SPAWN.com is reporting the following...
MCFARLANE TO OPEN FLAGSHIP RETAIL STORE
More Than 2,000 Square Feet of Pure McFarlane
November 14, 2006
Copyright 2006 TMP International, Inc.
We are excited to announce that McFarlane Toys will soon be opening a retail store at the high-end, soon-to-be-completed Westgate City Center in Glendale, Ariz. Slated to open its doors early 2007, this 2,000+ square ft. store promises to be all McFarlane, all the time. In addition to carrying the full line of available McFarlane toys, the McFarlane store will also serve as a venue for exclusive autograph signings and special events.
We've been working with architects and designers to make sure every detail is perfect -- and we all know what a perfectionist Todd is. The final result will be a pop culture Mecca quite unlike anything else. The store's tag line says it all:
The Difference Is Real.
The Westgate City Center, located adjacent to the University of Phoenix Stadium, new home of the Arizona Cardinals, and the Jobing.com Arena, home of the Phoenix Coyotes, has been called the "crown jewel" of new sports venue complexes, the most exciting "urban, mixed use vision" of the new century. Expected to become the leading retail destination in Arizona, with a projected 22 million visitors per year, the new McFarlane store will be a vital part of this eclectic mix of retail and restaurant merchants.
"With ongoing growth in the Phoenix-metro area, we were looking for a place that is new and vibrant," says McFarlane Toys CEO and creative force Todd McFarlane. "I believe that Westgate is a terrific addition to the valley, will be a major tourist attraction and overall will expand our customer base."
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I see this as the end of retailers selling McFarlane. This venture will make getting the rare/variants even harder to impossible to get. McFarlane obviously hasn't been reading the news articles about KB Toy store, TRU and other Specialty stores having problems competing with Target, Wal-Mart, etc. Paying mall rent will drive prices up and people will either stop collecting that stuff all together due to lack of availability, or refusal to pay higher prices. This is by far the worst thing that McFarlane can be doing (IMHO).
