Daily Mirror

Entertaine­r Grants support for shops

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The boss of Britain’s biggest chain of toy shops insists the high street is “far from dead” – as he vowed to open a wave of stores.

Gary Grant, right, founder and chairman of The Entertaine­r, said having physical stores was vital to its success.

He backed the Mirror’s High Street Fightback campaign, which is demanding action to boost our town centres.

Grant said: “The high street is far, far from dead.”

The Entertaine­r has 148 stores after opening 15 in the year to January, with plans to add the same again by this Christmas.

Next year it aims to ramp up openings to between 25 and 40. While shops are important, the firm also has a thriving online arm. A 28% jump in cyber sales more than offset a 1.7% drop in store takings last year. Profits surged 38% to £11.7million. The success comes after rival Toys R Us went bust in January this year, and ahead of the key Christmas period, when The Entertaine­r makes around 50% of its money. Grant has also called for a reform of business rates to help high street stores, which is one of the demands of the Mirror’s campaign.

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