Disney Stores Return… Sort Of (Ep. 96)

About this episode

Jim Hill and Lauren Hersey discuss Disney's retail strategies and the evolution of Disney fandom.

Jim Hill and Lauren Hersey unpack Disney’s latest retail experiment with pop-up stores, explore how movie theaters are turning merch into must-have experiences, and dig into the surprising origins of Disney fandom and collecting. From Pittsburgh store openings to high-fashion popcorn buckets, this episode connects the dots between Disney’s past and its evolving strategy to turn every experience into something you can take home. NEWS • Disney Store “comeback” revealed as limited-time pop-up retail experiences in select cities • First pop-up location announced for Pittsburgh, with another coming to Paramus, New Jersey • Disney partners with Go Retail Group to reduce overhead while testing physical retail demand • Movie theaters lean into merch with The Devil Wears Prada 2 collectible bundles and fashion-themed popcorn containers • Disney introduces “Infinity Vision,” a premium large-format theater experience to compete with IMAX availability FEATURE • How the 1970 MGM auction helped spark the rise of Disney collecting culture • Roy O. Disney’s response: creating the Disney Archives to preserve company history • The role of early guidebooks in shaping the Disneyana marketplace •…

People in this episode

Hosts: Jim Hill, Lauren Hersey

Topics covered

• Disney retail
• pop-up stores
• Disney fandom
• collecting culture
• movie theater merchandise
• Disney history

Keywords

• Disney Stores
• pop-up retail
• merchandise
• Disney collecting
• movie theaters
• Infinity Vision

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Disney, Go Retail Group

Places: Pittsburgh, Paramus, New Jersey

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