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Child World

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Child World, Inc.
Company typeCorporation
IndustryRetail
Founded1974
Defunct1992
FateLiquidation
HeadquartersAvon, Massachusetts
ProductsToys, electronics, board games, dolls, and video games.
WebsiteNone

Child World is the name of a former American chain of toy stores that was founded in Avon, Massachusetts in 1974.[1] Child World once boasted 182 stores and revenues of approximately 830ドル million annually. The chain did business under the Child World and Children's Palace marques until its demise in 1992 following a bankruptcy liquidation.

Child World's beginnings and early expansion

After the acquisition of the Children's Palace chain of stores from Kobacker Stores in 1977, Child World became the second largest toy retailer in the United States after Toys "R" Us, its chief competitor. In many areas Child World stores were operated in close proximity to Toys "R" Us locations, as in Framingham, Massachusetts (see below), East Haven, Connecticut, and Totowa, New Jersey.

Child World also began incorporating elements of the Children's Palace store design into its stores that opened post-merger, with many of the new stores taking on a castle-like design (see below).

In 1981 the chain was acquired by Cole National Corporation, a retail ownership group that is now a division of Kohlberg Kravis Roberts.[2]

Into the early 1990s, Child World was led by then-President Peter Hayes. The chain was known for, largely, a 'warehouse' style of merchandising, with long aisles and so-called "over-stock" storage above selling-floor level shelves.

Although sales had begun to decline by the late 1980s, in 1989 the chain announced a new 29,000 sq. ft. store prototype designed to appeal to customers and real estate developers alike. The first store remodeled into the new prototype was in Framingham, Massachusetts, near the Shoppers World mall and key competitor, Toys "R" Us, just one block away. Initially, the prototype was well-received, with strong first-day openings, and good performance in the critical Christmas selling season. Owing partly to that success, Child World management announced that the new prototype would be used to renovate 11 existing sites, and new market expansion would be targeted in 1990, 1991 and 1992 using the new design. However, Child World would not have the chance to implement the design, as problems began to arise.

The downfall of Child World

While the focus of Child World's management was primarily on growing the brand, a recession that began in 1990 and continued into 1991, combined with the lack of a 'must-have' toy (i.e., Cabbage Patch Kids), helped to send Child World into a freefall.

Peter Hayes and a large portion of Child World's executive board were fired in 1990 and Cole National began to restrict capital to the stores. As a result Child World was unable to procure their needed merchandise for the upcoming holiday season and defaulted on payments to their creditors and suppliers, who (like LEGO) struck back by refusing to accept orders from Child World stores. With nothing to sell and empty shelves, Child World continued to slide, suffering a year loss of 192ドル million (US) on 830ドル million in sales for fiscal year 1990. To make matters worse for Child World, rival Toys "R" Us began to gain a larger market share, and the chain was named as a defendant in a 1990 federal lawsuit by the Consumer Products Safety Commission.[3]

With the company continuing to slide Cole National began to search for a buyer for Child World and found one, but the 157ドル million (US) deal fell through when the potential buyer was unable to raise enough capital. The company's decline resulted in few offers for the sinking chain and when Cole National finally sold Child World to a group called Avon Investment Limited Partnership in 1991 the deal was for a trade of debt (with Avon assuming 30ドル million of Child World's short-term debt, with Cole National responsible for the remainer). Child World was taken over by a group of former Toys "R" Us executives who sought to bring the company back to prominence.[4]

However, the new owners of Child World were not able to turn the company around, and by March 1992 the company's line of credit was revoked. Two months earlier a wave of 26 store closings began, with Child World exiting some markets altogether. On May 7, 1992, Child World announced it had filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection the previous month,[5] and announced the closing of 54 more stores[1] , leaving the company with less than half of the locations that it had to start the year and over 100 less than the company had at the same point one year earlier. An attempt to secure another line of credit, which would have kept the stores open until at least January of 1994, failed.[1]

In June, Child World, saying it needed a merger partner to survive, approached fellow struggling chain Lionel Kiddie City, who was also in Chapter 11 proceedings, to be that partner. The company gave itself until July 12 to finalize the merger. On July 1 Child World began an inventory clearance sale, selling off its overstock at 10% off to raise cash. [6]

On July 12, with the merger all but dead, the inventory clearance sale became a going out of business sale, all while Child World continued to hold out hope of Lionel Kiddie City coming up with enough capital to finalize the deal. On August 3, Child World announced the complete failure of the merger talks and escalated the going out of business sale, closing the remaining 71 locations within 4 to 6 weeks. [7] (Lionel Kiddie City would meet the same fate as Child World, going out of business in 1993.)

Child World Trademarks

Stores

Entrance to former Children's Palace in Englewood, Colorado (now a Big Lots, as seen above the door, with turret apparently still in place top left).

Child World was known largely for making its stores resemble castles, complete with turrets, battlements, and three arches (two small, one large) in the front door [1]. The corporate logo was written in a "refrigerator-magnet" like typeface. The design starting showing up in newer Child World stores after the 1977 acquisition of Children's Palace. After the company went out of business some of the retailers that took over the Child World spaces retained the design but most did not.

Mascot

The mascot for Child World was a cartoon panda bear named Peter Panda, often depicted wearing overalls with his name printed on them.

The Video Catalog

In 1990 Child World produced a video catalog in time for Christmas that year called "Video Toy Chest: A Toy Catalog on Videotape". This catalogue advertised the toys sold, with child actors talking about the toys, including Sega and Nintendo video game consoles and software. One of the child actors featured in the video was Lacey Chabert.

Slogans

  • "Home of the Toy Nuts"
  • "Where it's at!" (used in the 1990 video catalog)
  • "Discover how much less toys can cost!"
  • "Children's Palace... a super toy store, and a whole lot more!"
  • "Everything a toy store should be!"
  • "There's no other world like Child World"
  • "Child World, Child World, lets take a look and see. Child World Child World everything a toy store should be!"

Former locations

This list is incomplete; you can help by adding missing items.

Colorado

Connecticut

  • Enfield - Enfield Square Mall
  • Hamden - (Hamden Plaza, 2100 Dixwell Ave) Became Hometown Buffet, East China Buffet, currently Pacific Buffet
  • Milford - CT. Post Mall
  • New London - New London Shopping Center - Now a Marshalls
  • East Haven - now a T.J. Maxx
  • Westport - now a Toys R Us


Indiana

Illinois

Iowa

Kansas

  • Overland Park (Across from Metcalf South Mall)


Kentucky

  • Florence
  • Lexington:

Louisiana

  • Marrero
  • Metairie - Became a CompUSA, now closed
  • New Orleans

Nebraska

New Jersey

Maine 1.Portland:Pine Tree Plaza,Now Marden's

Maryland

  • Glen Burnie -now Michaels
  • Forestville -
  • New Carrollton -

Michigan

Massachusetts

  • Dedham: 2 locations: Current Staples and then Bob's locations on Providence Hwy.
  • Brockton: Westgate Mall
  • Chelmsford:
  • Danvers: Now Linens n things now closed
  • Framingham: Now Office Max (Before that, It was Computer City (1993-1998)
  • Fitchburg:
  • Hanover:
  • Hyannis: (Opened 1989)Now Toys r us
  • Medford: Now Toys r us (Now closed)
  • North Dartmouth: Now Ann & Hope outlet
  • Quincy:
  • Saugus: Now MVP Sports closed, Now Bed Bath & Beyond
  • Shrewsbury: Now Michael's Arts & Crafts Store and iParty
  • Seekonk:
  • Springfield: Springdale Mall (Now demolished and rebuilt into Lowe's)
  • West Springfield: Century Center now where Big Y is.

Minnesota

Missouri

New Hampshire

  • Nashua, NH - once part of an offshoot of the Nashua mall, now Home Depot consumes the entire plaza space.
  • Salem, NH - part of the old Rockingham Mall, now Shaw's and Bob's Discount Furniture

New York

  • Long Island ( Levittown ), Now a King Kullen
  • Long Island (Smithtown), Now Waldbaums (formerly Grand Union and Pathmark)
  • Long Island (Riverhead), Now Toys "R" Us
  • Long Island (Bayshore), Now Circuit City(closed 2008)
  • Cheektowaga - Thruway Mall (now defunct), later became Berts's Bikes and Sports, demolished 1995
  • Williamsville
  • Niagara Falls- Now Toys r us(closed 2007)
  • Henrietta:(Opened late 1985)
  • Nanuet, Rockland Plaza - Barnes & Noble Booksellers (since 1992)
  • Scarsdale, Central Ave. (now Staples)

Ohio

Pennsylvania

  • Lancaster - Now Ollie's Bargain Outlet
  • Erie -
  • Greensburg - Now Toys R Us
  • Monroeville - U. S. Business Route 22 - now a car dealership
  • Pleasant Hills - 251 Clairton Blvd. - now Petco and Mattress Discounters
  • Bridgeville - now Sears Outlet
  • Scranton -
  • Robinson Towne Centre

Rhode Island

Cranston:

Tennesee

  • Knoxville - Now TJ Maxx
  • Memphis - Now Toys R us, now closed

Texas

  • Houston - Across from Greenspoint Mall on I-45, vacant now, the building had the two castle-like circular pillars in the front on each side for years after it closed
  • Houston - Across from Willowbrook Mall on FM 1960, space occupied now
  • Humble - Occupied by Fallas Parades and Mobile One.

Virginia

  • Norfolk - Became a CompUSA, now closed
  • Hampton - Coliseum Mall - Became [Dillards]] mens store, now torn down

Wisconsin

References

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