Disney Store
Encyclopedia
Disney Store is an international chain of specialty stores selling only Disney
related items, many of them exclusive. Disney Store is a business unit of Disney Consumer Products
. James Fielding serves as the President.
At Disney Stores in North America
, guests can purchase passes to the Disneyland Resort
and the Walt Disney World Resort
. In France
, Ireland
, Italy
, and Spain
, they may purchase passes to Disneyland Paris. In the UK, they may purchase tickets for both the Walt Disney World Resort
and Disneyland Paris. In Japan
, guests can get passes for the Tokyo Disney Resort
.
The first Disney Store (then titled "The Disney Store") opened in Glendale, California on March 18, 1987. Disney Stores are located in malls and commercial areas in the United States
, Canada
, Denmark
, the United Kingdom
, Ireland
, France
, Spain
, Italy
, Portugal
, Belgium
and Japan
. A small number of stores were opened in Hong Kong
and Australia
; however, the Australian stores were closed in 2003, and the only Disney Store in Hong Kong at this time is located in the Hong Kong International Airport
, which was renamed The Magic of Hong Kong Disneyland and managed by Hong Kong International Theme Parks
. Disney also operated approximately 15 smaller-scale locations in airports throughout the United States, which were all shuttered in the early 2000s.
In the United States, Canada, and Europe, Disney Stores are owned by The Walt Disney Company. However, Japanese Disney Stores were owned and operated by The Oriental Land Company
, the company that owns and operates the Tokyo Disney Resort
, but have now been bought back by The Walt Disney Company. From November 21, 2004 until May 1, 2008, Disney Stores in the United States and Canada were owned and operated by Hoop Retail Stores, a wholly owned subsidiary of The Children's Place
, LLC. Oriental Land operates Disney Stores under a long-term license agreement with The Walt Disney Company, as did The Children's Place. Until The Children's Place exited the Disney Store business, their operating agreements were to have extended at least 50 years.
to convert Disney Stores into a licensed operation. The Japanese stores were licensed to Oriental Land Company in 2002, while most North American stores were licensed in November 2004. The Walt Disney Company decided to keep the stores in Europe, along with the Manhattan store, which was converted into a World of Disney
store. World of Disney also owns and operates a Disney retail location on the company headquarters in Burbank, California
, accessible only to Disney staff and special guests, along with retail outlets associated with Disney-owned, operated, or leased theaters such as the New Amsterdam in New York City, the El Capitan in Hollywood, and merchandise outlets at its Broadway shows in New York. The Fifth Avenue World of Disney store was closed on December 31, 2009, and was replaced by a smaller Disney Store located in Times Square
.
The Children's Place intended to reinvigorate the Disney Store brand in the United States by expanding the number of stores, reducing initial selling prices. Previously, Disney Stores have been well known for inflated initial prices, which would be marked down substantially after just a few weeks. Also, The Children's Place opened Disney outlet stores, which have lower operating costs and typically have a high profit margin even though they have reduced prices versus mall stores. However, Disney's strict licensing agreement, which included the burden of being required to invest significantly in store remodels, contributed to the eventual decision by The Children's Place to exit the business. Additionally, the licensing agreement required the stores to sell goods that only promoted Disney's high-risk and short-lived film properties.
, affecting two-thirds of the 335 stores currently operating in North America
, with 98 expected to close after the proposed transaction is completed. This was further confirmed on March 21, 2008, when The Walt Disney Company officially stated that it was interested in buying back a portion of the stores, stating that the Disney Stores are "an important extension of the Disney brand" and that Disney believed a smaller chain "could add value to the Company in the promotion and monetization of its growing number of robust franchises".
Hoop Retail filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy for Hoop Retail LLC, the Children's Place subsidiary which operates the Disney Store chain, on March 27, 2008. The Children's Place stores were not affected by the bankruptcy filing for Hoop Retail. At the time, negotiations with the Walt Disney Company were still underway, with a reported target turnover date for two-thirds of the existing Disney Store locations on May 1, 2008.
On May 1, 2008, approximately 220 Disney Stores in North America became the property of The Walt Disney Company, operating under the Disney Consumer Products arm. The remaining 98 stores in North America closed by the end of summer 2008, turned over to a third-party liquidator. The majority of stores affected by the closures were lower-volume stores; however, a number of newer store locations were shuttered as well. Taking many by surprise, Disney closed its only two stores in the city of San Francisco, the Stonestown Galleria Store and its flagship Union Square Store on Post Street. In Disney Store's heyday, there were three stores in San Francisco; the one at Pier 39 was one of the first Disney Stores to open when the chain began in 1987.
Disney Consumer Products promoted James Fielding to President of Disney Stores Worldwide in May 2008.
Furthermore, Disney Announced in November 2009 that they were planning a massive "re-launching" and re-branding of all Disney Store locations, spear headed by Apple's Steve Jobs, who pioneered the Apple Retail Store Concept.
The Oriental Land Company
announced an agreement that it would sell its Japanese Disney Stores back to The Walt Disney Company
. Disney would take over beginning April 1, 2010.
Online retail at The Walt Disney Company began back in 1995 with the opening of The Disney Store Online. At the time, the business was under the Disney Online business unit.
1998
In 1998 the company purchased Infoseek
and that purchase included Starwave
. With that purchase there were now many other online properties under Disney Online including Disney.com
, DisneyStore.com, MrShowbiz.com, Family.com, Movies.com
, ESPN.com
, NFL.com, NASCAR.com, NHL.com, etc. This led to a new business named Buena Vista Internet Group
(BVIG) which grouped all internet sites under one business unit.
1999
In 1999 the business was changed from BVIG to Go.com
and was then spun that off as a tracking stock
. Also in 1999 the DisneyStore.com business was moved under a business named Disney Direct Marketing (DDM). DDM was a business entity under the company's Disney Consumer Products
(DCP) division and ran the Disney Catalog. At the same time all of this was happening, the team that ran the DisneyStore.com site also built and launched ESPNStore.com, NASCARStore.com, DisneyTickets.com and DisneyAuctions.com.
2001
In 2001 DDM was moved directly under the control of The Disney Stores business.
2004
The sale of The Disney Stores to The Children's Place didn't include the sale of DDM but did include the sale of the DisneyStore.com domain name
, so in 2004 DisneyStore.com was changed to DisneyDirect.com.
2006
In 2006 a complete rebranding was done. Disney Direct Marketing, Inc. was changed to Disney Shopping, Inc. (DSI), the domain was changed from DisneyDirect.com to DisneyShopping.com and the Disney Catalog business was shut down.
2008
In 2008, after the repurchase of the Disney Store business from The Children's Place, the domain was changed back to DisneyStore.com.
2010
In 2010 DSI was moved back under the control of the newly reacquired Disney Store business and a complete redesign of the site was launched. Also in 2010, the Disneystore.co.uk site was completely rebuilt on the same platform as the US site,
2011
The Walt Disney Company purchased Marvel Entertainment
in 2009, and in 2011, MarvelStore.com was relaunched using the same technology as the DisneyStore.com site. Also in 2011, a new online store (DisneyStore.fr) for the French market was launched and a new store (DisneyStore.de) for the German market was launched.
Disney Auctions was created in October 2000 with a partnership between The Walt Disney Company
and eBay
. Items like signs and ride vehicles from Disneyland and Walt Disney World were commonly sold as well as costume pieces and props from previously released movies from Walt Disney Studios. In fall of 2006, Disney ended their partnership with eBay and moved the Disney Auctions website under its own banner. In 2009 DisneyAuctions.com was completely shut down and that domain now redirects visitors to DisneyStore.com.
The Walt Disney Company
The Walt Disney Company is the largest media conglomerate in the world in terms of revenue. Founded on October 16, 1923, by Walt and Roy Disney as the Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio, Walt Disney Productions established itself as a leader in the American animation industry before diversifying into...
related items, many of them exclusive. Disney Store is a business unit of Disney Consumer Products
Disney Consumer Products
Disney Consumer Products is a division of The Walt Disney Company that engages in merchandizing of the Disney brand and Disney properties, Lines of business under DCP include Disney Fashion & Home, Disney Food, Health and Beauty, Disney Toys & Social Expressions, Disney Publishing Worldwide and...
. James Fielding serves as the President.
At Disney Stores in North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
, guests can purchase passes to the Disneyland Resort
Disneyland Resort
The Disneyland Resort is a recreational resort in Anaheim, California. The resort is owned and operated by The Walt Disney Company through its Parks and Resorts division and is home to two theme parks, three hotels and a shopping, dining, and entertainment area known as Downtown Disney.The area now...
and the Walt Disney World Resort
Walt Disney World Resort
Walt Disney World Resort , is the world's most-visited entertaimental resort. Located in Lake Buena Vista, Florida ; approximately southwest of Orlando, Florida, United States, the resort covers an area of and includes four theme parks, two water parks, 23 on-site themed resort hotels Walt...
. In France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, Ireland
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, and Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, they may purchase passes to Disneyland Paris. In the UK, they may purchase tickets for both the Walt Disney World Resort
Walt Disney World Resort
Walt Disney World Resort , is the world's most-visited entertaimental resort. Located in Lake Buena Vista, Florida ; approximately southwest of Orlando, Florida, United States, the resort covers an area of and includes four theme parks, two water parks, 23 on-site themed resort hotels Walt...
and Disneyland Paris. In Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, guests can get passes for the Tokyo Disney Resort
Tokyo Disney Resort
is a theme park and vacation resort located in Urayasu, Chiba, Japan, just east of Tokyo. It is owned and operated by the Oriental Land Company with a license from The Walt Disney Company. The resort opened on April 15, 1983, as a single theme park , but developed into a resort with two theme...
.
Locations
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
, the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, Ireland
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
, Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
and Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. A small number of stores were opened in Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
and Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
; however, the Australian stores were closed in 2003, and the only Disney Store in Hong Kong at this time is located in the Hong Kong International Airport
Hong Kong International Airport
Hong Kong International Airport is the main airport in Hong Kong. It is colloquially known as Chek Lap Kok Airport , being built on the island of Chek Lap Kok by land reclamation, and also to distinguish it from its predecessor, the closed Kai Tak Airport.The airport opened for commercial...
, which was renamed The Magic of Hong Kong Disneyland and managed by Hong Kong International Theme Parks
Hong Kong International Theme Parks
Hong Kong International Theme Parks Ltd. is an incorporated company jointly owned by The Walt Disney Company and the Government of Hong Kong), founded in 1999. It owns and operates the Hong Kong Disneyland Resort, on Lantau Island, Hong Kong....
. Disney also operated approximately 15 smaller-scale locations in airports throughout the United States, which were all shuttered in the early 2000s.
In the United States, Canada, and Europe, Disney Stores are owned by The Walt Disney Company. However, Japanese Disney Stores were owned and operated by The Oriental Land Company
The Oriental Land Company
is a Japanese leisure and tourism corporation headquartered in Urayasu, Chiba, Japan. The company owns the Tokyo Disney Resort in Urayasu. The main shareholders of the company are Keisei Electric Railway and Mitsui Fudosan...
, the company that owns and operates the Tokyo Disney Resort
Tokyo Disney Resort
is a theme park and vacation resort located in Urayasu, Chiba, Japan, just east of Tokyo. It is owned and operated by the Oriental Land Company with a license from The Walt Disney Company. The resort opened on April 15, 1983, as a single theme park , but developed into a resort with two theme...
, but have now been bought back by The Walt Disney Company. From November 21, 2004 until May 1, 2008, Disney Stores in the United States and Canada were owned and operated by Hoop Retail Stores, a wholly owned subsidiary of The Children's Place
The Children's Place
The Children’s Place is an American specialty retailer of children’s apparel and accessories founded in 1969. They became publicly traded on the NASDAQ exchange in 1997 under the ticker symbol PLCE...
, LLC. Oriental Land operates Disney Stores under a long-term license agreement with The Walt Disney Company, as did The Children's Place. Until The Children's Place exited the Disney Store business, their operating agreements were to have extended at least 50 years.
Sale of divisions in Japan and North America
Even though the Disney Stores maintained strong sales, mounting cost of sales and operation and the loss of key executives who had driven the Disney Stores to success lead The Walt Disney CompanyThe Walt Disney Company
The Walt Disney Company is the largest media conglomerate in the world in terms of revenue. Founded on October 16, 1923, by Walt and Roy Disney as the Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio, Walt Disney Productions established itself as a leader in the American animation industry before diversifying into...
to convert Disney Stores into a licensed operation. The Japanese stores were licensed to Oriental Land Company in 2002, while most North American stores were licensed in November 2004. The Walt Disney Company decided to keep the stores in Europe, along with the Manhattan store, which was converted into a World of Disney
World of Disney
World of Disney is a chain of specialty retail stores owned and operated by Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, a division of The Walt Disney Company....
store. World of Disney also owns and operates a Disney retail location on the company headquarters in Burbank, California
Burbank, California
Burbank is a city in Los Angeles County in Southern California, United States, north of downtown Los Angeles. The estimated population in 2010 was 103,340....
, accessible only to Disney staff and special guests, along with retail outlets associated with Disney-owned, operated, or leased theaters such as the New Amsterdam in New York City, the El Capitan in Hollywood, and merchandise outlets at its Broadway shows in New York. The Fifth Avenue World of Disney store was closed on December 31, 2009, and was replaced by a smaller Disney Store located in Times Square
Times Square
Times Square is a major commercial intersection in the borough of Manhattan in New York City, at the junction of Broadway and Seventh Avenue and stretching from West 42nd to West 47th Streets...
.
The Children's Place intended to reinvigorate the Disney Store brand in the United States by expanding the number of stores, reducing initial selling prices. Previously, Disney Stores have been well known for inflated initial prices, which would be marked down substantially after just a few weeks. Also, The Children's Place opened Disney outlet stores, which have lower operating costs and typically have a high profit margin even though they have reduced prices versus mall stores. However, Disney's strict licensing agreement, which included the burden of being required to invest significantly in store remodels, contributed to the eventual decision by The Children's Place to exit the business. Additionally, the licensing agreement required the stores to sell goods that only promoted Disney's high-risk and short-lived film properties.
Repurchase of stores
Hoop Retail announced on March 20, 2008 that they were in talks to sell the Disney Store brand back to The Walt Disney CompanyThe Walt Disney Company
The Walt Disney Company is the largest media conglomerate in the world in terms of revenue. Founded on October 16, 1923, by Walt and Roy Disney as the Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio, Walt Disney Productions established itself as a leader in the American animation industry before diversifying into...
, affecting two-thirds of the 335 stores currently operating in North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
, with 98 expected to close after the proposed transaction is completed. This was further confirmed on March 21, 2008, when The Walt Disney Company officially stated that it was interested in buying back a portion of the stores, stating that the Disney Stores are "an important extension of the Disney brand" and that Disney believed a smaller chain "could add value to the Company in the promotion and monetization of its growing number of robust franchises".
Hoop Retail filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy for Hoop Retail LLC, the Children's Place subsidiary which operates the Disney Store chain, on March 27, 2008. The Children's Place stores were not affected by the bankruptcy filing for Hoop Retail. At the time, negotiations with the Walt Disney Company were still underway, with a reported target turnover date for two-thirds of the existing Disney Store locations on May 1, 2008.
On May 1, 2008, approximately 220 Disney Stores in North America became the property of The Walt Disney Company, operating under the Disney Consumer Products arm. The remaining 98 stores in North America closed by the end of summer 2008, turned over to a third-party liquidator. The majority of stores affected by the closures were lower-volume stores; however, a number of newer store locations were shuttered as well. Taking many by surprise, Disney closed its only two stores in the city of San Francisco, the Stonestown Galleria Store and its flagship Union Square Store on Post Street. In Disney Store's heyday, there were three stores in San Francisco; the one at Pier 39 was one of the first Disney Stores to open when the chain began in 1987.
Disney Consumer Products promoted James Fielding to President of Disney Stores Worldwide in May 2008.
Furthermore, Disney Announced in November 2009 that they were planning a massive "re-launching" and re-branding of all Disney Store locations, spear headed by Apple's Steve Jobs, who pioneered the Apple Retail Store Concept.
The Oriental Land Company
The Oriental Land Company
is a Japanese leisure and tourism corporation headquartered in Urayasu, Chiba, Japan. The company owns the Tokyo Disney Resort in Urayasu. The main shareholders of the company are Keisei Electric Railway and Mitsui Fudosan...
announced an agreement that it would sell its Japanese Disney Stores back to The Walt Disney Company
The Walt Disney Company
The Walt Disney Company is the largest media conglomerate in the world in terms of revenue. Founded on October 16, 1923, by Walt and Roy Disney as the Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio, Walt Disney Productions established itself as a leader in the American animation industry before diversifying into...
. Disney would take over beginning April 1, 2010.
Online retail
1995Online retail at The Walt Disney Company began back in 1995 with the opening of The Disney Store Online. At the time, the business was under the Disney Online business unit.
1998
In 1998 the company purchased Infoseek
Infoseek
Infoseek was a popular search engine founded in 1994 by Steve Kirsch.Infoseek was originally operated by the Infoseek Corporation, headquartered in Sunnyvale, California. Infoseek was bought by The Walt Disney Company in 1998, and the technology was merged with that of the Disney-acquired Starwave...
and that purchase included Starwave
Starwave
Starwave was a Seattle, Washington based software and website company, founded in 1993 by Paul Allen, co-founder of Microsoft. The company produced many original CD-ROM titles, including disks for Clint Eastwood, Sting, and Peter Gabriel...
. With that purchase there were now many other online properties under Disney Online including Disney.com
Disney.com
Disney.com is a website, owned by The Walt Disney Company and its subsidiaries, promotes the Disney theme parks and offers entertainment content intended for children....
, DisneyStore.com, MrShowbiz.com, Family.com, Movies.com
Movies.com
Movies.com is a website in the Fandango family, operated by Comcast. It was acquired from Disney in June 2008. It is the second-most visited movie-related website, second only to IMDb. The website has information about movies, upcoming movies, and theater information...
, ESPN.com
ESPN.com
ESPN.com is the official website of ESPN and a division of ESPN Inc. Since launching in 1995 as ESPNet.SportsZone.com, the website has developed numerous sections including: Page 2, SportsNation, ESPN 3.com, ESPN Motion, My ESPN, ESPN Sports Travel, ESPN Video Games, ESPN Insider, ESPN.com's...
, NFL.com, NASCAR.com, NHL.com, etc. This led to a new business named Buena Vista Internet Group
Disney Interactive Media Group
The Disney Interactive Media Group , formerly known as the Walt Disney Internet Group and Disney Interactive Studios, oversees various websites and interactive media owned by The Walt Disney Company and its subsidiaries....
(BVIG) which grouped all internet sites under one business unit.
1999
In 1999 the business was changed from BVIG to Go.com
Go.com
Go.com is a web portal first launched by Jeff Gold, and now operated by the Walt Disney Internet Group, which is a part of The Walt Disney Company. The portal includes content from ABC News, ESPN, and FamilyFun.com, all of which are associated with Disney and are hosted under a .go.com name...
and was then spun that off as a tracking stock
Tracking stock
Tracking stock or targeted stock are specialized equity offerings issued by a company that is based on the operations of a wholly owned subsidiary of a diversified firm. Therefore, the tracking stock will be traded at a price related to the operations of the specific division of the company being...
. Also in 1999 the DisneyStore.com business was moved under a business named Disney Direct Marketing (DDM). DDM was a business entity under the company's Disney Consumer Products
Disney Consumer Products
Disney Consumer Products is a division of The Walt Disney Company that engages in merchandizing of the Disney brand and Disney properties, Lines of business under DCP include Disney Fashion & Home, Disney Food, Health and Beauty, Disney Toys & Social Expressions, Disney Publishing Worldwide and...
(DCP) division and ran the Disney Catalog. At the same time all of this was happening, the team that ran the DisneyStore.com site also built and launched ESPNStore.com, NASCARStore.com, DisneyTickets.com and DisneyAuctions.com.
2001
In 2001 DDM was moved directly under the control of The Disney Stores business.
2004
The sale of The Disney Stores to The Children's Place didn't include the sale of DDM but did include the sale of the DisneyStore.com domain name
Domain name
A domain name is an identification string that defines a realm of administrative autonomy, authority, or control in the Internet. Domain names are formed by the rules and procedures of the Domain Name System ....
, so in 2004 DisneyStore.com was changed to DisneyDirect.com.
2006
In 2006 a complete rebranding was done. Disney Direct Marketing, Inc. was changed to Disney Shopping, Inc. (DSI), the domain was changed from DisneyDirect.com to DisneyShopping.com and the Disney Catalog business was shut down.
2008
In 2008, after the repurchase of the Disney Store business from The Children's Place, the domain was changed back to DisneyStore.com.
2010
In 2010 DSI was moved back under the control of the newly reacquired Disney Store business and a complete redesign of the site was launched. Also in 2010, the Disneystore.co.uk site was completely rebuilt on the same platform as the US site,
2011
The Walt Disney Company purchased Marvel Entertainment
Marvel Entertainment
Marvel Entertainment, LLC , formerly Marvel Enterprises and Toy Biz, Inc., is an American entertainment company formed from the merger of Marvel Entertainment Group, Inc. and Toy Biz, Inc....
in 2009, and in 2011, MarvelStore.com was relaunched using the same technology as the DisneyStore.com site. Also in 2011, a new online store (DisneyStore.fr) for the French market was launched and a new store (DisneyStore.de) for the German market was launched.
Disney Auctions was created in October 2000 with a partnership between The Walt Disney Company
The Walt Disney Company
The Walt Disney Company is the largest media conglomerate in the world in terms of revenue. Founded on October 16, 1923, by Walt and Roy Disney as the Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio, Walt Disney Productions established itself as a leader in the American animation industry before diversifying into...
and eBay
EBay
eBay Inc. is an American internet consumer-to-consumer corporation that manages eBay.com, an online auction and shopping website in which people and businesses buy and sell a broad variety of goods and services worldwide...
. Items like signs and ride vehicles from Disneyland and Walt Disney World were commonly sold as well as costume pieces and props from previously released movies from Walt Disney Studios. In fall of 2006, Disney ended their partnership with eBay and moved the Disney Auctions website under its own banner. In 2009 DisneyAuctions.com was completely shut down and that domain now redirects visitors to DisneyStore.com.