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Build-A-Bear to Shutter Friends 2B Made Concept
September 17, 2008
St. Louis-based Build-A-Bear Workshop Inc. announced plans to close its Friends 2B Made concept, a line of make-your-own dolls and related products. The company expects to complete the nine location closures by the end of the third quarter of fiscal 2009, however the specific timing of the closures is dependent on finalizing third-party agreements, and is subject to change. Of the nine Friends 2B Made locations, all but one of the stores is inside or adjacent to a Build-A-Bear Workshop. The company plans to convert several of these locations to expanded Build-A-Bear Workshop locations in 2009. In addition to closing the nine Friends 2B Made doll locations, the company will remove Friends 2B Made products from separate display fixtures in approximately 50 Build-A-Bear Workshop stores and will discontinue product sales at Friends2bmade.com. "To take this concept to the next level would require additional investment and the development of an online presence--which today is required to be a viable children's-entertainment brand," said Maxine Clark, chairman and CEO of the company. "With the slowdown in consumer spending, particularly for discretionary products, we believe the best strategic course for the company is to continue to focus our primary efforts on building our Build-A-Bear Workshop."
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DDI visited the new JCPenney department store at Manhattan Mall in New York and spoke with store manager Joe Cardamone. Below is video of that conversation paired with a walk-through tour of the new store. For more on the JCPenney store, look out for DDI's November/December issue mailing out at the end of November.
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