Disney buying back Disney store?

**Disney05** · 03-21-2008, 08:22 AM

I read this on another forum by a CM who works in a Disney Store. They say Disney is in talks with The Childrens Place about buying back the chain. Here is a copy of the emails:

Today, The Children's Place (TCP) announced it is in advanced talks with The Walt Disney Company for Disney to regain ownership of two-thirds of Disney Stores in North America. Disney confirmed it was talking to TCP about potentially buying back a portion of the chain.

From an email our store received today ...

In an effort to return TCP to its historic levels of productivity, our management team and advisors evaluated various strategies. Unfortunately, as we looked at the potential for this business compared to our initial plans, we realized it would take many more years to achieve the results we expected at the time the acquisition was made. We simply do not the luxury of time. As a result, we concluded the Company should exit the Disney Store Business.

We are actively pursuing alternatives for immediately exiting the business, and we expect to make an announcement very shortly.

**iwannabeminnie** · 03-21-2008, 09:45 AM

All I can say is "thank God!"

**HauntedGabe** · 03-21-2008, 10:12 AM

Originally Posted by iwannabeminnie

All I can say is "thank God!"

Well stated!

**Cinderella2** · 03-21-2008, 10:23 AM

Seriously. Please bring back the watches and the art and the jewelry and the adult clothes!

**disneydame2004** · 03-21-2008, 10:41 AM

This version of the news was in the DisNewsPlus digest:

"Disney will be retaking over ownership of the Disney Stores.
Children's Place stores has been running the stores since 2004. There
have been many attempts to help children's place present the Disney
brand in a way that was agreeable to both companies. Two thirds of
the remaining Disney Stores (335 stores) will be taken over by Disney
with the remaining 115 stores closing. "

Personally, I thought the stores were getting better, though still not back up to the level they were at when they first opened. We had watches and adult clothing, but not adult jewelry. The watches are behind the counter and you have to ask to see them, and the adult clothes are expensive!

Not liking the 115 stores closing part at all! I am fortunate enough to have several close by enough to get to, but I'd be disappointed if my closest one closes! On the plus side, they just opened a Disney Outlet at the Tanger Outlets right near my mother's house (plus announced a second one that will be opening even closer to me in the fall) and all that merchandise from closing stores will probably be heading to the outlets.

**HauntedGabe** · 03-21-2008, 10:46 AM

And where do you find the Outlet list?

**M0Diz** · 03-21-2008, 11:01 AM

Originally Posted by Cinderella2

Seriously. Please bring back the watches and the art and the jewelry and the adult clothes!

I agree! I always walk past a Disney store in the UK and think "yay Disney! but I can't buy anything to wear in there " =(

**disneydame2004** · 03-21-2008, 11:50 AM

Originally Posted by HauntedGabe

And where do you find the Outlet list?

On the DisneyShopping.com site, go to "Disney Store" and a the bottom of the page, very small on the left under the "enter your email" box there is a store locator link. They don't list them as "Outlet" stores, probably because more than half the store was regular price stuff anyway, but the ones located in outlet centers are the 'outlet' stores.

**mritty** · 03-21-2008, 01:16 PM

hmm. I didn't catch that 115 closing bit either. I'm gonna have to make a trip to my local DS this weekend and ask if anyone there knows what their fate is....

**Disney05** · 03-21-2008, 01:45 PM

I was happy when Tanger in Riverhead finally got the Disney Store. I miss all the Disney characters all set up around the retail stores. It was like you were at WDW, kinda.

**Thumper10** · 03-21-2008, 02:10 PM

great news!!! I just really hope the one closest to me isn't closing, the only other one I know of in my area is in Chicago and we only end up there once every few months.

**smith913** · 03-21-2008, 03:06 PM

They just closed our last Disney Store here! We'll probably have to drive to Atlanta, as always!

**GalPal** · 03-21-2008, 06:33 PM

I am soooo happy to hear this news. Now, if they would just send the current SM back to that rock she crawled out from under, all of us "Disneyphiles" would be happy to go back to TDS and work for peanuts. It used to be my "happy place" away from THE "happy place"...if ya know what I mean.