Last year, H-E-B opened a Toyland pop-up store during the holidays and was encouraged by the results. This year, the company is planning on opening at least three of the temporary locations. Who knows, if the test shows results, how many H-E-B Toylands will be opened next holiday season?
According to a source who requested anonymity in speaking with RetailWire, the H-E-B plus supercenter format is "showing strong growth" in toys and electronic games, making the Toyland format a natural to test during a critical sales period for those product categories. The small format stores, under 3,000 square feet, will be open until Jan. 15.
"We're always trying to innovate around retail to see what we can do that's different and better and that better serves our customers," Dya Campos, an H-E-B spokesperson, told the San Antonio Express-News.
The pop-up format allows the chain to test "different things to make access points more convenient for our customers," Ms. Campos said.