/ Retailtainment king, FAO Schwarz, opened a new European location in the heart of Paris /

In Paris and around the world, the name Galeries Lafayette is synonymous with highbrow shopping. In May, the Parisian institution welcomed a new brand, one that has made experiential retailtainment into its signature shopping style: FAO Schwarz, the beloved toy store. The new store is now open on the Galeries Lafayette’s fifth floor, with a 620sqm area.

Founded by Frederick August Otto Schwarz in 1862, FAO Schwarz was from the start a place of imagination, an emporium filled with unique toys from around the world. To the peculiarity of its merchandise, over the years it added hands-on experiences like the Build-A-Bear workshop and the Grand Piano, made famous in the 1988 Tom Hanks movie “Big”, transforming the shopping experience in real entertainment. “FAO Schwarz was built on in-store experiences, which has made it a global destination over the years,” confirmed David Conn, then CEO of ThreeSixty Brands, owners of the FAO Schwarz brand, when the company reopened its New York flagship store in 2018.

That’s surely part of the reason why the brand is experiencing a resurgence in recent years. In an age of online shopping, which is highly convenient but not very personable and not at all exciting, FAO Schwarz offers something that sparks off fun and makes for great memories, which are then a huge added value to whatever one ends up buying. So, after escaping the Toys “R” Us bankruptcy in 2016, FAO Schwarz is now expanding across the globe, and after New York it has stores in London, Dublin, Beijing, Seoul, Milan (opened in 2021 via an exclusive partnership with PRG Retail Group), and now Paris (also in collaboration with PRG Retail Group).

“Our mission at FAO Schwarz is to inspire awe and wonder around every corner of the store, and we’re excited to bring that same experience to Paris,” said David Niggli, chief merchandising officer at FAO Schwarz. “Visitors can expect to find world-class specialty toys and interactive experiences along with our amazing team of demonstrators and Toy Soldiers to bring them to life in the most theatrical, magical way.”

Besides the unmissable, dance-on Grand Piano and the Clock Tower showing the time in all FAO Schwarz stores across the world, the Paris location includes 24 exclusive brands, immersed in a dreamlike atmosphere. Visitors can get personalized toys in several corners of the store: there is the already-mentioned Build-A-Bear workshop, but also the Bunnies by the Bay corner, offering plush toys with a personalized embroidery, and the Build-Your-Car Majorette area, that allows you to choose the color of the body, interior and tires to compose a unique vehicle. Those who fancy themselves stylists can visit the Barbie Styled By You area, to choose their Barbie or Ken doll and pick a whole wardrobe of clothes and accessories for them; at My FAO Doll visitors will find incredibly realistic baby dolls inside their cribs, each with a complete layette; and Marvin’s Magic is a treasure trove for magic games aficionados.

“Following the arrival of FAO Schwarz in the heart of Milan in 2021, marking the brand’s entry into continental Europe, we have long sought another location that could fully embody the brand’s DNA,” said Amedeo Giustini, Executive Vice President of PRG Retail Group. “Paris and Galeries Lafayette Haussmann perfectly represent the answer, the perfect setting to introduce the uniqueness of FAO Schwarz to the French and millions of tourists. A name that, together with the high quality and uniqueness of its products, offers its audience something that goes beyond the material and carries with it the experiential value of discovery and wonder.”

Continue reading Games & Parks Industry June 2024, page 64

Photos Courtesy: ©Igor Lubinetsky/Rezokids

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