SCORES of people flocked to the grand opening of Smyths Toys Superstore in Poole yesterday.
The festivities were well under way during the morning, with various TV show characters and goody bag distributors manning the entrance to the brand new store.
Customers were also handed free candyfloss.
The brand new store on the Nuffield Industrial Estate is the former Toys R Us shop.
“The process of getting all this done started in the middle of June this year,” said manager Frank Riley.
“Being able to serve our new customers and see all the happy kids here today is very exciting for us as it’s been a long time coming.”
And there were plenty of happy children marvelling at the selection of toys on offer yesterday.
One Bournemouth dad, who came to the opening event with his two young boys, said: “They were very excited to see PJ Masks as they’re obsessed.”
The store feature everything from LEGO to Paw Patrol.
There’s even a whole section dedicated to Harry Potter.
Laura Kunkels, who is based at the toy store’s head office, said: “We are one of the last companies to offer such a big toy store in the UK.
“We pride ourselves in offering that, especially as technology is progressively growing.
“We think we give our stores that extra magic touch that we can offer to children.”
Since Toys R Us collapsed into administration early last year, the site at Nuffield Industrial Park has been empty.
With Smyths Toys now taking up residency at the site, people are hoping that this will be a long-term solution for the previously empty unit, as well as providing another toy store in the conurbation.
Laura Kunkels said: “We saw there was no Smyths Toys store in this area, so we thought it was a good location.
“We hope it brings a lot of people here.”
Celebrations at the store will continue tomorrow, Saturday, between 9am and 4pm.
Those who visit will be entertained with face painting, while children will also be able to meet some of their favourite characters.
Mr Riley has urged customers to keep an eye out for Forky, his favourite character from Toy Story 4.
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