Disney Store Permanently Closed 2020

[BuddyBoy600alt]

Looks like New Mexico, Louisiana, and Minnesota will be losing their Disney Stores on or before May 19.

 

[merdie]

Looks like New Mexico, Louisiana, and Minnesota will be losing their Disney Stores on or before May 19.

Raleigh, NC location put out a sign yesterday that they will be closing by 5/19 as well. I’ve been going to this one since I was a child and have loved taking my own kids there for years.

 

[BuddyBoy600alt]

Yup. Dallas TX, NM, MN, LA, and Raiegh NC are closing.

 

[AurumPunzel]

View attachment 570219
Yup. Dallas TX, NM, MN, LA, and Raiegh NC are closing.

How could they close the MoA location when it's one of the biggest malls in the US? This is an outrage. Now much of the Midwest save for Illinois is going to be devoid of a Disney Store.

 

[Kestryl]

How could they close the MoA location when it's one of the biggest malls in the US? This is an outrage. Now much of the Midwest save for Illinois is going to be devoid of a Disney Store.

There is an outlet near Cincinnati. That’s the one I’m holding onto right now, as I’m occasionally in the area. I hope it survives.

 

[AurumPunzel]

There is an outlet near Cincinnati. That’s the one I’m holding onto right now, as I’m occasionally in the area. I hope it survives.

MoA was a popular location, especially due to the theme park that's inside the mall. This is a rather poor decision, and given that most of the store closures represent market exits, this is really going to hurt their online strategy even more as they won't have Disney Stores in those markets that could act as mini-fulfilment hubs, or even facilitate a quasi-Prime service. Now all of that has to be done at their central hub, and given how Josh has been pontificating on the shift to online retail, he seriously needs to start thinking about reversing these closures and building regional hubs, because I'm now getting the impression that he's nothing more than an El Chapeko shill.

 

[BuddyBoy600alt]

How could they close the MoA location when it's one of the biggest malls in the US? This is an outrage. Now much of the Midwest save for Illinois is going to be devoid of a Disney Store.

Same with Auburn Michigan. And there are locations in Ontario (The Mississauga location closed on March 23).

 

[BuddyBoy600alt]

There is an outlet near Cincinnati. That’s the one I’m holding onto right now, as I’m occasionally in the area. I hope it survives.

Same with the surviving Ontario locations (We did lose the Mississauga location, though).

 

[AurumPunzel]

Now they've just thrown the Canadians under a bus. What's the bet they'll do the same to all of Europe? https://retail-insider.com/retail-i...in-canada-amid-retail-strategy-shift-sources/

 

[BuddyBoy600alt]

I am not 100% sure if Canada will be closing, Nor Europe.

 

[BuddyBoy600alt]

Here is the details from Diskingdom.

 

[AurumPunzel]

I am not 100% sure if Canada will be closing, Nor Europe.

View attachment 570775 Here is the details from Diskingdom.

Given that the source is an industry insider, it seems to be a dead cert. As for Europe, there's still yet to be news, but I wouldn't be surprised if they're next for the cull.

 

[Narcoossee11]

It is my understanding, that ALL stores are closing. It has nothing to do with how profitable the store was/is. Disney is getting out of the brick and mortur business locations. Don't take it personally. . Once the stores lease can be broken/canceled, it will close. Their have been alot of comments of guest going to stores - lots of memories- very few purchases. All Canadian stores are closing also , not just USA.

 

[Obi-J Kenobi]

How could they close the MoA location when it's one of the biggest malls in the US? This is an outrage. Now much of the Midwest save for Illinois is going to be devoid of a Disney Store.

The MoA is not a great location for families to visit a Disney Store like it once was several decades ago. I live near the MoA and I stopped going years ago. After personally seeing a bloody teenage brawl and reading the news story of a young child that was thrown off a balcony by a patron, I've decided it is not worth the safety risk to go.

Plus, you need to understand that Minneapolis - St. Paul is a total disaster. I'm not surprised that businesses are moving out of Minneapolis - St. Paul and the greater metro area. I moved away from the Twin Cities. It saddens me to say that it has been run into the ground, but frankly, the leadership there has failed. Big time. The same-like minded folks have been running the Twin Cities for 20-30 years and it is a hot mess. Again, very sad.

 

[AurumPunzel]

It is my understanding, that ALL stores are closing. It has nothing to do with how profitable the store was/is. Disney is getting out of the brick and mortur business locations. Don't take it personally. . Once the stores lease can be broken/canceled, it will close. Their have been alot of comments of guest going to stores - lots of memories- very few purchases. All Canadian stores are closing also , not just USA.

The only exceptions are, as I understand, going to be some of the outlets, and the flagship locations where it's more preferable for Disney to have a standalone presence than as an overglorified section shoehorned into a Target (eg. Times Square, NYC), or another third-party store chain.

The MoA is not a great location for families to visit a Disney Store like it once was several decades ago. I live near the MoA and I stopped going years ago. After personally seeing a bloody teenage brawl and reading the news story of a young child that was thrown off a balcony by a patron, I've decided it is not worth the safety risk to go.

Plus, you need to understand that Minneapolis - St. Paul is a total disaster. I'm not surprised that businesses are moving out of Minneapolis - St. Paul and the greater metro area. I moved away from the Twin Cities. It saddens me to say that it has been run into the ground, but frankly, the leadership there has failed. Big time. The same-like minded folks have been running the Twin Cities for 20-30 years and it is a hot mess. Again, very sad.

I know. It's sad that they've gone downhill, and it's not just affected Disney. American Girl shuttered their store there as well, and only time can tell if the indoor theme park remains.

 

[BuddyBoy600alt]

The only exceptions are, as I understand, going to be some of the outlets, and the flagship locations where it's more preferable for Disney to have a standalone presence than as an overglorified section shoehorned into a Target (eg. Times Square, NYC), or another third-party store chain.

I know. It's sad that they've gone downhill, and it's not just affected Disney. American Girl shuttered their store there as well, and only time can tell if the indoor theme park remains.

And as of right now, I did not hear further details that Canadian stores will be closing.

 

[AurumPunzel]

And as of right now, I did not hear further details that Canadian stores will be closing.

I'm sure there'll be more later on. But I feel that it's the sad, inevitable end of 34 years of the Disney Store as we know it.

 

[BuddyBoy600alt]

I'm sure there'll be more later on. But I feel that it's the sad, inevitable end of 34 years of the Disney Store as we know it.

I know it was the end of Radio Disney. The station ended after almost 24 years. The station ended on April 14, 2021.

 

[AurumPunzel]

I know it was the end of Radio Disney. The station ended after almost 24 years. The station ended on April 14, 2021.

However, and although this may seem against the odds, I feel that there's going to be so much regret for shifting to a predominantly-online and third-party concessions operation later on down the line, because there'll be people yearning for the golden days of mallgoing to come back, particularly since the 'retail hikikomori' is going to have social and economic implications that can end up doing more harm than good. Not to mention that Disney have made mistakes with the Disney Stores before.

When Disney decided to shift to a licensed model 17 years ago, they thought that selling the stores to a childrenswear retailer would rejuvenate the Disney Store brand. Although it did in some ways, it led to the Disney Stores becoming more like overglorified toy stores and losing a lot of what made them great in the first place. Then it sunk TCP to the point that, when Bob Iger took over from Michael Eisner, he wanted the stores back, and TCP placed Hoop into Chapter 11 before selling the stores back to Disney.

But despite the huge push for Imagination Park stores, Disney still massively underinvested in their estate, and despite their praise for free entertainment and other aspects, they've been too slow to adapt, and even with the recent P30 format, they never rolled it out across their estate, despite it being perfect for an online-driven world where the likes of Amazon dominate, even though they could have combined it with the charm of the Imagination Park stores (or even did an Imagination 2.0) as there's been criticism about P30 being too similar to an Apple Store and looking too clinical for a Disney Store. Again, I feel Disney could have handled this better.

 

[BuddyBoy600alt]

They could. I know sometimes they could even return to malls like they have in the past. Let’s hope and get this over with.