Disney's New Stores (DIS)

Disney's New Stores

Just because Disney (NYSE: DIS ) handed over its Disney Store franchise to The Children's Place (Nasdaq: PLCE ) doesn't mean that the family-entertainment giant has given up on retail. A new high-end apparel store adjacent to its flagship Disneyland attraction and a chain of Disney Artist stationery shops in India show that the company continues to take its consumer products division seriously enough to reach out to potential customers itself.

Disney Vault 28 is opening this week at the Downtown Disney complex in Anaheim, Calif. It features upscale clothing items that can run into the hundreds of dollars. If successful, it's easy to see the concept being ported to its original Downtown Disney shopping and entertainment complex in Florida.

The more intriguing concept finds Disney teaming up with India's RJ Corp. to make its mark in the world's second-most populous nation. Disney Artist will sell Disney-branded stationery goods and crafts. If things go according to plan, there may be 150 Disney Artist stores in India in five years.

Even though Disney doesn't have a theme park presence in India, it has been investing in the country. After the stateside success of High School Musical, Disney was quick to recast a version for India. Over the summer, it acquired an Indian television channel dedicated to children's programming. The over/under line on Disney making an announcement to open a theme park in India? I'd say it's about 18 months away.

The over/under line on Disney launching a new retail concept? The way things have been going lately, blink and you might miss it.

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Longtime Fool contributor Rick Munarriz enjoys taking his family to amusement parks of all sizes, all over the country. Shopping for paper products? That's a different story. He owns shares in Disney. Rick is also part of the Rule Breakers newsletter research team, seeking out tomorrow's ultimate growth stocks a day early. The Fool has a disclosure policy.

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