Virgin Megastore

[Tigger2000]

You know, it's such a sad thing. I loved going into Virgin stores over here in the UK and then it became Zavvi, which is just like another cheap media store. That Virgin Megastore is often a massive part of my trip, I love going in there and can just spend ages browsing, and the past few times I've visited I've had a good conversation with one of the staff. It will be weird seeing DTD without it, for me atleast
I wouldn't mind having some sort of apple store in DTD however, but not as one single store...seems a bit pointless as someone pointed out lol, but like an apple department in somewhere would be cool

 

[girlface]

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!

I loveloveLOVE that VIRGIN MEGASTORES! Grrrr.


As you can tell i am a BIG fan of music

 

[cjgtigger]

It's not true..

I went to Virgin Megastore today and spoke with the upstairs Manager. They have no plans to close the DTD store. He stated that the British tourists are the ones that spend the most and they are the reason the store is going to stay open.

THANK YOU....

I can't even image the West Side without Virgin Megastore

 

[Kamikaze]

I went to Virgin Megastore today and spoke with the upstairs Manager. They have no plans to close the DTD store. He stated that the British tourists are the ones that spend the most and they are the reason the store is going to stay open.

THANK YOU....

I can't even image the West Side without Virgin Megastore

The manager wouldn't tell even if he knew for sure.

 

[uklad79]

"We bought the Virgin business to wind it down to get a hold of the real estate," Sandeep Mathrani, Vornado's executive VP and head of its Retail Real Estate Division, told Reuters.
http://billboard.biz/bbbiz/content_display/industry/e3iaeef9cc73853f3d00da2561413efe3e0?imw=Y

I think most people must have missed that quote in the link I added as people seem convinced the that they would keep this one store one when the company has stated it is closing the stores down.

 

[HoneyMnShawnee]

I would be very disappointed to see the Virgin store close. My husband and I would spend hours there every trip. If it were to close, I would love to see a great book store as other people have posted as well as an ESPNzone. I can see a small Apple store going in, but I for one, would not be looking to buy that kind of stuff as I already have a laptop and an iPod. I just hope whatever happens, Disney takes the opportunity to improve the area and bring in new and unique shops and restaurants.

 

[uklad79]

I saw a store in NYC last week called American Girl Place with was full of nasty scary dolls that seemed very popular with kids. This might fit in well into the Virgin store and fit the kind of people they want in DTD (people buying overpriced rubbish and wanting to dine). Not sure what the whole thing is about but I am sure they had a restaurant in the store too which would be an ideal day for the mums and daughters while the dads and sons are in Disney Quest.

 

[Hoop Raeb]

I saw a store in NYC last week called American Girl Place ...

That store is a VERY popular tourist destination in NYC. That would fit well but may compete with the Disney branded merch? Dunno.

 

[Kamikaze]

I think most people must have missed that quote in the link I added as people seem convinced the that they would keep this one store one when the company has stated it is closing the stores down.

The problem with that quote is that Virgin never owned the real estate for the DTD store. Disney always did.

 

[uklad79]

The problem with that quote is that Virgin never owned the real estate for the DTD store. Disney always did.

No problem with the quote, they state they are winding down the business. It doesn't say "we are winding down all of the stores except DTD".

 

[uklad79]

That store is a VERY popular tourist destination in NYC. That would fit well but may compete with the Disney branded merch? Dunno.

I guess it would be just like non Disney owned resturants competing with Disney ones in DTD. If they are getting good rental rates I would imagine that outweighs an small drop in sales in the Disney owned stores. I don't expect it affect Disney sales much anyway as people will still want Disney merch as reminder of there holiday.
Is the American Girl Place a chain store? or is it a one off? It was busier than The World Of Disney Store but it's not a brand I have heard of in the UK.

 

[Disneyson 1]

But would you buy a creepy baby Ariel?

 

[Kamikaze]

No problem with the quote, they state they are winding down the business. It doesn't say "we are winding down all of the stores except DTD".

It says 'winding down' 'to get a hold of the real estate'. They aren't getting the real estate.

 

[playingmysong]

One more Virgin Megastore bites the dust:

http://www.billboard.biz/bbbiz/content_display/industry/e3i4b1f65d43468689942aa9c43b06cc29f

It's definitely a bizarre time for music retail internationally. Over here, in one of the most bizarre reasons ever for a record store closing, we've got the Virgin Megastore chain "winding down" after being sold off to real estate magnates who purchased the entire (rather successful) chain merely to obtain the leases back on the two New York stores. (Richard Branson had negotiated the Times Square location for something like 100 years at $54/square foot -- the site's future tenant, Forever 21, will be paying $700/square foot for the ground floor!) Vornado/Related has no interest in running a retail operation, so they're closing the stores despite their turning a solid profit.

Based on the new owners' general evasiveness, I'd say WDW's outpost is on the chopping block, too, though no timeframe is set for the eventual dissolution of the entire chain...

Sad. I'll keep my fingers crossed for the DTD store, though; despite visiting the NY store weekly, I always looked forward to visiting the DTD location on each visit to WDW.

 

[dazzer68]

i dont think an apple store is appealing at all. as a visitor from the uk (or anywhere elsein the world) what apart from clothing, would i buy from an apple store?
laptop.. nope customs would put a stop to that,
ipod... nope, what would happen if it went wrong? could hardly take it back,
iphone... nope, wouldnt work in my country.
plus all the electrical currents wouldnt work overseas.
it needs to be a internationally recognised brand,with out the problems mentioned above regarding the products it sells.So non electrical items would be the ideal item.clothes, audio/visual (cd/dvd/bluray),books,
hmm i feel a disney store coming on!
A good disney replacement selling disney (and all its companys) music bluray (all regions) and dvds etc would be good.

maybe a small shopping mall , with iconic USA brands that are world recognised, Gap, coca cola, herseys (?) that would be a great idea to keep disney guests on site on not leaving to go to the large out of town malls, and the tourists would be spending and staying onsite and getting USA products.
not a huge spralling mall, just a few small boutique type store selling quality stuff. hmm i like that!

 

[good2cu]

i dont think an apple store is appealing at all. as a visitor from the uk (or anywhere elsein the world) what apart from clothing, would i buy from an apple store?
laptop.. nope customs would put a stop to that,
ipod... nope, what would happen if it went wrong? could hardly take it back,
iphone... nope, wouldnt work in my country.
plus all the electrical currents wouldnt work overseas.
it needs to be a internationally recognised brand,with out the problems mentioned above regarding the products it sells.So non electrical items would be the ideal item.clothes, audio/visual (cd/dvd/bluray),books,
hmm i feel a disney store coming on!
A good disney replacement selling disney (and all its companys) music bluray (all regions) and dvds etc would be good.

Gonna have to disagree with you here. I live in the UK and frequently (6+ times a year) vacation in America. The one store I look out for always is an apple store. For me at least it would be a big bonus to get an Apple store on site at Disney.

As it is important I have a laptop with me 100% of the time (work purposes) wherever I am in the world it is nice to see an apple store where, if needed I can go to get a computer/parts/questions. Also they always have free wifi which is nice, and any info I may have left at home I can access from there too. Very useful

You can get laptops over in the states (often cheaper too!) and just get a UK power lead bundled in with it for free. Admittedly though they won't sell you a phone without a social security number. If your ipod went wrong you can take it back to any store, which is nice because thankfully these days there are alot of them about.

Summarise, fingers crossed on an apple store imo!! There is nothing like that onsite at the moment and would be a welcome addittion. :sohappy:

 

[matt_taylor1985]

As much as I like the Apple stores, I just can't see a huge one in that space working. How many people are going to want to buy the likes of laptops. I can understand the iPod and iPhone argument but again, all I can see in that respect, is a section in an entertainment store (possibly a Disney run store), as opposed to a full blown store.

 

[playingmysong]

From a business POV, the problem with an Apple Store seems to be that it's highly unlikely most tourists will be ante'ing up for big-ticket items like iPods and laptops after spending a fortune already just to be in WDW, especially when Apple Stores criss-cross the country in virtually every mall. Also, the Virgin space is two to three times bigger than the biggest flagship Apple Store in the country. So while foot traffic might be comparable to Virgin's at an Apple Store (tourists and locals alike enjoy playing with the gadgets and computers at Apple), sales most likely wouldn't be. People are far more likely on a Disney vacation to shell out $15 for a CD than $400 for an iPod after they've spent a fortune on park passes, hotels, food, the obligatory souvenirs, etc. etc. I'm not ruling Apple out, but a Virgin-like store would be the best bet...too bad Borders isn't doing well, as another "entertainment experience" store selling books, CDs & DVDs would be very welcome to keep the Virgin spirit alive. (Barnes & Noble isn't having a great year, either, and I think their decor is too staid for DTD's style.)

 

[dazzer68]

perhaps the first (?) amazon store? selling books cds, etc

 

[Giraffe Lounge]

perhaps the first (?) amazon store? selling books cds, etc

Unlikely, if Amazon built a store in Florida they would have to begin collecting sales tax on all online orders shipped to Florida because it would give them a physical presence in the state.