As the tills started jingling for Christmas, Hamleys opened its huge new store in Westfield London and invited Toy World’s John Baulch and Sam Giltrow for an exclusive tour.

Opening in November, just in time for the peak festive trading period, Hamleys’ new store in Westfield London has already proved a great attraction at the popular shopping destination, bringing with it all the magic and theatre that Hamleys is known for.

In the run up to Christmas, the 11,000sq ft wonderland experienced brisk trading with Daniel King, Hamleys’ trading manager, UK & ROI telling Toy World how it had been primed for success, following a smaller pop-up Hamleys store which had opened in the mall the previous Christmas.

He and senior buyer Karen Dennett, who provided the tour, explained how the new store will serve as a blueprint for further rollouts at other locations around the UK, with a focus on finding other suitable shopping centre sites.

Along with Hamleys’ own-brand toys and games, the floor space is packed with many well known brands such as Lego, Barbie and Schleich, and there’s a range of customer experiences including a Nerf target practice area, Playmobil area and a fun slide for all the family, sponsored by plush toy company Ty.

Shoppers can also dine at the Hans & Gretel dessert boutique, have photos taken by various backdrops, visit the ‘beauty parlour’ and enjoy meet and greets with the iconic Hamleys Bear and other characters.

“Our USP is the overall experience coming into a Hamleys store, and we have tried to incorporate a huge amount of interaction and engagement into the new branch,” said Karen.

To read the full article about the new store, click here.