| Kippreport.com

Build-A-Bear Workshop® Opens its first store in the Gulf at Dubai Festival city

September 24, 2009 12:16 by Aarti Nagraj

Dubai, UAE ( Sep 17, 2009) …The air at Dubai Festival City was filled with fun… frolic… cuddles… warmth….and love, as Build-A-Bear Workshop, global leader in interactive retail, inaugurated its first store in the Gulf. Located on the 1^st floor, on the high traffic “Retail Link Bridge” at Dubai Festival City, the store was officially inaugurated by the Chief Guest, Ms. Laila Suhail, CEO of Dubai Shopping Festival Office. Children from Dubai Centre for Special Needs cheered along with their furry friends, as the official opening ceremony took place in the presence of DFC officials, media and senior representatives from both USA and Dubai Build-A-Bear Workshop Head Quarters among other Guests.

Build-A-Bear Workshop is based on the premise that nearly everyone, regardless of age, has a special fondness for stuffed animals. When Guests visit a Build-A-Bear Workshop store, they enter a light-hearted teddy-bear-themed environment consisting of eight bear-making stations. Guests choose from a wide variety of furry friends to make. They stuff their new friend, give it a heart filled with wishes – a Build-A-Bear Workshop trademark – and make a personalised birth certificate. Guests can further personalise their new friend by recording their own message to place inside their furry friend and by choosing from a wide selection of unique fashions and accessories.

“Dubai Shopping Festival Office, in its capacity as an agency of the Dubai Department of Economic Development, stands firmly behind any initiative that can elevate the standards of the local retail sector; it’s in our mandate to support innovative ideas such as “Build-A-Bear Workshop” that will enrich the shopping experience in Dubai” said, Ms. Laila Suhail, CEO – Dubai Shopping Festival Office.

“Build-A-Bear Workshop’s innovative store concept takes interactive entertainment retailing to a new level, combining the process of making your own stuffed animal in the exciting atmosphere created in our store and fun of shopping. Build-A-Bear Workshop is a unique concept and it gives me great pleasure to launch our first store in Dubai. We will be opening our next store at Dubai Marina Mall while looking for other premier store locations within UAE as well as expanding into other GCC countries”, said Anders Carlsson, General Manager, Build-A-Bear Workshop Gulf States.

“Moreover, we have always believed in focusing on and supporting good causes that support children and after much deliberation we partnered with Dubai Center for Special Needs. This fantastic organisation is dedicated to providing great support to children with special needs as well as their families and is therefore in line with our corporate mission. In addition to special events that we will arrange to support the Center, we will also be providing ongoing support through the sale of our Champ Bear. Champ Bear is our champion for good causes and when our guests purchase this bear, part of the proceeds from the sale, will be donated to the Center, added Anders Carlsson, General Manager, Build-A-Bear Workshop Gulf States.

About Build-A-Bear Workshop^®

Build-A-Bear Workshop, Inc., is the only global company that offers an interactive make-your-own stuffed animal retail-entertainment experience. Founded in the United States, in 1997, the company currently operates more than 400 Build-A-Bear Workshop stores worldwide, including company-owned stores in the United States, Puerto Rico, Canada, the United Kingdom, Ireland and France, and franchise stores in Europe, Asia, Australia and Africa. For more information, visit local website www.buildabear.ae or international www.buildabear.com

TRADEMARKS

We would like to thank you for your interest in covering our business. As you write your story, we would ask that you use our full Name: Build-A-Bear Workshop^® and that when referencing the process of making stuffed animals you use the word “make” not “build”.

Build-A-Bear Workshop is our well-known trade name and our registered trademark of Build-A-Bear Retail Management, Inc. Build-A-Bear Workshop^® should only be used in capital letters to refer to our products and services and should not be used as a verb.

For more information, contact:

Swapnali Chitre

Pulse 360

Mob: 050-8235461

Email: swapnali@pulse360me.com