LCC Broadcast News Room

A celebrity packed party is taking place at the flagship Hamley’s store on Regent Street tonight. Famous faces, including Bill Nighy, Helena Bonham Carter, Kate Moss and Rio Ferdinand, will also be joined by two hundred and fifty children who are the lucky winners of tickets to the party.

"There's so  much going on I don't know where to start! " Garath, Store Manager, Hamley's Regent Street

Garath, manager of the Regent Street store, told LCC that tonight “there’s so much going on I don’t know where to start!” On each floor there will be four or five activities, from people teaching children to dance, to jugglers, to acrobats, entertainers and magicians -“Everything a child could want at a party and more!”

The third floor is entirely dedicated to toys aimed at girls. Sarah from the beauty bar Tantrum explained how all the girls will be invited to come up and have their hair and nails done, “to make them feel a little bit special as they’re walking around enjoying the party.”

Hamley’s is one of London’s oldest and most famous shopping destinations, getting on average five million visitors a year. This makes the toy shop one of the top ten tourist attractions in London along with Buckingham Palace and Big Ben.

The company has survived since 1760 when William Hamley opened it under the name ‘Noah’s Ark’ in Holborn. By 1881 it had become the biggest toy store in the world and moved to its current spot in Regent Street after a fire in 1901.

But Hamley’s has had to develop over the years to keep up with modern trends in shopping and the growth of the internet. Although the appeal of the store lies mostly in the experience of visiting it, almost all the toys Hamley’s sells can be bought through the website.

According to Garath, Hamley’s continues to succeed despite the fact much of its toys are the same as they were a hundred years ago because people still want to shop in different ways. The internet experience doesn’t satisfy everyone and “a lot of people come to Hamley’s just for the experience, and while they’re here they get to see the toys demonstrated”.

 And what’s the secret to Hamley's lasting success? “It’s a cross between a toy store and an entertainment zone for children. There are always children and they will always want toys - it’s a magical place with lots and lots of toys crammed in.”