Breaking new ground at Battersea.
We celebrate our first-ever PEPPA PIG and TRANSFORMERS retail locations, now open in London.
Hasbro’s Global Experiences team has an equally fun and important job: to fully connect fans with the world of Hasbro. Through immersive, location-based experiences, they create unforgettable moments for fans and families worldwide. Explains Renae Brown, Associate Manager (EMEA), Global Experiences: “Our team works on everything from theme parks to resorts, restaurants, escape rooms, live shows, arcade games, meet-and-greets and experiential retail.”
The Global Experiences team works diligently to find great partners and develop brilliant attractions that bring Hasbro’s IPs to life. This year, the team broke new ground as they partnered with Event Merchandising, renowned experts in the event- and themed-retail industry, to create two special new stores.
Not one, but two grand openings!
In November, the team celebrated the opening of two retail stores at the Battersea Power Station in Southwest London: a TRANSFORMERS store and a PEPPA PIG store. Timed closely to TRANSFORMERS’ 40th anniversary, the recent release of the TRANSFORMERS ONE movie, and PEPPA’s 20th anniversary, these are the world’s first standalone stores serving fans of each of these iconic brands.
Says Renae, “Battersea Power Station is an iconic London landmark, and we felt the concept for each store would work really well in the existing environment. The TRANSFORMERS store in particular feels like it was meant to be there all along, with the building’s heritage involving industrial elements that perfectly blend with our TRANSFORMERS look and feel. Battersea was also looking for more family-friendly brands to appeal to their residents and consumers, so this was the perfect match.”
In partnership with Event Merchandising, the team infused core elements of each brand’s narrative into their physical stores at the power station. Together, they’ve developed exclusive merchandise, themed events and collectibles for visitors to enjoy.
Play with Peppa IRL.
“In the Peppa store there’s a new Peppa Goes to London (Penguin) book featuring Battersea Power Station, which has been Peppa-ified for the first time. Families can capture memories of their special day by posing in front of the photo wall - which features a bespoke backdrop of Peppa beneath the Power Station’s iconic silhouette. And, if visitors feel a bit peckish after their shopping, they can also indulge in Peppa-themed sweet treats from the Hummingbird Bakery stall.”
The Peppa store has no shortage of attractions. Fans can also bounce around on pretend muddy puddles, relax in the cozy play area, and even enjoy daily meet-and-greets with Peppa – a big hit with young fans.
Roll out! An action-packed space for fans of TRANSFORMERS.
The TRANSFORMERS store offers a wide range of toys and features a stunning graffiti mural, created by MurWalls. Right now, the store is home to the full set of TRANSFORMERS ONE statues for fans to take photos with and Robosen TRANSFORMERS Series robots, which perform voice-activated transformations at fan’s commands. And if anyone feels like playing in-store, there’s an interactive Vanch Studios Augmented Reality trading card area and an arcade space with the latest TRANSFORMERS video games from Outright Games.
Says Renae: “My favorite product is the re-issue of the first ever TRANSFORMERS Skybound comic, with a new limited-edition cover that shows Optimus Prime looming over Battersea Power Station. I have already purchased both versions of it and the matching t-shirt and hoodie!”
Next up: pass Go, pass the sugar!
Renae says there’s more action on the horizon: “There are so many exciting projects in the pipeline. Next up in the UK, we’re launching our MONOPOLY tea bus tour in London in January.”
London sightseeing, afternoon tea and a digital twist on the classic game of MONOPOLY? Now that’s a winning combination.
