MANILA, Philippines - In this happiest season of the year, SSI Group Inc., the no. 1 specialty retailer in the Philippines, brings the iconic toy brand Hamleys to the country with its first store at Central Square, Bonifacio High Street, opening on Dec. 20 at 12 noon. Hamleys has over 250 years of experience in bringing smiles and laughter to children.
Growing up in Cornwall, England, William Hamley might have become a tin miner. Or a fisherman. But William had other ideas. He dreamed of opening the best toy shop in the world and in 1760, he did, cramming “Noah's Ark” with every kind of toy, from rag dolls to tin soldiers. Over the street sellers' calls and horses' hooves ringing on the cobbles, you could just make out the delighted cries of children as they approached the window. By the time Queen Victoria came to the throne in 1837, Hamleys was already a London landmark. Families flocked to William's “Joy Emporium.”
So successful was the shop that in 1881 a new branch opened on Regent Street. To cope with the public's growing appetite for playthings. Hamleys added a further five floors of toys. Hamleys faced hard times in the late 1920s, along with everybody else. In 1931, the picture looked bleak and the shop was forced to close and its horse-drawn delivery vans were stilled. But this story has a happy ending. Walter Lines, chairman of the Tri-Ang company, bought Hamleys and worked hard to bring customers back. In 1938, his efforts were rewarded. Queen Mary gave Hamleys the Royal Warrant. Even after being bombed five times during World War II did not stop Hamleys. Wearing tin hats, staff served at the shop entrance, rushing in to collect the toys then handing them over at the door.
The Festival of Britain in 1951 brought a Grand Doll's Salon as well as a vast model railway to amaze children. When she came to the throne, Queen Elizabeth II showed she still remembered the toys her grandmother had given her. She in turn gave Hamleys toys to her own children. In 1955, the Queen honored Walter Lines with a second Royal Warrant as a “Toys and Sports Merchant.” But it was the children's smiles that truly rewarded Walter Lines and his staff.
Today, we find Hamleys in its famous location at 188-196 Regent St., London, England. The familiar sound of children cheering and giggling will be heard in Central Square now that Hamleys is opening in the Philippines. A second toy shop in the country is set to open next year.
From over 250 years ago, the toys may have changed, but the same delighted faces are seen on anyone who enters the Hamleys toy shop — whether in Regent Street, Central Square or other parts of the world.
In the Philippines, Hamleys is exclusively distributed by Stores Specialists, Inc. (SSI), a member of the SSI Group, and will open at Central Square tomorrow, Dec. 20.