French-owned, British-based toy giant Hamley’s has opened its largest store yet – in the heart of Moscow.
The store is located in a former Soviet era department store which has undergone a seven year renovation. It has a massive 6750 sqm floor area and interior highlights include a rocket made from some 2 million Lego bricks.
But it is not quite the world’s largest toy store – that honour still rests with Toys R Us in New York’s Times Square.
Hamley’s has an eCommerce presence and about four stores in Russia and expects the new superstore will boost brand awareness as well as become a major city attraction for both locals and foreign tourists.
“We want to open much more in Russia,” CEO Gudjon Reynisson told Reuters in an interview at this week’s opening ceremony.
“We consider it a fantastic market for children’s toys retail sales, a growing market.”
The new store design was completed by Fitch and is based around nine ‘worlds of play’: Enchanted Forest, Imagination, Lego World, Magic Kingdom, Metropolis, Motor City, Park, Safari and Space.
