plush and plastic shops.
But, you know, I don't feel like writing a humongous essay right now; so I'll just leave this alone. I think almost everyone here knows my feelings and the reasons behind them, anyway.

 

[SnowWhite5669]

Originally posted by Woody13
No, it is not a rumor. The stores will either be sold or closed. In either case, The Disney Store is going out of business.



Disney: Who wants to be a retailer?
By Russ Britt, CBS.MarketWatch.com
Last Update: 6:01 PM ET May 22, 2003

BURBANK, Calif. (CBS.MW) -- Walt Disney Co. said Thursday that it plans to
put its troubled chain of retail stores up for sale, as the entertainment
giant looks to license its valuable brand name rather than remain a
shopkeeper.

Disney (DIS: news, chart, profile) will seek a buyer for its 548 Disney
Stores worldwide, the company announced after the closing bell. The
announcement had been expected since last week, after Chief Financial
Officer Thomas Staggs reportedly told an analyst that a sale was possible.

On Thursday, Disney solidified that stance, saying its goal is to sell the
operations outright. Peter Whitford, president of the Disney Store chain,
has resigned and will be replaced temporarily by Andy Mooney, chairman of
the company's consumer products division.

In a conference call with reporters, Mooney said it has proven too difficult
for the Disney Stores to compete for company capital with a number of
diverse entities such as movie studios, theme parks and the ABC Television
Network. Retail outlets are not a "core competency" for Disney, Mooney said.

He added that Disney would consider closing the stores if it could not find
a buyer.

"That would be one of the options," Mooney said. "We have absolutely not
made the decision to close the stores."

Mooney said there is no time frame for finding a buyer, adding the company
feels confident it can find interested parties.

Weak performance at Disney Stores has dragged down the company's consumer
products division.

Mooney said the stores stopped being profitable after Disney initiated a
plan to boost the store count in North America from 300 to 800 stores.
Disney has reduced that store count in recent years, and the North America
number now stands at 387.

More stores will be closed as Disney plans to at least reduce the number of
stores 300 again, and perhaps lower if necessary to prepare the division for
sale.

The group's sales have dropped 35.5 percent since1997, from $3.8 billion to
$2.4 billion in 2002. Operating income has plunged even more in that time,
$893 million to $394 million, a drop of 55.9 percent.

Operating income would get a boost if the outlets were sold, although
revenue also would drop, Mooney added. But the company's consumer products
division would not be folded back into another part of Disney should the
stores be sold, Mooney said, because its sales still are a small part of the
business.

In 2001, Disney sold its stores in Japan to the Oriental Land Co., which
owns and operates Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo DisneySea under a license
agreement.

Mooney said the company believes a specialty retailer would be an ideal
purchaser, or a financial buyer that would create its own retail operation.

Ahead of the announcement, shares of Disney, a component of the Dow Jones
Industrial Average, rose 24 cents, or 1.3 percent, to close at $18.12.

Old article... May 2003, that was a century ago!! Shares are up as are the profits for the Disney Store but don't listen to me, I only work there!! Why don't you stop by your local Disney Store this week-end and just because we like you we'll give you 20% off all sale and regular priced merchandise!! I think people just like to think negative and want to see Disney fail at something. All I know is that we are #1 in our District and continue to drive Sales. My predicition is that the Gap will close long before Disney Store, after all they now have Peter Whitford who gave Disney Store the "new face" lift a couple of years ago!! Have a magical week-end and shop till you drop!!

 

[SnowWhite5669]

Originally posted by trekkie
TDS is awful now. I, for one, would rather see them get axed than watch it barely hang on as a gap with Mickey ears, princess outfits and cheaply made plush.
Just like I'd rather see DL shut down than become a cheap kiddie playground with outrageously over-priced plush and plastic shops.
But, you know, I don't feel like writing a humongous essay right now; so I'll just leave this alone. I think almost everyone here knows my feelings and the reasons behind them, anyway.

I guess I will put my marketing degree to use for the defense of my store: Disney plush is not cheaply made and it goes through testing to prove that it will stand up as compared to the crap you can buy elsewhere. You would like to see the stores closed but what about the people who depend on Disney Store (the "The" was dropped about 4 years ago BTW) for a living. Next time I see Michael Eisner I'll let him know how you feel and I am sure he will shut down the stores and DL. Let me guess you must be a former Cast member...

 

[cymbaldiva]

Snappish much SnowWhite5669?

I have to agree with trekkie - I too would rather see no Disney Store at all as opposed to one full of over-priced kiddie crap that I wouldn't buy anyway.

I personally prefered "The Disney Store" - you know, the one full of watches, high-end adult clothing and collectibles. The one where I actually enjoyed shopping and spending money. Yeah, LOTS of money!

At Disney Store? Well, guess I'll enjoy that 20% discount off my $3 attenna topper.

My point is ..... well, just make sure and tell Michael Eisner what a marketing genius he is - next time you see him.

 

[trekkie]

I am NOT a former CM; and who gives a d@mn about morals and principles, huh? This is what scares me: today's generation doesn't know the principles and ideals Disney was founded under, and thus will buy into anything. TDC is like a crappy version of Nickelodeon now; nothing like the original Disney Channel; the very reason that station was started.

Screw walt disney, huh? F%$#k the principles, morals and ideals upon which his company was founded, huh? Hey: as long as gullible people like you have access to merchandise, huh? What else matters, huh?

Obciously nothing. Huh. How gullible indeed.

People like you are why the company is such a mess these days. People like you -- gullible individuals who always go with the flow and probably never, if not hardly, stand up for anything -- are why much of the world is so corrupt with overbearing greed and non-sensible business executives.

People like you will buy into anything. And it's sad.

 

[cymbaldiva]

Ouch!

Hope that tirade wasn't directed at me....

I'm on your side, remember?

 

[trekkie]

Sorry, not you. Should have mentioned that

It's directed towards snow

 

[cymbaldiva]

Kewl ....

 

[trekkie]

Very keeeeeeeeeewl indeed

 

[prberk]

The Disney Store (yes, "The" Disney Store) should be just that: the store that is distinctively Disney. It was successful in the beginning because it carried interesting and unique, often high-end, quality merchandise.

Today its merchandise is hardly different from that of Wal-Mart, in that childrens' character stuff is everywhere. The animation cells and adult watches, clothing, books, etc., is not exactly.

Same with "the" Disney Channel. It should have distinctively Disney shows, including both classic and new. It's a shame that more Disney parks are featured on The Travel Channel and more Disney movies are on Hallmark Channel and on WGN than are found on "Disney Channel."

Maybe that is why they don't call it "the" Disney Channel or "the" Disney Store anymore: because they are not anymore.

 

[Woody13]

This is what Jim Hill had to say in his most recent article:

"Which brings us to the bigger question: With Disney shutting down its Feature Animation operations in both Paris and Orlando as well as its Television Animation unit in Japan, and coupled with the Mouse's decision to sell off its Disney Stores retail chain ... what's really going on here?"

I think it is safe to say that The Disney Store is history.

 

[trekkie]

If the majority of stores aren't doing well, it'd be smart just to shutter them.
Disney really screwed themselves with TDS; and now they're paying the ultimate price. This isn't anyones fault but THEIRS.

 

[SnowWhite5669]

Originally posted by trekkie
I am NOT a former CM; and who gives a d@mn about morals and principles, huh? This is what scares me: today's generation doesn't know the principles and ideals Disney was founded under, and thus will buy into anything. TDC is like a crappy version of Nickelodeon now; nothing like the original Disney Channel; the very reason that station was started.

Screw walt disney, huh? F%$#k the principles, morals and ideals upon which his company was founded, huh? Hey: as long as gullible people like you have access to merchandise, huh? What else matters, huh?

Obciously nothing. Huh. How gullible indeed.

People like you are why the company is such a mess these days. People like you -- gullible individuals who always go with the flow and probably never, if not hardly, stand up for anything -- are why much of the world is so corrupt with overbearing greed and non-sensible business executives.

People like you will buy into anything. And it's sad.

Ouch! Gee, I guess I was too busy being gullible to keep up on the barbs that are being aimed at me... Let's see I was too busy helping my constitiuents (yes, I am a public official), saying good bye to my Uncle who is on his way to Iraq and oh ya- the store has been so busy making money that I haven't had time to be berated by someone like you!! I do stand up for things like freedom of enterprise! You have your opinion and it's people like you who only see one side of things. How can you even make a parallel between the Disney Store of the moral and ethicial values of today's society? If you don't like all of us non-sensible business executives then do something to change it. Don't buy into the Disney marketing promotions, don't go to the parks, don't even subscribe to this forum. Because you know what? You have bought into it just like every other person who loves Disney. I see the same values that Walt Disney created in my store everyday. We do volunteer projects and go out of our way to help the homeless, children and just did a walk for breast cancer. It's the traditions of Disney that make us want to stay with the company, it's not the merchandise!! It's not the money that I make. It's the look of a child walking into the store for the first time and truly thinking they are in Disney, it's the look on the faces of the children in the cancer ward at Hasbro Children's Hospital when a bunch of volunteers from our store walk in with toys and books. So ya, I do stand up for a lot of things. I an active in politics and believe in those individuals who are willing to make a change. I am not a passive person, so unless you know me don't cast judgments. In fact if you even remotely lived near me you would most certainly know me and my family and you would realize how wrong those statements are.

Most importantly I can stand up to a self serving bully like you! So bring it on!!:kiss:

 

[SnowWhite5669]

Read:

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/busi...1,1,7104432.story?coll=orl-business-headlines


How would some of you feel if rumors were being circulated about your company closing? Or those of you who are business owners, how would you like some bad press? This whole thing is getting way too politicial and I get enough of that at my day job! I love working for Disney Store and for right now that's all I can do to work at Disney. I have a child in high school and I don't have the luxury of moving to Florida or California to work in corporate. I don't see anyone else talking about their jobs. Are we afraid of criticism?

 

[trekkie]

I am just fed up with gullible people who see everything the company does as good. Sorry if I come off mean; but as someone who grew up on disney, it pains me to no end that the company is in the shambles it's in.

 

[SnowWhite5669]

You come off as more then mean, you come off as offensive. What person in the US hasn't grown up with Disney? Please!! Is that an excuse to take it out on innocent people who come here to enjoy themselves and have a discussion about something that they love?

 

[trekkie]

For years, I have been dealing with people who see Disney as this perfect company that can do no wrong; and your post about TDS finally put me over the top. I love Disney as well, and will not sit idly by doing nothing while the company that Walt built and I love deteriorates.

I'm sorry for that post. Just please understand where I am coming from.