A teddy bear is a stuffed toy in the form of a bear. Developed apparently simultaneously by toymakers Morris Michtom in the U.S. and Richard Steiff under his aunt Margarete Steiff's company in Germany in the early 20th century, the teddy bear, named after President Theodore Roosevelt, became a popular children's toy and has been celebrated in story, song, and film.
Merchandising is any practice which contributes to the sale of products to a retail consumer. At a retail in-store level, merchandising refers to displaying products that are for sale in a creative way that entices customers to purchase more items or products.
Hardware stores, sometimes known as DIY stores, sell household hardware for home improvement including: fasteners, building materials, hand tools, power tools, keys, locks, hinges, chains, plumbing supplies, electrical supplies, cleaning products, housewares, tools, utensils, paint, and lawn and garden products directly to consumers for use at home or for business. Many hardware stores have specialty departments unique to its region or its owner's interests. These departments include hunting and fishing supplies, plants and nursery products, marine and boating supplies, pet food and supplies, farm and ranch supplies including animal feed, swimming pool chemicals, homebrewing supplies and canning supplies. The five largest hardware retailers in the world are The Home Depot, Lowe's, Kingfisher of the United Kingdom, Obi of Germany, and Leroy Merlin of France.
A pet shop or pet store is an essential services retailer which sells animals and pet care resources to the public. A variety of animal supplies and pet accessories are also sold in pet shops. The products sold include: food, treats, toys, collars, leashes, cat litter, cages and aquariums.
A toy store or toy shop is a type of retail business specializing in selling toys.
A food service distributor is a company that provides food and non-food products to restaurants, cafeterias, industrial caterers, hospitals, schools/colleges/universities, nursing homes, and anywhere food is served away from the home.
The direct market is the dominant distribution and retail network for American comic books. The concept of the direct market was created in the 1970s by Phil Seuling. The network currently consists of:
The North American International Toy Fair is an annual toy industry trade show held in mid-February in New York City's Jacob K. Javits Convention Center and at toy showrooms around the city. The event is open to the toy trade only – toy industry professionals, retailers, and press representatives. It is produced by The Toy Association. Toy Fair New York's promoters describe it as the largest toy trade show in the Western hemisphere.
The Toy Association is an American trade association for the US toy industry.
Maple Landmark Woodcraft is a wooden products manufacturer located in Middlebury, Vermont. Founded in 1979 by Michael Rainville, the business is known for crafting American-made wooden toys, games, and gifts. Notable product lines include the NameTrains Wooden Railway System, Montgomery Schoolhouse, and Schoolhouse Naturals.
Fashion merchandising can be defined as the planning and promotion of sales by presenting a product to the right market at the proper time, by carrying out organized, skillful advertising, using attractive displays, etc. Merchandising, within fashion retail, refers specifically to the stock planning, management, and control process. Fashion Merchandising is a job that is done world- wide. This position requires well-developed quantitative skills, and natural ability to discover trends, meaning relationships and interrelationships among standard sales and stock figures. In the fashion industry, there are two different merchandising teams: the visual merchandising team, and the fashion merchandising team.
Promotional merchandise are products branded with a logo or slogan and distributed at little or no cost to promote a brand, corporate identity, or event. Such products, which are often informally called promo products, swag, tchotchkes, or freebies, are used in marketing and sales. They are given away or sold at a loss to promote a company, corporate image, brand, or event. They are often distributed as handouts at trade shows, at conferences, on sales calls, and as bonus items in shipped orders. They are often used in guerrilla marketing campaigns.
A learning store is a specialised retailer of materials expressly for the education and development of children of all ages. These materials include toys, books, games, building blocks and music, along with traditional teaching resources and curriculum materials. Some learning stores offer materials for developmentally disabled adults as well. The term learning store was coined in 1984 by the Golden Apple Learning Store. Large chains such as Early Learning Centre now exist and learning stores can now be found in many urban and suburban areas.
Nakajima USA, Inc., is an American toy manufacturer, founded in 2000. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of Nakajima Japan, a family run company founded in 1919. A seasoned company in the design and manufacture of licensed plush, collectible and seasonal toys and gifts, Nakajima USA currently produces and distributes a wide range of lifestyle products under a master license agreement for Sanrio Inc. as well as the company’s signature characters.
Learning Express Toys, incorporated in 1987 as Learning Express, Inc., is a specialty toy, game and book retailer and franchisor headquartered in Devens, Massachusetts, United States. The company franchises specialty toy stores in the United States, each locally owned and operated. It also operates online at learningexpress.com.
Fat Brain Toys is a United States manufacturer and retailer of educational toys and games. The company was founded by husband and wife, Mark and Karen Carson, from the basement of their home in 2002. It is headquartered in Elkhorn, Nebraska with a distribution center located in nearby Omaha, Nebraska. The company operates two retail storefronts, one in Omaha, Nebraska and another in Overland Park, Kansas. The company specializes in building toys, brainteasers, and multi-player games. They collect various statistics on their consumers and toys, such as the ages of recipients and a 'Toy Value Index' which they display at the lower end of the respective product's page. As of 2014, the company had 46 full-time employees. The staff expands to approximately 300 people during the holiday season.
A specialty food is a food that is typically considered as a "unique and high-value food item made in small quantities from high-quality ingredients". Consumers typically pay higher prices for specialty foods, and may perceive them as having various benefits compared to non-specialty foods.
S.W. Randall Toyes and Giftes is a toy store which was established in 1970. It is a specialty toy and gift shop with headquarters located in downtown Pittsburgh, selling old-fashioned, idiosyncratic, and nostalgic toys, along with modern toys. The store has been a local landmark since 1970, and "is a Pittsburgh tradition". It is Pittsburgh's largest specialty toy store, and with a half century of service it is the city's oldest surviving toy business.
The retail format influences the consumer's store choice and addresses the consumer's expectations. At its most basic level, a retail format is a simple marketplace, that is; a location where goods and services are exchanged. In some parts of the world, the retail sector is still dominated by small family-run stores, but large retail chains are increasingly dominating the sector, because they can exert considerable buying power and pass on the savings in the form of lower prices. Many of these large retail chains also produce their own private labels which compete alongside manufacturer brands. Considerable consolidation of retail stores has changed the retail landscape, transferring power away from wholesalers and into the hands of the large retail chains.
