Copyright dailyrecord
There's good news for families with little ones. A popular toy store is coming to the North of Scotland for the first time just ahead of Christmas . The Entertainer, which boasts around 160 stores across the UK, is coming to Aberdeen's Union Square Retail Park on Saturday, November 22, arriving perfectly in time for the festive shopping season. The 2,800 sq.ft store is set to offer a range of popular toys and brand names that are popular with children, such as Lego, Pokémon, Monster High, Disney and Wicked Two. To prepare for the opening in just over three weeks, the retailer is recruiting locally for a number of full-time and part-time roles, alongside temporary positions to support the demand in the lead-up to Christmas, reports the Scottish Sun . While this does mark the first branch for the Scots city, the popular toy chain does offer a presence in many other cities across the country including Glasgow, Dundee, Stirling and Livingston. Founded in 1981, The Entertainer entered into an agreement with Tesco in 2022, with concessions in 33 supermarkets, although this has since expanded to 850 stores across the UK and Ireland. The Entertainer CEO Andrew Murphy OBE said: “We’re thrilled to be bringing The Entertainer to Aberdeen for the very first time. “As the only major city in Scotland without a standalone The Entertainer store, this opening marks an exciting milestone for us and our customers. Our new Aberdeen store will offer everything we’re proud of at The Entertainer. “An exciting range of toys for every budget, the introduction of POP MART collectables to Aberdeen, the convenience of a the very best city centre location and our market leading 30-minute click and collect service. “Across our 160 shops we’re famous for our friendly, helpful and knowledgeable colleagues, as well as support of local charities and communities. “We also offer a ‘Quiet Hour’ to support customers with sensory difficulties during the first hour of every shopping day. Opening in Aberdeen marks a very exciting step in our growth and is a particular pleasure for me personally. "We can’t wait to welcome the people of the city to our brand-new store next month.” News of The Entertainer's opening comes just after news broke that Aberdeen would be losing its only Ikea store , with the Click and Collect outlet based in Wellington Circle set to close after almost a decade, although the date has not been confirmed. However, alongside the opening of a new toy retailer, there have been multiple new openings across Scotland ahead of Christmas, including a newly revamped River Island store at Glasgow's Fort which now marks the largest in the countr y for the fashion firm. Meanwhile, the Silverburn Shopping Centre was just crowned the best shopping centre in the UK after a year of growth, as it scooped the 'Retail Destination of the Year' at the 2025 SCEPTRE Awards - also known as the 'Oscars of retail.' The popular shopping centre has been announcing a host of new openings that includes Jo Malone London, Haribo and H Beauty by Harrods, alongside future announcements from Oliver Bonas, Wingstop and Footasylum.
