Toy retailer, The Entertainer, has completed a major roll-out of more than 850 brand-new toy shops within Tesco stores as part of its new partnership – expanding its retail presence in the UK and Republic of Ireland and creating 1200 jobs.
The toyshop’s significant expansion across 861 large Tesco stores in the UK and Republic of Ireland was achieved in just eight months, with an average of 100 new concessions opening each month.
The roll-out involved over 4.5 million toys being delivered to stock the new concessions – a volume that would stretch an impressive 603 miles if stacked side-by-side.
With thousands of The Entertainer’s products now in place across the supermarket’s stores, the partnership means The Entertainer has more points of presence across the UK and Ireland than any other toy retailer.
To support this growth, The Entertainer has opened a brand-new distribution centre which has played a pivotal role in stocking the in-store concessions and meeting the soaring demand created by the roll-out.
In addition, the partnership has enabled significant growth for a number of brands in the TEAL Group portfolio, which includes The Entertainer, value range Addo Play, and award-winning early years toy specialist, Early Learning Centre.
Andrew Murphy OBE, Group Chief Executive Officer of The Entertainer, said: “Over the past eight months, we have successfully rolled out The Entertainer Toy Shop across more than 850 Tesco stores and I couldn’t be prouder of our teams and the great work they’ve done. Just as importantly, we’re all hugely appreciative of the support we’ve had from colleagues across Tesco throughout the year.”
“This roll-out has significantly increased our retail footprint in the UK and Ireland – putting over 90% of the UK’s shoppers within easy reach of our unmatched toy offer. The speed and impact of this growth is a testament to our team’s agility, attention to detail and a deep understanding of customer needs.
“Our partnership with Tesco is the biggest and most important step we’ve taken in expanding our unique ‘Toy Box’ retail solution for multi-category retailers, but we look forward to on-boarding further retail partners, at home and abroad, in the coming months.”
Jan Marchant, Managing Director of Home and Clothing at Tesco said: “We’re delighted The Entertainer rollout to Tesco stores across the UK is now complete, meaning even more customers can access their great range of toys. It’s now even easier for customers to pick up a gift for their little ones in store, alongside their usual grocery shop. A huge thank you to The Entertainer team for their hard work in making this happen over the past year”.
