Dive Brief:
- Wooden and sustainability-focused toy brand Melissa & Doug will open its first retail store on Oct. 6, according to a company press release Tuesday.
- The 1,600-square-foot store is located within premium shopping mall The Westchester in White Plains, New York. The store opening will include prize giveaways, product demonstrations and more for its first customers.
- Melissa & Doug’s first brick-and-mortar location will feature a wide variety of products across categories, including pretend play sets, learning toys, baby and toddler products, and puzzles.
Dive Insight:
The 35-year-old brand is expanding into owned retail for the first time just in time for the holidays.
"Families really look to Melissa & Doug when seeking toys that inspire imaginative, screen-free play especially in those first few years," Bridgette Miller, chief marketing and sustainability officer, said in a statement. "When designing a shopping experience for parents and caregivers, it was important for us to create an environment that really represented this."
The preschool wooden toy and crafts brand has focused itself on making more sustainable products. Melissa & Doug in April 2022 announced its commitment to plant more than 10 million trees by 2030 through a partnership with One Tree Planted. The company in September of last year announced it maintained carbon neutrality in its own operations by purchasing offsets for its 2022 emissions.
Melissa & Doug relaunched its direct-to-consumer website in September 2022. The updates included a more user-friendly mobile experience, simplified navigation, optimized site search and an enhanced gift finder.
The move by Melissa & Doug comes about a month after Radio Flyer — maker of the Original Little Red Wagon and other children’s ride-ons — announced its first store will open in November. Radio Flyer’s first brick-and-mortar store will be located at the Woodfield Mall in Schaumburg, Illinois.
