Glasgow youngsters can unwrap a special early Christmas present from today -- their very own branch of world famous toystore Hamleys.

Today’s opening comes as part of a £100 million extension of the city’s St Enoch Centre.

And the new shop has been designed to bring the magic and entertainment of the firm’s London store to Glasgow.

The Evening Times was the first newspaper to be given a sneak peek inside the store, which has around 8000 different toys and is half the size of the pitch at Hampden Park.

At one entrance a giant red bus driven by a massive teddy bear greets shoppers, its loaded with hundreds of pink-boxed Barbie dolls.

Nearby is the store’s aptly named Tantrums Salon, for little princesses to have their nails and hair done.

And just around the corner is a Boys’ Own dream with Scalextric, Hornby and Action Man toys among the hundreds lining the shelves.

And if you’re not sure which one of the remote control cars to choose, you can test them out on a giant in-store racetrack.

Younger children will be catered for in a special pre-school area -- complete with a bandstand where fun storytelling sessions will be held.

Plus there is a special party room which can be hired for birthday bashes.

Bosses have taken care to give the one-level store a special Glasgow touch, with a frieze featuring famous landmarks including the Science Centre, Clyde Arc Bridge and Kelvingrove Museum.

Other highlights include a free ‘dial-a-disk’ phonebooth where shoppers can choose the in-store music, a cubicle where kids can try on the array of fancy dress costumes on offer and special demonstrator stands where staff show off toys, games and magic tricks.

The lady with the keys to the toyshop is manager Sam Connolly, 31, from Motherwell.

She hopes to recreate the magic she remembers from her childhood visits to Hamleys’ Regent Street shop.

She said: “When they walk in here their jaws will hit the floor! It’s going to blow their minds. There are toy shops -- and then there’s Hamleys.

“Hamleys stands for something special -- I want to make sure when we bring it to Glasgow we continue that magic and theatre.

“People will want to come back and we will continue to surprise them every time.

“I’m so excited -- I feel a bit like a kid myself!”

Susan Nicol, general manager at the St Enoch Centre, said: “The shop looks amazing. Hamley’s is mainly about entertainment -- If people haven’t been to the London Hamleys they will be very surprised by the amount of experiences and entertainment within the store and we’ll be spilling that out into the malls.”

Nigel Wheatley, Hamleys retail manager said they decided to open in Glasgow because of the city’s official status as best place to shop outside London -- plus the unique spot which came up in the St Enoch Centre.

He said: “Hopefully, like us, Glaswegians are very excited that we’re here.

“Apart from the wide range of toys it’s all about the experience. We pride ourselves that children and adults can come in and play with the toys. But it’s the selection, the size, the theatre and the entertainment.

 

Nothing can compare to the Regent Street store -- it’s 249 years old -- but I’d like to think in 200 years time we could be doing the same thing here!”

The shop has around 35 staff with an extra 30 taken on for Christmas, plus another 20 working at in-store concessions Game and gadget company Red 5.

The cheapest item in the store is a £1 box of chalk, while those with cash to splash can get their hands on a £1500 crystal encrusted model Lamborghini.

Shoppers can enter the store via an escalator in the new ‘glass box’ addition created as part of the extension to the mall.

It is part of the first phase of a makeover for the 20-year-old shopping centre.

Hamleys was set up by Cornishman William Hamley in London in 1760.

The St Enoch shop is the firm’s first UK flagship outside London.

It has others in Dublin, Denmark, Jordan and Dubai as well as travel shops at airports.

Meanwhile, older shoppers are also in for a treat.

The second H&M store to be unveiled in Glasgow this month was also set to open at noon today.

The firm has another new branch on Buchanan Street, meaning it currently has one at each end of the city’s most stylish shopping street.

However, bosses have confirmed they will close the old H&M store in Buchanan Galleries on December 20.

Magnus Olsson, H&M’s UK and Ireland manager said: “Glasgow is an extremely fashionable city and we’ve been looking for the right locations on Buchanan Street and Argyle Street for some time. With these two new stores, H&M is now present on these key streets, just in time for Christmas.”

sarah.swain@

eveningtimes.co.uk