Children's Place To Expand Disney Stores Into Outlets

[crazy4wdw]

Children's Place To Expand Disney Stores Into Outlet

GLENDALE, Calif. -(Dow Jones)- Children's Place Retail Stores Inc. (PLCE) expands its Disney North America stores into the retail-outlet market with the official opening of its first outlet store in New York this weekend.

In a press release Thursday, the children's retailer said this is its first move in real-estate strategy since the company bought the unit from Walt Disney Co. (DIS) in November.

A Children's Place spokeswoman said the real-estate strategy refers to the company's view that outlets will be particularly successful for Disney stores, partly because outlet shoppers tend to be very brand-conscious.

The new Disney store will open at Woodbury Common Premium Outlets spanning more than 7,000 square feet. The grand opening is this weekend, the company official said, but the store has been open for business since its "soft opening" on Wednesday.

Children's Place plans to open 10 new stores this year, said the spokeswoman, and six of them will be outlet stores. Aside from the New York location, the company is slated to open outlet stores in California, Arizona, Illinois, Tennessee and Ontario.

The representative said there are currently 305 Disney stores in North America, and the company expects to grow that number to about 600 in the long- term. Out of those 600, she added, about 60 will be outlet stores.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

I hope we get one in MA!!

 

[athenna]

I hope we get one in MA!!

Ditto

 

[mantaz]

One in GA would be nice!



angela

 

[MPLsDad]

Disgusting...

 

[Pea-n-Me]

Disgusting...

Care to share why??

 

[Tannerman]

Care to share why??

It further dilutes the Disney, equating it with low-cost, low-quality products that have little value.

 

[Plus4206]

RE: " equating it with low-cost, low-quality products that have little value."

I don't know about the outlet malls in your area, but the ones we visit in Lancaster Pa are all up-scale retailers selling premium products above Walmart prices. I would rather have a Disney store located between the Coleman Store & a Rockport Shoe store in an Outlet Mall then between Spencer Gifts & a Payless at my local mall.

 

[rafikimom]

Amen!!!! Plus4206

 

[tar heel]

MPLsDad and Tannerman -- I can't help but think you're thinking of the wrong kind of outlet. I live five minutes from a "mills" mall, and it is upscale. It's over a million square feet and a mix of play places (NASCAR Speedpark, Jeepers, etc.), retail stores (Bass Pro, Old Navy, Bath and Body Works, Yankee Candle, Books a Million, Hot Topic, etc.) and "outlets." A lot of the outlets are upscale stores, such as Brooks Brothers, Tommy Hilfiger, Wedgewood, Saks, Nike, Liz Clairborne, etc. The prices may be lower than department stores on the same item, but "cheap" is not how I would describe most of the stores. There is a Children's Place there. This is a destination mall -- it's North Carolina's most visited place -- and I think a Disney outlet would fit perfectly.

 

[Braque]

There is a 'trip report' thread on the Budget Board. Currently the outlet store in NY is offering similar product and prices to what you can get at any Disney Store. No spectacular markdowns and not (yet) the destination shopping experinece I was hoping for.

 

[eeyore kelly]

Children's Place outlet's have both regular priced merchandise and lower priced merchandise. Usually, the lower priced merchandise is the older merchandise from the regular stores. The walls and "feature hardware" such as tables and towers have full priced merchandise, and rounders and bins have outlet merchandise, so if you don't know where to look, the outlet store can look like nothing but full priced merchandise.

 

[JimB.]

Our local DS stocks about 90% merchandise for the 8 & under crowd. I would assume any outlet stores will be about the same mix of merchandise.

Until that (if ever) changes, I have no reason to step foot in a DS again.

I used to spend lots of $$ in them when they had a nice assortment of adult apparel & some collectibles. Haven't spent a dime in one in 5 years.

Their loss, not mine.

But if the marketing strategy works for the company, who am I to argue??

 

[tjkraz]

It further dilutes the Disney, equating it with low-cost, low-quality products that have little value.

Disney itself owns 3 outlet stores within a few minutes drive of WDW. It also seems that they've had good success with "Disney Deals" on eBay.

When you've got overstocked and seasonal merchandise that no longer has a place at the prime locations, selling at discount outlets makes a lot more fiscal sense than taking a loss and destroying the merchandise.

 

[Planogirl]

There's been a Disney outlet store for many years in a Texas town with several outlet malls. These stores run the gamut from discount stores to upscale designer stores. I see no reason to assume that this will dilute the Disney name any worse than the regular Disney stores already have.

 

[Euphscott]

I see no reason to assume that this will dilute the Disney name any worse than the regular Disney stores already have.

And there is the crux of the argument!

At one time the Disney brand stood for quality...

 

[eeyore kelly]

I was in our Local Disney store over the weekend, and they are starting to get merchandise manufactured by The Children's Place and they were raving over the quality and price of the new merchandise. The Polo's for adults were great quality.

 

[minijeanie]

had a wonderful Disney outlet about 5 minutes from my home. got my kids their halloween costumes their every year.

They were always packed..When they told me they were closing down ..I asked why?
because the retail stores were hurting with the outlet store within 10 miles of them..

from what I heard, they m oved to VA

I miss that store so much...

 

[Greg K.]

...and they're very disappointing. Mind you, this isn't an outlet store, just a regular Disney Store. But it's small, and the selection pitiful.

The ultimate Disney Store experience (outside of DL or WDW) remains the flagship store on Fifth Avenue -- one of the few places still operated by the theme parks division. It's colorufl, big, bustling, and beautifully themed, to boot.

 

[NandP]

I've been to this Outlet in Woodbury Commons... It's no big deal... it's basically another Disney Store.. loaded with girls clothes mostly... the "DEALS" are no big bargain.. T-shirts still 2-$24 for adults.... That was about the only adult item,,, I liked the old "Disney's Character Corner" that was in the same location a few years ago(3 doors down) It had theme park items and a bigger selection.. not to mention, you really got a DEAL ! Much cheaper than resort prices.... I wish that one re-opened!