FAO Schwarz is coming to Canada
Holiday pop-ups planned at every Hudson’s Bay
TORONTO — Iconic American toy brand FAO Schwarz is coming to Canada, but it won’t be here for long.
The New-York based retailer announced Tuesday that it is opening pop-up spaces at every Hudson’s Bay Co. store in a bid to bring some of the U.S.’s most beloved toys to Canada.
The spaces, ranging in size from 27 to 111 square metres (300 to 1,200 square feet), will stay open until the end of December and sell oversized plush animals, classic toy train sets and playmat replicas of the piano that Tom Hanks danced on in the famous scene from the 1988 movie “Big.”
FAO Schwarz said the deal marks the first time the brand has had a physical presence in the country.
“We are thrilled to be entering the Canadian market,” FAO Schwarz chief merchandising officer David Niggli told The Canadian Press. “We have been known more as a U.S. company, (but) I would say toys are universal and we found that whether it is a teddy bear or it is a doll or a remote-control car, those kind of playthings are classic and work across the globe.”
FAO Schwarz, which is known for its bright, large-scale displays, has attempted to counter these headwinds by opening stores within Macy’s, Saks Fifth Avenue and Bloomingdales department stores.
Niggli wouldn’t say whether the Hudson’s Bay partnership was a sign that FAO Schwarz will look to make a long-term foray into the Canadian market or open its own stores here.
“We always consider. We never say never,” he said. “I think we will definitely have a good read, but right now it is us and Hudson’s
Bay in Canada.”
It’s been two years since Hudson’s Bay re-entered the toy business after nixing the category almost a decade before.
Hudson’s Bay President Alison Coville said the FAO Schwarz opportunity was ideal because it is a chance to “see toys and the wonderment of the holidays brought to life in a really big and magical way.”
Shoppers who visit the popups, she said, can expect to find a mix of hit toys like the Our Generation dolls, alongside technology-based playthings like microphones
and mixing boards and FAO Schwarz favourites like oversized giraffes and the $120 pianos, which Coville even admitted she has to stop herself from jumping on.
However, she couldn’t say whether the FAO Schwarz partnership could stick around after the holidays.
“We have toy departments throughout our network of stores, so depending on the customers response, if it is strong and we see opportunity, we would definitely look at expanding or doing it again.”