The Entertainer is set to open a new store at Manchester’s Trafford Centre in September, marking the return of a full-range specialist toy shop to the shopping centre for the first time since 2018.
The toy retailer will take a unit on Upper Regent Crescent, and it expects the branch to compete with its Bluewater flagship for the highest sales across its estate of more than 150 stores.
The shop will stock more than 3,000 toys, games and collectibles from brands including Lego, Mattel, Hasbro and Zuru.
It will also carry trading cards and collectibles from Pokémon, One Piece, Panini and Topps, alongside products linked to Stranger Things, Five Nights at Freddy’s and KPop Demon Hunters.
The Entertainer’s own-label ranges, including Early Learning Centre, Meccano and Yummy Buddies, will also feature.
The Trafford Centre branch will be The Entertainer’s eighth opening in 12 months, following recent expansions at The Galleria in Hatfield and Frasers Plus Designer Outlet in Leeds.
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The Entertainer group chief executive Andrew Murphy said: “Announcing that, this September, we’ll be joining the brilliant line-up of top-flight retailers at Trafford Centre is the undoubted highlight of an already exciting year of store openings for us.
“The toy category is underrepresented in the centre, with customer research showing high demand for our offer.”
Trafford Centre attracts around 23 million visitors annually and said demand for space remained strong among UK and international retailers.
Pradera portfolio leasing director Kate Pearson said: “The Entertainer is a strong addition to Trafford Centre, bringing one of the UK’s best-known specialist toy brands to our visitors and further enhancing the choice available to families.
“Its arrival adds another standout name to our broad and diverse retail mix and reflects our strategy of securing brands that give customers more reasons to visit.”
Murphy said the retailer had waited almost a decade for a suitable unit to become available, and with over 3,000 different toys, games and collectibles, they will bring an entirely new level of choice and quality to this iconic shopping location.
