Battle of the Toys: Hamleys vs Sparkys
In the one corner, we have a popular Czech toyshop which opened the four-floor Sparkys House of Toys on Havírská in the centre of Prague in 1998. This was a major event at the time and the toyshop thus became the leader in this sector in the Czech Republic. It is however facing a new competitor this year in the form of the world-famous British department store Hamleys with a tradition stretching back more than 250 years. Will the Czech toyshop succeed in the battle for customers when faced with such strong competition?
High quality and luxury toys for children of all ages are sold in both shops. Both brands have their own teddy bears. So what is the difference?
Points for Hamleys
Apart from two floors full toys, Hamleys also offers children a lot of entertainment and interactive games. Children want to have fun and they can do so here to their heart’s content every day of the week. The main attractions include a cinema, an area to build things from Lego, a luxury roundabout, a talking tree, a slide from the first floor to the ground floor, water games, bulldozers, racing cars and other things for children. Children are welcomed in at the entrance by a large teddy bear, luxury birthday parties most children only dream of are held here and employees are always happy to demonstrate how each individual toy or building set works.
The choice of toys really is endless here, you can buy pick and mix sweets and children can attend a class in rainbow yoga every Monday and Tuesday.
From the things mentioned above, you can see at first glance that Hamleys is focused on children. Their eyes already light up with enthusiasm at the entrance. This is an ingenious concept complemented by brilliant marketing.
Points for Sparkys
Children are also the winners in the Sparkys flagship store. It includes a slide and several children’s play areas including Lego sets. The choice of presents really is wide and you can also find a wide range of board games for adults.
Sparkys specialises in sale of gifts and toys and has opened another 15 shops throughout the Czech Republic over the course of its existence. These are smaller and don’t offer children much entertainment, but on the other hand they do provide parents from outside of Prague the opportunity to buy their children a wide range of high quality luxurious toys.
The verdict?
Each of the above-mentioned shops will attract customers. Sparkys will most likely be patronised by those who need to find presents for their friends’ children, their nephews and nieces and those who are put off by the crowds of children to be found in Hamleys.
However, according to our small private survey, Hamleys will never be at a loss for customers. This is not only due to the fact that it attracts children like a magnet and the parents simply succumb to this, but also due to the fact that it is an internationally famous brand and a shop which is a joy for every foreigner and tourist to visit as it is the largest toyshop in the whole of Europe.
