The Hamleys store in the Pama shopping Village in Mosta will be the 64th toy shop to open under the Hamleys banner in 22 countries.
Julian Sammut Director of Leisure Stores Ltd. explained that despite his company already operating toy shops under the Juniors Fun and Learn Centre name, Hamleys would add value to the market in terms of quality of product, ambience and shopping experience.
"We are all very excited having approached Hamleys for the first time a number of years ago. There were a number of interested companies who approached this icon of the toy retail world and we are proud that we have met with all their demands and exacting standards," Sammut said.
Managing Director Louise Vella added, "Visiting Hamleys is every child's dream and we have now made this possible to so many more people. Running a Hamleys franchise store is also the dream of most toy retailers."
Hamleys has a rich history which began with its first store in Holborn in the City of London back in 1760, 255 years ago. Since then it has retained its reputation as the finest toyshop in the world. This is mainly due to the fact that Hamleys offers a unique retail experience includes opportunities for children to play, engaging store design, expertise in service and amazing toy demonstration. The Hamleys range of own brand products will be exclusive/new in Malta and we expect it to sell very well - it is a significant % of our stores sales globally. However we are also expecting LEGO to perform well as well as the Nerf collection from Hasbro.
Stephania Buhagiar brand manager responsible for marketing at Leisure Stores spent one full week of training, brand immersion, along with a number of Maltese colleagues at Hamleys outlet in Lakeside, London. Stephania then went on for an intense marketing course in Glasgow. "This was a unique experience, beyond my greatest expectations. Training continued in Malta were a group of young Maltese were trained as demonstrators and animators by Hamleys trainers who flew out from the U.K. for ten days. I am so looking forward to seeing them in action, I'm sure that our customers will love them," explains Stephania enthusiastically.
The Hamleys range of own brand products will be new in the Maltese market and exclusive to the Hamleys outlet. These products which include choice selections of pre-school, infant and educational toys have been accepted in all their foreign markets and make up around one third of the company's total sales. Of course top selling international brands like LEGO and others will also be available from the shop.