Build-a-Bear International Expansion Into the Chinese Toy Market
INTRODUCTION
“At Build-A-Bear Workshop®, our mission is to bring the Teddy Bear to life. An American icon, the Teddy Bear brings to mind warm thoughts about our childhood, about friendship, about trust and comfort, and also about love. Build-A-Bear Workshop embodies those thoughts in how we run our business every day.” (Build-A-Bear Workshop - Our Company 2009)
Build-A-Bear Workshops was started in 1997 by current CEO Maxine Clark, and there are now over four hundred Build-A-Bear Workshop stores worldwide. They have 346 wholly owned subsidiaries in the U.S., Puerto Rico, Canada, the U.K., Ireland and France. There are also 62 franchised retail stores in International locations – Australia, Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Japan, The Netherlands, Norway, South Korea, Russia, Singapore, South Africa, Sweden, Taiwan and Thailand. The company employs 1200 full-time and 4800 part-time employees. Build-A-Bear Workshop is the only global company that offers a retail entertainment experience in an interactive “make your own stuffed animal” process. The company currently locates its headquarters and distribution center in the United States. These two facilities are also known as the World Bearquarters (located in St.Louis, Missouri) and Bearhouse, and will be referred to it by these names throughout the rest of this proposal.
In this project we intend to take the role of a third-part consultancy firm aiming to advise build a bear on an appropriate entry strategy and business plan for a chain of franchise stores in the Peoples Republic of China. Since 2002, it has been the goal of Build-A-Bear Workshop to expand globally, and what better place to move into than one of the fastest growing economies in the world, China. Apart from their original and successful operations used in most of their international establishments, this proposal will offer insights on alternative strategies and implementations to help Build-A-Bear Workshop to be successful in China, and capture the
“At Build-A-Bear Workshop®, our mission is to bring the Teddy Bear to life. An American icon, the Teddy Bear brings to mind warm thoughts about our childhood, about friendship, about trust and comfort, and also about love. Build-A-Bear Workshop embodies those thoughts in how we run our business every day.” (Build-A-Bear Workshop - Our Company 2009)
Build-A-Bear Workshops was started in 1997 by current CEO Maxine Clark, and there are now over four hundred Build-A-Bear Workshop stores worldwide. They have 346 wholly owned subsidiaries in the U.S., Puerto Rico, Canada, the U.K., Ireland and France. There are also 62 franchised retail stores in International locations – Australia, Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Japan, The Netherlands, Norway, South Korea, Russia, Singapore, South Africa, Sweden, Taiwan and Thailand. The company employs 1200 full-time and 4800 part-time employees. Build-A-Bear Workshop is the only global company that offers a retail entertainment experience in an interactive “make your own stuffed animal” process. The company currently locates its headquarters and distribution center in the United States. These two facilities are also known as the World Bearquarters (located in St.Louis, Missouri) and Bearhouse, and will be referred to it by these names throughout the rest of this proposal.
In this project we intend to take the role of a third-part consultancy firm aiming to advise build a bear on an appropriate entry strategy and business plan for a chain of franchise stores in the Peoples Republic of China. Since 2002, it has been the goal of Build-A-Bear Workshop to expand globally, and what better place to move into than one of the fastest growing economies in the world, China. Apart from their original and successful operations used in most of their international establishments, this proposal will offer insights on alternative strategies and implementations to help Build-A-Bear Workshop to be successful in China, and capture the