The store is intended to celebrate the sixtieth anniversary of the doll which originally launched in 1959 and has been a firm favourite with children ever since. It has not been officially revealed exactly when the shop will open, although the store's publicity makes heavy reference to October 11, International Day of the Girl. Indeed, a lot of little girls' dreams will come true when the store opens its doors. The Barbie line is one of the most popular and wide-ranging toy franchises in the world, including a vast array of different dolls and accessories, from outfits to houses. Any young Barbie fan will be spoilt for choice, and with the Christmas shopping season approaching many parents will be looking toward the store in the hopes of bagging a treat. As well as toys, the shop promises to offer free activities, meaning that even families who cannot afford the latest Barbie figure might find something to enjoy when they visit.
The Barbie shop will be replacing the Fat Face on South John Street. It will not be a permanent fixture of Liverpool, and will instead be a pop-up shop designed to run for six weeks before closing. Will there be similar shops elsewhere in the country? This remains to be seen, but it is worth noting that October will see the launch of a temporary pop-up store in London devoted to Pokemon, another popular toy franchise. Toy brands like Barbie and Pokemon are beloved by children and also prompt nostalgic memories for many adults; a shop dedicated to selling a particular toy, even one designed to operate for only a few weeks, is guaranteed to work as an eye-catcher for the public. Perhaps we will soon see a time when many other toy brands, from Transformers to My Little Pony, will be seeing their own shops popping up in cities around the country. It seems safe to say that, if these ever become a significant trend, they will appear in clusters around the start of the Christmas shopping season.
News in the same category
Fashion retailer H&M is due to open a large store at the end of the year in Eastleigh, Hampshire, with work expected to start during this summer.
Store closures continue to be one of the predominant themes in the UK high street, after it was revealed that 1 out of every 12 shops may have to shut down within the next 5 years.
Fashion and homeware Matalan diversifies its offer by launching a new online store: Matalan Direct, which focuses on home furniture only.
At first read, the headline seems to bode more gloom and doom for the UK retail sector, but all is not as it seems. M&S are in the midst of a major restructuring programme, which has already seen the closure of 35 stores in 2018.
