The Entertainer (Amersham) Limited is a British toy retailer, founded in 1981 by Catherine and Gary Grant. It is based in Amersham, the town of its first location.
As of February 2024, the retailer has 160 stores across the United Kingdom, as well as locations in Jersey and the Isle of Man.[3] The retailer also has an online business.[4]
History
In 1981, married couple Catherine and Gary Grant took over The Pram and Toy Bar in Amersham, with Catherine coming up with The Entertainer as its new trading name.[5]
In 1985, they purchased their second shop, located in Beaconsfield.[6] In April 1991, ten years after the acquisition of the toy shop in Amersham, the chain opened its third shop in Slough. The company then underwent massive expansion and, by 2001, the chain had opened its 25th shop, located in the Victoria Centre in Nottingham.[7]
In September 2018, a partnership began with Matalan, opening 59 in-store concessions under the name 'Totally Toys'.[8]
In December 2018, The Entertainer announced it had rescued Poly Toys in Spain from administration, with 57 stores and 350 jobs saved.[9]
In February 2019, The Entertainer purchased Early Learning Centre from Mothercare, which included 520 international franchise outlets.[10]
In March 2020, the retailer closed all 172 of its stores temporarily, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[11]
In May 2021, The Entertainer converted one of its Poly Toys stores in Spain to The Entertainer fascia.[12]
In October 2020, The Entertainer started a trial programme with Asda, replacing the supermarket's existing toy aisles with branded concessions in selected stores.[13] The programme ended in February 2022.[14]
In September 2022, The Entertainer signed a new trial agreement with Tesco, placing in-store concessions in 35 supermarkets.[15] In January 2024, Tesco announced they would extend this agreement to 850 stores throughout the UK and Ireland.[16]
In March 2024, it was announced that Poly Toys would begin liquidation procedure.[17]
Religious views
Catherine and Gary are both devout Christians, and as such the retailer does not open on a Sunday; which is considered the Lord's Day in Christianity.[18] The retailer also does not stock toys that resemble realistic firearms, or toys associated with the occult or witchcraft, such as Harry Potter and Halloween.[19]
References
^"THE ENTERTAINER (AMERSHAM) LIMITED overview". Companies House. 24 September 1986. Retrieved 25 January 2024.
^"About The Entertainer". The Entertainer. Retrieved 10 October 2017.
^Anderson, Suze (16 February 2024). "The Entertainer: An Introduction". eXPD8. Retrieved 16 May 2024.
^"Ecommerce at The Entertainer". Retail Week. Retrieved 16 May 2024.
^"Toy shop chain celebrates 20 years". Bucks Free Press. 19 July 2001. Retrieved 16 May 2024.
^"'Loved' town toy store bids farewell after three decades". Bucks Free Press. 23 September 2022. Retrieved 16 May 2024.
^"How one O-level led to a multi-million pound toy empire". BBC News. 2 November 2015. Retrieved 16 May 2024.
^"The Entertainer boasts 38% rise in profits - Retail Gazette". 4 October 2018. Retrieved 16 May 2024.
^ricky (17 December 2018). "The Entertainer announces acquisition of Spanish toy retailer Poly". Toy World Magazine | The business magazine with a passion for toys. Retrieved 20 August 2024.
^"The Entertainer Selects Mapp to Drive Insight-Led Customer Engagement". Martech Series. 25 May 2020. Retrieved 22 June 2020.
^"The Entertainer to close 172 stores nationwide". News and Star. 23 March 2020. Retrieved 16 May 2024.
^Jahshan, Elias (12 May 2021). "The Entertainer launches first store In Spain - Retail Gazette". Retrieved 20 August 2024.
^Quinn2020-10-14T10:10:00+01:00, Ian. "Asda launches 'store within store' concept with toy retailer The Entertainer". The Grocer. Retrieved 16 May 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
^Newbold, Mark (18 November 2021). "The Entertainer and Asda to end in-store partnership February 2022". Fantha Tracks | Daily Star Wars News. Retrieved 16 May 2024.
^Tugby2022-09-08T14:04:00+01:00, Luke. "Tesco and The Entertainer launch concession partnership". Retail Week. Retrieved 16 May 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
^Hawthorne2024-01-05T07:21:00+00:00, Ellis. "Tesco and The Entertainer partnership rolled out to 850 stores". Retail Week. Retrieved 16 May 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
^Anita (19 March 2024). "The Entertainer owned Poly Toys begins liquidation procedure". Toy World Magazine | The business magazine with a passion for toys. Retrieved 20 August 2024.
^Macintyre, James (27 July 2017). "'God just got me': How this businessman's Christian conversion is helping spread a revolution across the retail industry". www.christiantoday.com. Retrieved 16 May 2024.
^"No Potter and no Halloween - welcome to the new toy store that's founded on superstition". BelfastTelegraph.co.uk. 19 August 2016. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 16 May 2024.
