Disney's Next Acquisition Speculation / Discussion

[Disney Irish]

Oh I disagree that there'd be a backlash, especially if Disney would bring over some of OLC's talent stateside (which they'd never do). It's unlikely to buy out Tokyo will ever be this cheap again, and if Disney wanted to do it, they'd need to do it while the Yen continues to slide (alongside the severe under-performance of OLC's stock price). Would it be expensive? Yes, but it'd be worth it (and probably easier than buying out the Chinese interests in HK and Shanghai) in the long run.

Can you please provide examples of the "talent" you're talking about from OLC?

 

[Comped]

Can you please provide examples of the "talent" you're talking about from OLC?

The executives at OLC which deal with running the parks, deciding how much money to allocate entertainment and new attractions and so forth, willing to give WDI creative freedom, the kind of people that could substantially return the management and operations of the parks and DP&E to the old days...

 

[Disney Irish]

The executives at OLC which deal with running the parks, deciding how much money to allocate entertainment and new attractions and so forth, willing to give WDI creative freedom, the kind of people that could substantially return the management and operations of the parks and DP&E to the old days...

I honestly think Disney has the same type of management in-house, upper management just have to allow them to do what is needed. After all it was Disney who basically trained OLC how to manage their Parks in the first place.

Also FYI the division is now called just Disney Experiences, name was changed back in November 2023.

 

[Twirlnhurl]

I honestly think Disney has the same type of management in-house, upper management just have to allow them to do what is needed. After all it was Disney who basically trained OLC how to manage their Parks in the first place.

Also FYI the division is now called just Disney Experiences, name was changed back in November 2023.

I also think it is easy to underestimate how different the business model is at TDR from the stateside parks. OLC definitely runs their parks well, but it isn't the same business. Consider how different the mix of merchandise sold in TDR is from Orlando. (That's not to say that Disney management can't learn a thing or two from OLC, but I truly believe that a good chunk of the difference comes from the cultural difference in guest spending, expectations from the local market, etc.)

 

[Comped]

Consider how different the mix of merchandise sold in TDR is from Orlando.

I think if you put that kind of merch in domestic parks, Americans world eat it up TBH. It's one of the biggest things everyone loves about TDR.

 

[Disney Irish]

I think if you put that kind of merch in domestic parks, Americans world eat it up TBH. It's one of the biggest things everyone loves about TDR.

Duffy and friends merch is offered in WDW, is it a big seller like in TDR? I honestly don't hear any domestic fans going crazy over Duffy and friends merch as I do from the TDL fans.

 

[Twirlnhurl]

I think if you put that kind of merch in domestic parks, Americans world eat it up TBH. It's one of the biggest things everyone loves about TDR.

I think the merch you hear about over here is a very small fraction of what they sell in Japan, and is not representative of what they actually make most of their money on. For instance, in World Bazzar, there is an entire (gigantic) store that only sells cookie tins. Apparently it is customary to give to your friends and coworkers small gifts like that when you travel. There is no demand for that kind of thing here. We have no equivalent.

Likewise, a significant fraction of visitors to the parks in Japan are office ladies--young adult unmarried women with jobs who live with their parents. This demographic has a ton of spending money and buys a ton of merch. This impacts the type of merchandise offered and the revenue gained from it. But this demographic is much smaller in the US.

I am not saying that the US parks couldn't have better merch and retail experiences. I'm just saying that copying the Japanese model in the US wouldn't be very successful because the market is not Japanese.

 

[Comped]

I think the merch you hear about over here is a very small fraction of what they sell in Japan, and is not representative of what they actually make most of their money on. For instance, in World Bazzar, there is an entire (gigantic) store that only sells cookie tins. Apparently it is customary to give to your friends and coworkers small gifts like that when you travel. There is no demand for that kind of thing here. We have no equivalent.

Likewise, a significant fraction of visitors to the parks in Japan are office ladies--young adult unmarried women with jobs who live with their parents. This demographic has a ton of spending money and buys a ton of merch. This impacts the type of merchandise offered and the revenue gained from it. But this demographic is much smaller in the US.

I am not saying that the US parks couldn't have better merch and retail experiences. I'm just saying that copying the Japanese model in the US wouldn't be very successful because the market is not Japanese.

I am well aware of the types of merchandise they tend to sell in Tokyo. I was moreso referring to their seasonal event merchandise strategy, as well as the huge increase in quality (and even affordability) compared to the Disney run parks. Not the cookie tins haha. Even the more premium stuff, like some of the things they brought out for the Fantasy Springs opening, is the kind of stuff that would sell well domestically...