American Girl® Announces Exclusive Multi-Year Partnership With Toys"R"Us®
Toys"R"Us to Become Home to First-Ever U.S.-Based American Girl Shop-in-Shops and Exclusive Carrier of the Brand's Popular Truly Me™ Line
MIDDLETON, Wis., Aug. 31, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- American Girl®, a premium brand for girls and subsidiary of Mattel, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAT), today announced a multi-year partnership with the world's leading dedicated toy and baby products retailer, Toys"R"Us, Inc. The collaboration will make Toys"R"Us® the first and only U.S.-based retailer to feature American Girl shop-in-shops in select stores, and the exclusive retail partner to carry American Girl's popular Truly Me™ line of contemporary 18-inch dolls, doll outfits and accessories. The move marks the first time the company has extended such a broad assortment of its doll product outside of its existing channels.
The inclusion of American Girl product at Toys"R"Us stores is in addition to American Girl's 20 proprietary U.S. stores and its online shop, americangirl.com. This expansion also comes on the heels of the launch of American Girl's newest doll and content line, WellieWishers™, designed for girls ages 5 to 7 years.
"For years, girls and their families have been asking for more immediate and convenient ways to shop for and experience American Girl," says Katy Dickson, president of American Girl. "Partnering with a top retailer like Toys"R"Us allows us to meet our customers where and when they want to shop and to take our timeless life lessons to even more girls. We're excited about increasing access to our brand by inspiring and connecting with more families in more places than ever before!"
From Sunday, September 4 through Saturday, September 10, American Girl's new WellieWishers product line will begin hitting shelves at Toys"R"Us stores nationwide. Following in late October, Toys"R"Us will debut an American Girl shop-in-shop in 97 select locations across the country. Ranging in size up to 700 square feet, each shop-in-shop will feature an exclusive selection of American Girl's signature Truly Me 18-inch dolls, doll outfits and accessories, plus WellieWishers. Additional Toys"R"Us stores will open shop-in-shops in 2017.
"We are focused on finding new, exciting ways to bring our stores to life, and are thrilled to be launching this exclusive American Girl shop-in-shop in nearly 100 Toys"R"Us locations across the country just in time for the holiday season," said Richard Barry, Global Chief Merchandising Officer, Toys"R"Us, Inc. "The American Girl experience is something that our customers won't want to miss and reinforces our position as the leading retailer for all consumers' toy needs."
ABOUT AMERICAN GIRL
American Girl is a premium brand for girls and a wholly owned subsidiary of Mattel, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAT, www.mattel.com), a creations company that inspires the wonder of childhood. Headquartered in Middleton, WI, American Girl offers an inspiring world of dolls, experiences, and entertainment to empower and unite girls of all ages. Best-selling lines include Truly Me™, Girl of the Year™, Bitty Baby™, WellieWishers™, and the classic historical character line BeForever™. American Girl's mission is to help build girls of strong character—a goal that has already earned the loyalty of millions and the praise and trust of their parents and educators. The company sells products through its award-winning catalogue, on americangirl.com, and in its experiential retail stores nationwide. Select American Girl product is also sold via Toys"R"Us. Outside of the U.S, American Girl products are sold at specialty boutiques with Indigo™ and Chapters™ in Canada and with El Palacio de Hierro in Mexico City. To learn more about American Girl or request a free catalogue, call 1-800-845-0005 or visit www.americangirl.com, www.facebook.com/americangirl, or www.twitter.com/american_girl.
ABOUT TOYS"R"US, Inc.
Toys"R"Us, Inc. is the world's leading dedicated toy and baby products retailer, offering a differentiated shopping experience through its family of brands. Merchandise is sold in 871 Toys"R"Us and Babies"R"Us stores in the United States, Puerto Rico and Guam, and in more than 755 international stores and 250 licensed stores in 37 countries and jurisdictions. With its strong portfolio of e-commerce sites including Toysrus.com and Babiesrus.com, the company provides shoppers with a broad online selection of distinctive toy and baby products. Toys"R"Us, Inc. is headquartered in Wayne, NJ and has an annual workforce of approximately 62,000 employees worldwide. The company is committed to serving its communities as a caring and reputable neighbor through programs dedicated to keeping kids safe and helping them in times of need. For more information, visit Toysrusinc.com or follow @ToysRUsNews on Twitter. Follow Toys"R"Us and Babies"R"Us on Facebook at Facebook.com/Toysrus and Facebook.com/Babiesrus and on Twitter at Twitter.com/Toysrus and Twitter.com/Babiesrus.
Media Contact:
Julie Parks, American Girl
608.830.4631
[email protected]
Meghan Sowa, Toys"R"Us
973.617.4947
[email protected]
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SOURCE Mattel, Inc.
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