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The Toy Store, the most successful toy retailer in the Middle East, opened its doors to UK shoppers for the very first time last
The Toy Store, the most successful toy retailer in the Middle East, opened its doors to UK shoppers for the very first time last week at the launch of its flagship UK store on London’s Oxford Street. This foray into the UK market will be seen as a turning point in how the brand is perceived on a global scale.
The store is the largest toy store to open in London for 250 years and has created over 120 jobs. Created by CEO Peter Bracken in 2004, The Toy Store concept is to create an environment dedicated to traditional toy retailing which is innovative, fun and an exciting shopping experience for everyone.
The store on Oxford Street, London, is very exciting” says Bracken. “We have a fantastic team on the ground and I am really excited about what we can achieve in this world-class location. We have a great deal of respect for the UK market, especially the existing players, so realise that we have a big task ahead of us to add value to a mature market.
The Toy Store’s expansion to the UK was supported by UK Trade & Investment, the British government department that helps UK-based companies succeed globally and assists overseas companies to bring investment to the UK. Speaking ahead of The Toy Store’s UK launch, the British Ambassador to the UAE, Philip Parham said:
The UK’s retail sector offers significant investment opportunities to retailers in the Gulf, and is supported by one of the most ambitious packages of policies, business incentives, tax credits and visa support in the world. I look forward to seeing The Toy Store both succeed in the UK market and use the UK as a base for further international expansion.
The Toy Store is owned by RM Group based in Dubai. Its first retail outlets opened in November 2004 in Muscat, and today the company operates 12 stores in the GCC. It also has one store in Azerbaijan, operated by a franchise partner. In addition, there is the online store,thetoystore.com, an e-commerce platform serving the Middle East market, something that the company intends to drive out across all markets in time.
The Toy Store is planning further expansion in key international locations over the next three years.
The Oxford Street store is now officially open! It is located in the West One Centre on London’s Oxford Street. Nearest tube: Bond Street.