SANDY, Utah--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Back by popular demand, Warner Bros. Consumer Products (WBCP) and GES Events will once again bring Christmas in the Wizarding World, the family-fun Harry Potter-themed retail experience, to Sandy, Utah. The seasonal store will open at The Shops at South Town on November 1, 2018, and stay open through January 21, 2019.
Christmas in the Wizarding World is reminiscent of the setting and atmosphere of a wintry Hogsmeade village featuring a specially curated selection of Wizarding World merchandise. The engaging shop offers an extensive wand assortment, film-inspired window displays and an enhanced green screen experience, among other interactive elements. Key features of the experience include:
- A wide selection of Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them™ merchandise including: specially designed holiday ornaments and stockings, house sweaters and robes, Bertie Bott’s Every-Flavour Beans and Chocolate Frogs, fan-favorite plush owls, wands, jewelry and branded collectibles
- One-of-a-kind merchandise from the highly anticipated film Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, which hits theaters November 16, 2018
- Shelves filled with hundreds of precariously stacked Ollivanders™ wand boxes
- Photo opportunity, featuring a selection of background options from the Wizarding World
- Quaffle Toss activity where guests can practice their Quidditch skills
- Animated windows throughout the retail experience that will bring the iconic shops from the films to life
“Christmas in the Wizarding World at The Shops at South Town provides fans and shoppers with a magical Harry Potter experience,” said Robin Stapley, VP design and creative, GES Events. “We are so excited to bring this holiday retail experience back to Utah.”
“We are thrilled to host Christmas in the Wizarding World again, where friends, families and fans can enjoy Christmas in this unique and memorable way,” said Heather Nash, marketing manager at The Shops at South Town.
After last year’s successful debut, Christmas in the Wizarding World was recognized with a MAXI Award during the 2018 Global Awards sponsored by the International Council of Shopping Centers. The MAXI Awards showcase the retail real estate industry’s most innovative events, programs and technologies that add value to shopping centers and companies across the country. Read more here.
“We are honored to collaborate with a talented group of people and companies in creating this incredible experience for our guests,” said Najla Kayyem, senior vice president of marketing at Pacific Retail Capital Partners, the owner and operator of The Shops at South Town.
About the Harry Potter Series
Since 1997, the world has been captivated by the magic of the Harry Potter stories from J.K. Rowling. When Harry Potter learns on his eleventh birthday that he is, in fact, a wizard – he is quickly swept up into the spellbinding world of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry alongside new best friends Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger. As the three friends get to grips with Levitation Charms and the rules of Quidditch, one of the darkest wizards of all time, Lord Voldemort, returns to threaten the very future of the wizarding world.
The trio must summon all the courage they can for their extraordinary journey from finding the Philosopher’s Stone, battling Basilisks, to turning back time and the terrifying trials of the Triwizard Tournament. The discovery of a devastating prophecy and a perilous hunt for Horcruxes lead them to face the Dark Lord himself when Harry and his friends must fight to save Hogwarts and the entire wizarding world.
About The Shops at South Town
The Shops at South Town is one of Utah’s largest shopping destinations. Learn more at www.shopsatsouthtown.com, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram.
About Pacific Retail Capital Partners
Pacific Retail Capital Partners (PRCP) is one of the nation’s premier retail operating groups of large open-air centers and enclosed malls in the United States. Learn more at pacificretail.com.
About GES Events
GES Events is part of GES, a Viad Corp (NYSE: VVI) company, and a global, full-service provider for live events, producing corporate events, exhibitions, conferences, congresses, exhibits and entertainment experiences. GES provides a wide range of services, including official show services, audio visual, cutting-edge creative and design, marketing and measurement services, and event registration services – all with an unrivaled global reach. GES partners with leading shows and brands, including Warner Bros. Consumer Products, Spring Fair Birmingham, MAGIC, and CONEXPO-CON/AGG and IFPE. GES’ National Servicenter® has been recognized with certification under the J.D. Power Certified Contact Center Program℠ for the past nine years, and for the ninth year in a row Ad Age has named GES as one of the Nation’s Largest Experiential/Event Marketing Agency Networks. For more information visit www.ges.com.
About Warner Bros. Consumer Products
Warner Bros. Consumer Products (WBCP), a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company, extends the Studio’s powerful portfolio of entertainment brands and franchises into the lives of fans around the world. WBCP partners with best-in-class licensees globally on an award-winning range of toys, fashion, home décor, and publishing inspired by franchises and properties such as DC, J.K. Rowling’s Wizarding World, Looney Tunes and Hanna-Barbera. The division’s successful global themed entertainment business includes groundbreaking experiences such as The Wizarding World of Harry Potter and Warner Bros. World Abu Dhabi (opening 2018). With innovative global licensing and merchandising programs, retail initiatives, promotional partnerships and themed experiences, WBCP is one of the leading licensing and retail merchandising organizations in the world.
HARRY POTTER characters, names and related indicia are © & ™ Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. J.K. ROWLING`S WIZARDING WORLD™ J.K. Rowling and Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. Publishing Rights © JKR. (s18)
