Disney Store / DisneyQuest in Times Square??

[Cobra B.]

Now that the NYC Disney Store is closing wouldn't this be a great time to develop a Disney Store in combination with a DisneyQuest kind of indoor attraction in Times Square? Blackstone has Madame Tousseau, MARS 2112 has their interactive games, theatre and restaurant experience, Toys-R-Us has a ferris wheel in their store. They have done it with ESPN Zone, why not DisneyQuest? It's time for something new and big from Disney in the heart of the busiest place in the world.

 

[Condorman]

Now that the NYC Disney Store is closing wouldn't this be a great time to develop a Disney Store in combination with a DisneyQuest kind of indoor attraction in Times Square? Blackstone has Madame Tousseau, MARS 2112 has their interactive games, theatre and restaurant experience, Toys-R-Us has a ferris wheel in their store. They have done it with ESPN Zone, why not DisneyQuest? It's time for something new and big from Disney in the heart of the busiest place in the world.

Disney tried this once in Chicago and it failed miserably. There were never enough virtual attractions to accommodate all the people who wanted to use them, and the price for a family of 5 to entertain themselves for a day was way over the top. It succeeds in WDW only because the through-traffic is constant year-round. Also, Disney doesn't have to pay the same kind of rent or taxes it would anywhere else. ESPN Zone and Toys-R-Us are simple 90-minute meals or shopping experiences that don't have cover charges the way DisneyQuest did. In this day and age, with so many people having video games on their cell phones, a virtual theme park is pointless. Disney will not make the mistake of opening another DisneyQuest as a standalone anyplace else in the country.

Disney does theme parks better than anyone else, but I say leave the video games to Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo.

 

[doconeill]

The concept could be reasonable if they ever move forward with the concept of "mini-park/resort" combos that was floated before. But it doesn't seem like that will happen any time soon.

 

[jlewisinsyr]

There is also a Dave and Busters in Times Square which helps cater to the gaming/interactive crowd. Not to the same level as Disney Quest, but it would be hard to place a item like Disney Quest in the NYC, sure there is the population, but there's not the ability to gain customers for as long as required to justify the rent/tax costs at a reasonable admission price.

 

[Cobra B.]

There is also a Dave and Busters in Times Square which helps cater to the gaming/interactive crowd. Not to the same level as Disney Quest, but it would be hard to place a item like Disney Quest in the NYC, sure there is the population, but there's not the ability to gain customers for as long as required to justify the rent/tax costs at a reasonable admission price.

Good point. That is why I referred to this as a DisneyQuest "kind" of attraction. DisneyQuest will never be what was envisioned wayback. But something bigger than a Disney Store is needed in Manhatten and especially if it ends up in Times Square. Toys R Us needed a giant ferris wheel in their store to avoid just being a toy store. Dave and Busters and MARS are multi-themed. Disney needs to be in Times Square, but Times Square needs more than a simple store. Maybe just putting in some build your own coasters or virtual rides. No additional admission just not a big house of plush.

 

[TonyB]

I remember when the announcement that they were closing the NYC store came out, there was rumor that Disney would be looking at the old Virgin Record store location in Times Square. That was a multi-level retail space with theaters underneath. I believe that Forever 21 took over the space this past spring...

Too bad the proposed Times Square DVC location never came to fruition...

 

[Cobra B.]

Disney Stores getting major overhaul
By Leah Zanolla
Oct 12, 2009

The Walt Disney Company is embarking on a major overhaul of their retail division - the Disney Stores. They are planning a complete overhaul of their 340 stores in the U.S. and Europe and even plan to open some new stores, including one in Times Square.

The stores will be given a "high-tech makeover" and will no longer only be filled with shelves of Disney merchandise. The five-year plan calls for Disney to spend around $1 million on each store to redesign and install new technology. There will be interactive theaters where kids can view film clips, sing in karaoke contests, or use satellites to speak with Disney Channel stars. The stores will have video-projected fireworks, "magic mirrors", and the ability to fill the air with a scent related to the film playing in the theater (similar to the apple pie scene in Mickey's Philharmagic.)

Just what makes Disney so sure this makeover is worth the cost? Steve Jobs, chief executive of Apple, is the inspiration behind the whole thing. Jobs joined the Disney board in 2006 and has encouraged the company to "dream bigger." Jobs has shared information with Disney about the development of the Apple stores, which have enjoyed a huge success since their opening. One of the things he insisted on was that Disney create a prototype store to work out all the bugs before implementing the changes company-wide. They did so in a secret warehouse in California, which was then used to sell the idea to the board.

Other nods to Apple include mobile checkout ("employees will carry miniature receipt printers in their aprons") and the focus on interactivity. Parents can even book Disney vacations on in-store computers.

The new Disney Stores will open in May beginning with California, New York and Spain.

News Source



This will work.

 

[bevgray]

It will work if they return to the merchandizing of the early Disney Stores - as opposed to the merchandizing of the later Disney/Children's Place stores. In the first few years, guests were able to purchase a wide variety of low end to high end collectibles, clothing for all ages, inexpensive "fun" stuff for the young ones (i.e., stocking stuffers) and the usual mix of toys. The online Disney Store now features a few items from the parks. Perhaps one of the interactive parts will be the ability to order park items at a kiosk. Also, if they could adopt some of the merchandizing from the Pal Mickey stores in Japan, that might help too.

It sounds like a good plan so I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

 

[Faldred]

Just what makes Disney so sure this makeover is worth the cost? Steve Jobs, chief executive of Apple, is the inspiration behind the whole thing. Jobs joined the Disney board in 2006 and has encouraged the company to "dream bigger." Jobs has shared information with Disney about the development of the Apple stores, which have enjoyed a huge success since their opening.

Huge success is putting it mildly. I was reading earlier this morning that the Apple stores rate as the most profitable retail stores per square foot (Tiffany's, a distant second, only gets about half the profit per square foot that Apple does). They're clearly doing something right.