The Entertainer (retailer)

British toy retailer

The Entertainer (Amersham) Limited

Formerly|

* Funtech Limited (September–November 1986)
* Peter James Limited (1986–2001)[1]

Company type| Limited company
Industry| Retail
Founded| 1981; 44 years ago (1981)
Founder| Catherine and Gary Grant
Headquarters| Amersham, England

Number of locations

| 160 (Aug 2025)

Area served

* United Kingdom
* Isle of Man
* Jersey
* United Arab Emirates
* Pakistan
* Azerbaijan
* Ireland (in Tesco)
* Indonesia
* Singapore
* Malaysia

Key people

| Andrew Murphy (chief executive)
Gary Grant (executive chairman)
Brands|

* Gamleys (defunct)
* ToyZone (defunct)

Owner| Employee owned (EOT)[2]

Number of employees

| 1,900 (Aug 2025)
Parent| TEAL Group Holdings
Subsidiaries|

* Addo
* Early Learning Centre

Website| thetoyshop.com
The Entertainer, Southside Wandsworth, London

The Entertainer (Amersham) Limited is a British toy retailer founded in 1981 by Catherine and Gary Grant. It is based in Amersham, UK, the town of its first location. The company sells popular toys such as Barbie, Lego and Hot Wheels. As of August 2025, the retailer has 160 stores across the United Kingdom, Jersey, the Isle of Man and some franchises in Asian territories and 1,900 employees.[3] It operates a concession partnership with the supermarket chains Tesco and Marks & Spencer, with 1,000 concessions in the UK and Ireland.[3][4]The retailer has had an online business since 1999, called TheToyShop.com.[5]

## History

[edit]

In 1981, married couple Catherine and Gary Grant took over The Pram and Toy Bar in Amersham, with Catherine coming up with 'The Entertainer' as its new trading name.[6]

In 1985, they purchased their second shop, in Beaconsfield.[7] In April 1991, ten years after the acquisition of the toy shop in Amersham, the chain opened its third shop in Slough. The company then underwent massive expansion and, by 2001, the chain had opened its 25th shop, in the Victoria Centre in Nottingham.[8] By November 2008, the chain had 50 stores.[9]

In February 2013, The Entertainer extended to Pakistan and Dubai through franchise agreements.[10]

In March 2014, the retailer opened its 100th store, in Aylesbury.[11]

In May 2014, a location opened in Abu Dhabi.[12] In November 2014, a store in Azerbaijan opened in partnership with The Zeta Group.[13]

In September 2018, a partnership began with Matalan, opening 59 in-store concessions under the name 'Totally Toys'.[14]

In December 2018, The Entertainer announced it had rescued Poly Toys in Spain from administration, with 57 stores and 350 jobs saved.[15]

In February 2019, The Entertainer purchased Early Learning Centre from Mothercare, which included 520 international franchise outlets.[16]

In March 2020, the retailer closed all 172 of its stores temporarily, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[17]

In May 2021, The Entertainer converted one of its Poly Toys stores in Spain to The Entertainer fascia.[18]

In October 2020, The Entertainer started a trial programme with Asda, replacing the supermarket's existing toy aisles with branded concessions in some stores.[19] The programme ended in February 2022.[20]

In September 2022, The Entertainer signed a new trial agreement with Tesco, placing in-store concessions in 35 supermarkets.[21] In January 2024, Tesco announced they would extend this agreement to 850 stores throughout the UK and Ireland.[22]

In September 2023, the company appointed Andrew Murphy as its new group chief executive, who joined the following month from John Lewis Partnership.[23]

In March 2024, it was announced that Poly Toys in Spain would begin liquidation procedure.[24]

In April 2025, it was announced the Tesco concession partnership would expand to include over 2,000 Tesco Express stores.[25]

In August 2025, the founders announced that they were transferring their entire ownership of the company to an employee ownership trust, which would become effective from September 2025.[26] Announcing the deal, Gary Grant said: "This is good for the business and it’s really good for our staff. Finishing well and leaving a business that has over many decades tried to be a force for good is really important to us.".[3] As part of the deal, the founders will get a return from future profits.[3]

## Religious views

[edit]

Both Catherine and Gary are devout Christians, and consequently the retailer does not open on Sundays, which is considered the Lord's Day in Christianity.[27] The retailer also does not stock toys that resemble realistic firearms, or items themed around witchcraft, such as Harry Potter merchandise and anything to do with Halloween.[28] Gary has remarked that he only wishes to sell toys that he considers to be "wholesome".[28]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "THE ENTERTAINER (AMERSHAM) LIMITED overview". Companies House. 24 September 1986. Retrieved 25 January 2024.
2. ^ https://www.retailgazette.co.uk/blog/2025/08/the-entertainer-ownership/
3. ^ a b c d Fish, Isabella; Witherow, Tom (11 August 2025). "The Entertainer's founder puts toy retailer in hands of employees". www.thetimes.com. Retrieved 12 August 2025.
4. ^ Wright, Georgia (16 October 2024). "The Entertainer opens over 850 toy concessions in Tesco - Retail Gazette". Retrieved 9 December 2024.
5. ^ "Ecommerce at The Entertainer". Retail Week. Retrieved 16 May 2024.
6. ^ "Toy shop chain celebrates 20 years". Bucks Free Press. 19 July 2001. Retrieved 16 May 2024.
7. ^ "'Loved' town toy store bids farewell after three decades". Bucks Free Press. 23 September 2022. Retrieved 16 May 2024.
8. ^ Hope, Katie (2 November 2015). "How one O-level led to a multi-million pound toy empire". BBC News. Retrieved 16 May 2024.
9. ^ Wood, Zoe (17 December 2009). "The Entertainer's Gary Grant: the Christian toyshop entrepreneur". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 5 December 2024.
10. ^ Holland, Tiffany (20 February 2013). "The Entertainer to open first overseas stores in Pakistan and Dubai". Retail Week. Retrieved 5 December 2024.
11. ^ "The Entertainer to open its 100th store". Retail Bulletin. 30 January 2015. Retrieved 5 December 2024.
12. ^ "Toy shop entrepreneur tells his life story". Bucks Free Press. 4 June 2014. Retrieved 5 December 2024.
13. ^ "Home page" (in Azerbaijani). The Entertainer Azerbaijan. Archived from the original on 23 February 2025.
14. ^ "The Entertainer boasts 38% rise in profits - Retail Gazette". 4 October 2018. Retrieved 16 May 2024.
15. ^ ricky (17 December 2018). "The Entertainer announces acquisition of Spanish toy retailer Poly". Toy World Magazine | The business magazine with a passion for toys. Retrieved 20 August 2024.
16. ^ "The Entertainer Selects Mapp to Drive Insight-Led Customer Engagement". Martech Series. 25 May 2020. Retrieved 22 June 2020.
17. ^ "The Entertainer to close 172 stores nationwide". News and Star. 23 March 2020. Retrieved 16 May 2024.
18. ^ Jahshan, Elias (12 May 2021). "The Entertainer launches first store In Spain - Retail Gazette". Retrieved 20 August 2024.
19. ^ Quinn, Ian (14 October 2020). "Asda launches 'store within store' concept with toy retailer The Entertainer". The Grocer. Retrieved 16 May 2024.
20. ^ Newbold, Mark (18 November 2021). "The Entertainer and Asda to end in-store partnership February 2022". Fantha Tracks | Daily Star Wars News. Retrieved 16 May 2024.
21. ^ Tugby, Luke (8 September 2022). "Tesco and The Entertainer launch concession partnership". Retail Week. Retrieved 16 May 2024.
22. ^ Hawthorne, Ellis (5 January 2024). "Tesco and The Entertainer partnership rolled out to 850 stores". Retail Week. Retrieved 16 May 2024.
23. ^ Casal, Marianna (14 September 2023). "The Entertainer announces Andrew Murphy as new CEO". Toy World Magazine | The business magazine with a passion for toys. Retrieved 12 August 2025.
24. ^ Anita (19 March 2024). "The Entertainer owned Poly Toys begins liquidation procedure". Toy World Magazine. Retrieved 20 August 2024.
25. ^ Morgan, Aoife (23 April 2025). "The Entertainer to launch in over 2,000 Tesco Express stores - Retail Gazette". Retrieved 23 April 2025.
26. ^ Simpson, Emma (11 August 2025). "Entertainer founder hands over toy shop chain to staff". BBC News. Retrieved 11 August 2025.
27. ^ Macintyre, James (27 July 2017). "'God just got me': How this businessman's Christian conversion is helping spread a revolution across the retail industry". www.christiantoday.com. Retrieved 16 May 2024.
28. ^ a b Meredith, Fionola (19 August 2016). "No Potter and no Halloween - welcome to the new toy store that's founded on superstition". Belfast Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235.

## External links

[edit]

* Official website