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Hamleys in Regent Street was opened in 1881 and took its name from the owner William Hamley that, already in 1760, opened his first toy store, becoming a landmark in London. Hamleys receives every day hundreds of visitors from around the world, offering them the opportunity to experience the magical atmosphere that only a place like this can offer.

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Hamleys is the most and largest toy shop in the world and one of the world's best-known retailers of toys. Founded by William Hamley as "Noahs Ark" in High Holborn, London, in 1760, it moved to its current site on Regent Street in 1881. This flagship store is set over seven floors, with more than 50,000 toys on sale. It is considered one of the city's prominent tourist attractions, receiving around five million visitors each year. The chain has ten other outlets in the United Kingdom and also has more than 60 franchises worldwide.

Hamleys was bought by the Icelandic investment company Baugur Group in 2003 but was taken over by Baugur's main investor, Landsbanki, when the group defaulted. In 2012, the French toy retailer Groupe Ludendo bought the business for £60 million.[1] In 2015 it was reported that Groupe Ludendo was negotiating the sale of Hamleys, possibly to a Hong Kong company owned by a relative of the owner of department store House of Fraser. Subsequently, it was sold to the Chinese footwear company C.banner for an estimated $154 million.

History

Hamleys is the oldest and largest toy shop in the world. It is named after William Hamley, who founded a toy shop called "Noah's Ark" at No. 231 High Holborn, London, in 1760. Ownership of the shop passed through the family, and by the time it was operated by Hamley's grandsons in 1837, the store had become famous, counting royalty and nobility among its customers.

A branch at No. 200 Regent Street was opened in 1881; the original High Holborn shop was destroyed by fire in 1901 and was subsequently relocated to Nos. 86–87 High Holborn.The Regent Street branch later expanded to Nos. 188-196.

In 1938, Queen Mary, consort of King George V, gave Hamleys a royal warrant.[6] During the Second World War, the Regent Street store was bombed five times. In 1955, Queen Elizabeth II gave the company a second royal warrant as a "toys and sports merchant".

Hamleys was bought in June 2003 by the Baugur Group, an Icelandic investment company. When Baugur collapsed, its stake in the toy store was taken over by the Icelandic bank Landsbanki. In September 2012 Groupe Ludendo, a toy retailer based in France with shops also located in Belgium, Spain and Switzerland, bought Hamleys for a reported £60 million.[1] In October 2015 it was reported that Groupe Ludendo was negotiating the sale of Hamleys, possibly to a Hong Kong company owned by a relative of the owner of department store House of Fraser.[8]It was subsequently purchased by C.Banner, a large Chinese footwear and fashion wear conglomerate based in Nanjing.[9]

United Kingdom stores

Regent Street

Hamleys expanded and moved its flagship store from No. 200 Regent Street to its current site at Nos. 188–196, Regent Street, in 1981, which is the largest toy shop in the world.

Hamleys' flagship store has seven floors covering 54,000 square feet (5,000 m2),[10] all devoted to playthings, with different categories of toy on each floor. The ground floor is traditionally for stuffed toys (including Steiff), and is decked out with a diverse array of stuffed animals, from regular teddy bears to more exotic plushes such as turtles and dolphins, and enormous life-sized giraffes and elephants.

Other UK storesThe

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Hamleys venne inaugurato a Regent Street nel 1881 e prese il nome dall'omonimo proprietario William Hamley che, già nel 1760, aprì il suo primo negozio di giocattoli, diventando un punto di riferimento a Londra. Hamleys accoglie ogni giorno centinaia di visitatori provenienti da tutto il mondo, offrendo loro l'opportunità di vivere l'atmosfera magica che solo un luogo del genere può offrire.

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There you can have fun even at Christmas!

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There you can have fun even at Christmas!

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London's toy-shop mainstay, Hamleys, debuts its enormous Moscow site - an immersive haven for children of all ages.