“House of Barbie” Shanghai Flagship Store Opens

Mattel has been hyping their massive flagship store in Shanghai for a while now and this past weekend, the $30 million “House of Barbie” finally opened to generally rave reviews. Malcolm Moore of The Telegraph covered the opening, getting right to the point: “I’ll say it straight away – I think the store is the work of a clinical marketing genius and that it will be a huge success in Shanghai. “

Rather than focus on the Barbie dolls, the six-story store features Barbie-themed clothing, jewellery, cosmetics, food and spa treatments, including the “Plastic Smooth” facials (380 RMB, $55) or “Barbie Bust Firming” treatments (380 yuan, $55).

With sales of Barbie falling 21 percent in the last quarter of 2008, Mattel is looking to the China market and a new retail experience to bounce back. And it’s not just young women that Mattel is targeting, but their mothers as well.

In an interview with Reuters, Richard Dickson, a senior vice president in charge of the Barbie brand explains:

Where we’re going in the future is … how to experience the Barbie brand. That’s what this store really is…Moms who were interviewed with the expectation of understanding what they felt about Barbie for their daughters — Barbie resonated for them…A lot of moms today in China grew up knowing Barbie but perhaps not being able to get a Barbie doll.