Disney Store Permanently Closed 2020

[ArielRae]

A store close to me in Cherry Hill Mall, NJ is set to close on or before June 16.

This is my closest store as well and this was a surprise as it wasn’t listed as one of the stores supposed to be closing. Overheard the CMs in the store talking and they found out the same day we did. They received personal emails that day telling them their store was closing. Wonder why the last minute closure. This is such a high traffic store in a very popular mall in NJ and close to Philly. Now I have the Jackson Premium Outlets and the Deptford Mall my last two store locations. Both are about an hour away from me.

 

[cmash95]

i would expect the disney store brand to be shuttered totally in the next few years as Chapek moves to shop disney online. they are closing stores as contracts come up for renewal thus they are saving all this money from not having to pay rent or salaries and still selling merchandise

 

[AurumPunzel]

i would expect the disney store brand to be shuttered totally in the next few years as Chapek moves to shop disney online. they are closing stores as contracts come up for renewal thus they are saving all this money from not having to pay rent or salaries and still selling merchandise

I disagree. The thing is, Disney Stores have the potential to be adjusted to become a more experience-centric store, and retail isn't just moving online. It is also moving to become more experiential, and with the rationalisation of malls, it still makes sense to continue to have Disney Stores in only the best-performing malls where footfall is guaranteed, as well as doubling as regional fulfilment hubs. The problem with all the closures is that it shifts all traffic to just one central location, and as services like Instacart and Amazon Prime continue to soar in popularity, having only one fulfilment facility for an entire country (or even continent) will cause problems when it comes to demand and shipping times, and that can massively backfire on Disney. With closures even affecting the profitable locations, Disney are shooting themselves in the foot and alienating customers with a subpar online experience, which does not compare to an actual Disney Store. Not to mention that the closures strategy has even riled up unions representing the CMs in Italy, who are planning to take industrial action against the store closures.

 

[strmtroopr96]

The only Disney store within an hour of me just got axed .

That’s our store too. I'm so sad!

We are about an hour or so to either Syracuse or Albany. Hoping to get to one of the Disney Stores on Sunday.

 

[AurumPunzel]

Looks like the fightback against the closures have begun in Italy.

(In Italian) https://www.stylo24.it/dipendenti-disney-store-in-presidio-con-i-figli-a-napoli-contro-la-chiusura/

According to one of the union representatives mentioned in the article, the decision to close down the Disney Stores in Italy is a stab in the back for CMs, and that the price of the pandemic must not be paid by them, particularly as so many of them are women who have bills to pay, and children to feed. They also mentioned how in prosperous times, Disney, like all other multinationals who operate in Italy, have invested in jobs, even with the help of the Italian government, and with this decision, they're turning their backs on the workers and feel that Disney's strategy goes against efforts to get the economy moving again amidst the pandemic.

This definitely confirms my concerns about Disney's strategy regarding retail and how it's going to be detrimental to local economies and jobs. If the strikes in Italy go further, then I'd expect similar protests elsewhere, even if the other countries don't have unionised CMs, seeing as not every country with a Disney Store allows CMs to unionise like Italy can. As much as online shopping may seem good from a bottom line point of view, the closures do represent a kick in the teeth for malls and cities on both sides of the Atlantic, and of course the hardworking loyal CMs.

 

[teachmedis]

Destiny USA mall in Syracuse, NY.

This one breaks my heart. Also, the one in the Crossgates Mall in Albany is going down as well. My kids are crushed.

 

[strmtroopr96]

This one breaks my heart. Also, the one in the Crossgates Mall in Albany is going down as well. My kids are crushed.

Same! We took one last trip to the Destiny store last weekend. I don't know if we'll make it to the Albany one in time though.

 

[AurumPunzel]

So now the UK has lost three Disney Stores:

- Bromley (opened April 1992, on the same day as Disneyland Paris. Refurbished circa 2011)
- London Westfield Stratford City (opened 2011)
- Southampton (opened 1995, refurbished sometime in the 2000s into a 'hybrid' store)

The loss of Southampton has for me been the most painful of all, because it's been my most local one for 26 years, and was one of the last remaining examples of the original tranche of Disney Stores in the UK, and I've made friends with many of the CMs in there. Originally built as a Pink and Green with the open till area (as opposed to the earlier 'box office' till booth), the Southampton store was later refurbished in the 2000s to become a 'hybrid', which resulted in the loss of many classic features such as the carpet, colour scheme (changed to yellow and black), winged logo above the entrance, Plush Mountain, till mural and animatronics, but retained the characters above the shelving. The loss has now resulted in the entire South Coast of England being without a Disney Store, with the next nearest being the remaining two Disney Stores in London, including the guaranteed-to-survive Oxford Street.

 

[JKCDA]

Disney stores in the entirety of Canada have closed. Which is a summer bummer because the cost of getting things from the online store shipped here is bananas.

 

[BuddyBoy600alt]

Disney stores in the entirety of Canada have closed. Which is a summer bummer because the cost of getting things from the online store shipped here is bananas.

They didn't say anything. Besides. The only locations were Rocky View Alberta and Mississiauga Ontario.

 

[JKCDA]

That’s wildly inaccurate. I can think of 5 stores within 20m of me in Toronto.

 

[jiminy14]

This is my closest store as well and this was a surprise as it wasn’t listed as one of the stores supposed to be closing. Overheard the CMs in the store talking and they found out the same day we did. They received personal emails that day telling them their store was closing. Wonder why the last minute closure. This is such a high traffic store in a very popular mall in NJ and close to Philly. Now I have the Jackson Premium Outlets and the Deptford Mall my last two store locations. Both are about an hour away from me.

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I visited this store last week for a final good bye. I spoke with one of the managers who told me that they were just as surprised about the closure. She told me that they were the number 5 store company wide so apparently it wasn't based on sales. She also said that their lease was up at the end of the month so that could have played a part.

 

[disfan458]

I live near New Orleans and now I either have to go to Destin or Houston if I want to go to the nearest Disney Store.

 

[BuddyBoy600alt]

I live near New Orleans and now I either have to go to Destin or Houston if I want to go to the nearest Disney Store.

Update: British Columbia, Colorado, Delaware, and Hawaii will lose their Disney Store. Also, The first Disney Store location ever will be closed for good.

 

[BuddyBoy600alt]

That’s wildly inaccurate. I can think of 5 stores within 20m of me in Toronto.

Update: All the British Columbia locations are closing on or before July 14. Let’s hope we don’t lose Alberta, Manitoba, or Ontario.

 

[disneymom0104]

We had 2 stores in Colorado. One closed with the first announcements this year and I just got an email that our 2nd store, the one closest to us, is closing on or before July 14. This makes me sooo sad!

 

[BuddyBoy600alt]

We had 2 stores in Colorado. One closed with the first announcements this year and I just got an email that our 2nd store, the one closest to us, is closing on or before July 14. This makes me sooo sad!

Originally, Disney announced at least 60 stores. After July 14, It will be only 89 stores left in North America.

 

[Lewisc]

Disney is closing stores in malls which are doing well. Looks like they're closing stores as the leases are coming up. I wonder if they'll keep NYC.

 

[AurumPunzel]

Disney is closing stores in malls which are doing well. Looks like they're closing stores as the leases are coming up. I wonder if they'll keep NYC.

I wonder how long it'll be before every comment on their social media gets angry-react bombed with complaints about the closures? That's already happened on the Continental European regional pages, where almost every posting has a lot of angry reacts and comments about the closures.

 

[wildling99]

The most recent announcement of closures are all in malls owned by Brookfield.

I have a Google sheet with all of the North American closures thus far (I just like obsessively looking at patterns and data). I do know that some of the Toronto-area stores had prolonged closures due to the shutdowns in the province, but all are currently operating. Polo Park in Winnipeg confirmed that Disney was leaving, even though the company didn't announce it.