At the beginning of March 2021, Disney announced that they will be closing dozens of Disney stores across the United States and Canada. The Walt Disney Company said that they will instead be launching products through their online website and even at other retail stores such as Target. Dozens of Disney stores are slated to close, with locations including stores in California, Arizona, Texas, and other states nationwide. The announcement of store closures comes on the heels of the pandemic shutting down the original Disneyland park for over a year. 

Due to the onset and length of the COVID-19 pandemic, The Walt Disney Company is closing 20% of its brick-and-mortar Disney Store locations in North America (CNBC). This news was heartbreaking for many and caused memories and nostalgia to flood in. One fellow Disney lover, Hailey Johnson (11), said “I think it’s really sad that a lot of Disney stores are closing down across the US, I remember going there as a kid.” 

There is a positive side to the closure of the Disney stores. Disney Store at Target “Shop-in-Shop” Launches Online and in 25 Target Stores Nationwide (TARGET). Disney lovers can still enjoy the pleasant experience of browsing through the Disney store in select Targets! Another substitute for the physical Disney Store closures is visiting the shopDisney website and shopping online! The shopDisney website has the newest Disney products available. Items such as face masks, Disney park nesting bowls, backpacks, pins, plushies, a wide variety of clothing and accessories, home decor, stationery, and kitchen gadgets are all scheduled to make their debut in the online store. The most popular items such as toys and memorabilia will continue to be made readily available.

With the closure of Disney stores, the company can now focus more on the stores in Disneyland since it is set to officially reopen on April 30th of this year! The excitement of the park opening up again has caused fans to order more Disney products in preparation for their trips later in the year. The expansion of the online presence may actually drive up sales for Disney merchandise. Additionally, with widely popular and easily accessible physical stores such as Target expanding their Disney products, accessing Disney items is becoming easier than ever. 

Even though some Disney stores are closing, people still have high hopes for the company! With the onset of their new shows and movies streaming on Disney+, to the reopening of the beloved Disneyland, the company has many great things ahead! Disneyland is even opening an all-new Avenger Campus in the California Adventure park soon! Profits from stores located within the Avenger Campus are expected to be sky-high. 

While physical stores nearby may soon be a thing of the past, Disney merchandise is not going anywhere. The pandemic has certainly changed the way businesses operate, but at least the beloved Disney brand is adjusting to a new way of marketing and giving fans what they want. Whether present mainly online or at sponsored retailers, Disney merchandise will continue to please fans no matter what the future holds.