Build-A-Bear Workshop, the interactive entertainment retailer of customized stuffed animals, announced today that it plans to continue expanding its new award-winning store design in 2013.
The newly designed stores received rave reviews when they were introduced in six locations in the U.S. in the fall of 2012. Overall sales in these locations have exceeded expectations. Given the strong results, Build-A-Bear Workshop plans to open 20-25 stores in the new design throughout North America in 2013.
“At Build-A-Bear Workshop, we are continually innovating to provide breakthrough experiences and products for our tech-savvy Guests,” said Maxine Clark, founder and chief executive bear of Build-A-Bear Workshop. “We are thrilled to bring our newly imagined store to more of our Guests throughout North America.”
The first three stores to open in 2013 are:
- Mall of Georgia in metro Atlanta, Ga. on Friday, April 26
- Orland Square in metro Chicago, Ill. on Friday, May 3
- Northshore Mall in Peabody, Mass. on Friday, May 10
A number of the stores opening this year are located in Simon Property Group malls, including the Mall of Georgia, Orland Square and Northshore Mall . “Simon Property Group and Build-A-Bear Workshop have had a wonderful relationship for many years,” said Barney Quinn, executive vice president, Simon Property Group. “We are excited for Build-A-Bear Workshop to bring its newly designed store concept to a number of our malls. As the leader in the interactive retail space, Build-A-Bear Workshop is providing a special destination for Simon Property Group malls that we know families will enjoy for years to come.”
The new stores heighten the traditional bear-making experience with a bold new design that incorporates modern technology. Guests who visit the new store will see a noticeable change to the company’s trademarked stuffed animal-making experience including:
- An interactive storefront that is enabled by Microsoft’s Kinect technology and interactive touch elements. Guests can play games and view the latest product offerings as they enter the store.
- The Love Me station allows Guests to customize their furry friends with special personality attributes displayed as emoticons on an interactive table. Using Samsung’s SUR40 with Microsoft® PixelSense™ technology, Guests add unique traits - like brave, silly, and smart - to their red satin heart, which is added to their stuffed animal during the Stuff Me process.
- The Hear Me station features an assortment of high quality sounds that can be added to stuffed animals. Using an interactive touch screen, Guests can select and load popular hits from current music, sounds, or their own voice onto a chip to further personalize their stuffed animal.
- The Fluff Me station features a digital bath tub enabled by Samsung’s SUR40 with Microsoft® PixelSense™ technology. The tub magically recognizes the items as they are placed on it and reacts with sensory effects such as virtual bubbles that appear when play soap is placed on the “water surface.”
- The Name Me station, where Guests use a viewfinder or “bear-o-scope” to reveal the special attributes they added to their stuffed animal. At Name Me, Guests also create a one-of-a-kind birth certificate that includes a photo of their new furry friend.
These interactive elements allow Guests to personalize the bear-making process and have a different experience each time they visit. The stores include a number of technology platforms that enable Build-A-Bear Workshop to continue to update the store experience. Similar to how one might download a new app to a mobile device, the company is able to update the stations inside the store with interactive experiences that are relevant to certain product launches and seasons.
