Specialist children’s retailer Build-A-Bear Workshop has announced the company’s ‘Pay Your Age Day’ promotion will launch in Australian stores this week.

In July, the limited-time promotion caused wide-spread chaos across company-owned stores in the U.S., U.K. and Canada, generating over 2.9 billion social media impressions.

The promotion was so successful, stores were forced to shut down amid crowd and safety concerns, with lines stretching out the door and wait-times exceeding five hours.

Speaking at the time, Neil Saunders, managing director of GlobalData Retail said the brand had become a “victim of its own success”.

“With much higher than anticipated demand for its “pay your age day” promotion, Build-A-Bear Workshop has become a victim of its own success. The decision to shut stores and end the promotion early was necessary on both safety and operational grounds, but it will damage the brand,” Saunders said.

“The good news is that the high demand indicates that the Build-A-Bear concept remains relevant and popular. While the company needs to plan future promotions far better, there is seemingly an opportunity to stimulate sales with the right deals and offers.”

Build-A-Bear Workshop Australia, the country’s largest franchisee is the first partner globally to weigh into that opportunity, however, reiterated that lessons had been learnt from previous promotions overseas.

“Based on that success and lessons learnt, Build-A-Bear Workshop Australia…is the first franchisee globally to launch its own version of the deal with important updates to help ensure the best possible experience for as many guests as possible,” the brand said in a statement.

On November 15, Build-A-Bear Workshop Australia will kick-off its “I Heart Birthdays” program, with 28 stores across the country hosting Australia’s first “Pay Your Age Day” promotion.

On offer is one of four eligible toys, with guests who visit a Build-A-Bear Workshop Australia store during the one-day event receiving a furry friend for the cost of their current age, in dollars.

Author: Nick Hall

This story originally appeared on sister-site Inside Franchise Business. 

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