Party City will accelerate remodels to expand a new store format that features a dedicated service area for the retailer’s extensive balloon assortment along with “birthday worlds,” designed to be one-stop shops for both kids’ and adults’ celebrations. The retailer, which emerged from bankruptcy in October 2023 with a fleet of more than 750 stores, plans to introduce the new format in several locations across the U.S. during the first half of 2024.
“We have moved away from the traditional aisle experience and have developed two birthday worlds within each store,” said Dion Miliaresis, VP of Merchandising at Party City in a statement. “These are complete mini-shops, with everything brought together in one place. This makes it easy for the customer to find everything they need and to hopefully discover a few surprises and fun ideas to add to their celebration along the way.”
The new format also gives Party City the opportunity to test new product assortments, especially focused on categories related to kids’ celebrations such as trending toys, favors and more.
“The customer is at the center of everything,” said Bill Lanza, Head of Stores at Party City in a statement. “This store format allows for a redefined shopping experience to help ease their celebration planning. The new merchandising approach is translating to increases in cross-sales and adjacent product categories. These factors have prompted us to look at how we can accelerate this format and bring this experience to more of our customers across the country.”
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One of the reformatted stores, in Cumberland, Ga., is holding a Grand Re-Opening today featuring Party City’s spring merchandise, including St. Patrick’s Day, Easter and baseball, and offering the first 25 customers a $25 gift card. Additional events are planned for the coming months.
