The company has already opened the first four of its branded shops in the US; 25 will open in total in 2019.

Schleich has announced the expansion of its footprint across the US with a new regional brand experience launching in select flagship toy stores nationwide. The latest shop is set to open at ABC & Toy Zone in Rochester, MN, on Wednesday 1st May.

Schleich opened its first three flagship locations this season in Beverly Hills and San Mateo, CA, as well as the Boston suburb of Kingston, MA. The company plans to open as many as 25 shops in toy stores around the country by year’s end. The new Schleich flagship stores are an expansion of the company’s successful pop-up shop concept that it debuted at a local mall in its home market, Charlotte, NC, during Q4 2018.

“We are delighted with the early success of our retail initiative and look forward to expanding the Schleich flagship programme to many more stores from coast-to-coast,” said Oliver Krause-Huckleberry, head of NA marketing, Schleich USA. “Our specially-designed flagship stores provide consumers with the full Schleich toy and brand experience, from our beautiful figurines and feature-rich play sets to life-sized animal models and more.”

Each 150- to 250-sq.-ft. Schleich brand experience includes colourful branded signage and showcases the company’s individual figurines and play sets for all six of its signature play worlds – Farm Word, Wild Life, Horse Club, bayala, Dinosaurs and Eldrador Creatures. Retailers may also opt for display-sized figurine models, including a 15-foot T-Rex or life-sized Lion, Tiger or Horse, in addition to a play table for hands-on fun in-store.

Beyond branding, product, and life sized displays, flagship partners are supported with a comprehensive communication plan, including public relations, social media and marketing. Early sales results from the retail partners participating in the programme have exceeded expectations, with all reporting significant sales increases resulting directly from the new format.