On the occasion of the Nuremberg International Toy Fair, the traditional toy brand FAO Schwarz unveiled plans for a permanent area of over 1.850 square meters in the London iconic department store Selfridges, and thus one of the most famous retail properties in the world. The planned opening date is currently set for autumn 2019.
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Following FAO Schwarz's successful return to retail in New York City last year, the brand announces the opening of its first European flagship store, which will be located in the iconic Selfridges headquarters on Oxford Street in London. The FAO Schwarz store at Selfridges will be over 1.850 square meters and feature the full FAO Schwarz store.Kosmos of toys and unique experiences.
The store in Selfridges, which is due to open on November 1, 2019, will be inspired by the New York flagship store in Rockefeller Center with its unique form of staging and experience-oriented retail.
“We are very much looking forward to bringing FAO Schwarz to London together with Selfridges. Similar to FAO, Selfridges is a legendary retail brand that offers its customers sophisticated staging and creative experiences. Therefore it is a perfect partnership for us. FAO Schwarz aims to redefine the deep nostalgic longing for play that is brought to life with toys and to make it tangible for children and adults alike. We will be opening our first flagship store in China, Beijing, this spring and then in Europe, London, at Selfridges in November and look forward to bringing our unique shopping experience to new markets and new consumers.”
Jan-Eric Kloth, COO of the ThreeSixty Group, the owner of FAO Schwarz.
FAO Schwarz is one of the oldest, most famous and legendary toy brands in the world. Frederick August Otto Schwarz, who emigrated from Germany, founded FAO Schwarz in 1862 and opened a wonderful, extensive department store full of extraordinary, unique toys from all over the world.
Unique toys and interactive experiences will further cement FAO Schwarz' reputation as a place of imagination and discovery, while preserving the brand's core elements, such as the iconic clock tower, the oversized floor piano and the spaceship, the company's latest landmark.
The new store in Selfridges will offer experiences similar to the one in New York: opportunities to try things out on site that create the atmosphere for which FAO is known.
“FAO Schwarz is the world's most imaginative and inspiring toy store and the perfect partner for Selfridges' revamped toy department. We like to think of Selfridges as a retail playground. The unparalleled quality of offering and experience that FAO Schwarz will bring to us on Oxford Street will deliver on that feeling better than anything before."
Eleanor Robinson, Head of Accessories, Children's Clothing and Toys at Selfridges.
One of the new attractions, first introduced at the FAO Schwarz flagship store in New York, is the "FAO Raceway": a race track where visitors work with trained "mechanics" to assemble radio-controlled cars, changing the body shape, color, wheels and design can adjust themselves.
FAO Schwarz offers its own house brand toys as well as products from other toy brands. The ThreeSixty Group and Selfridges are working on this together with other traditional brands and will announce more details of these partnerships in the next few months.
Further information is also available at www.faoschwarz.com.
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