Learning Express Toys, incorporated in 1987 as Learning Express, Inc., is a specialty toy, game and book retailer and

franchisor Franchising is based on a marketing concept which can be adopted by an organization as a strategy for business expansion. Where implemented, a franchisor licenses some or all of its know-how, procedures, intellectual property, use of its busine ...

headquartered in

Devens, Massachusetts Devens is a regional enterprise zone and census-designated place in the towns of Ayer and Shirley (in Middlesex County) and Harvard (in Worcester County) in the U.S. state of Massachusetts. It is the successor to Fort Devens, a military post tha ...

, United States. The company franchises specialty toy stores in the United States, each locally owned and operated. It also operates online at learningexpress.com.

History

Sharon DiMinico, chair of the

Board of Directors A board of directors (commonly referred simply as the board) is an executive committee that jointly supervises the activities of an organization, which can be either a for-profit or a nonprofit organization such as a business, nonprofit organiz ...

and parent of two children at Groton Community School, proposed a

business plan A business plan is a formal written document containing the goals of a business, the methods for attaining those goals, and the time-frame for the achievement of the goals. It also describes the nature of the business, background information on t ...

in 1987 for the school to open a specialty toy store in order to prevent tuition increases. Later that spring, the school opened the first Learning Express in

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, Massachusetts, and, six months later, Sharon opened the first store owned by Learning Express, Inc. in Needham, Massachusetts. Inspired by an article about

franchising Franchising is based on a marketing concept which can be adopted by an organization as a strategy for business expansion. Where implemented, a franchisor licenses some or all of its know-how, procedures, intellectual property, use of its busine ...

Inc. Magazine ''Inc.'' is an American business magazine founded in 1979 and based in New York City. The magazine publishes six issues per year, along with surrounding online and social media content. The magazine also produces several live and virtual events y ...

, Sharon licensed the company's first franchise location in

Andover Andover may refer to: Places Australia * Andover, Tasmania Canada * Andover Parish, New Brunswick * Perth-Andover, New Brunswick United Kingdom * Andover, Hampshire, England ** RAF Andover, a former Royal Air Force station United States * Ando ...

, Massachusetts in 1990.

Stores

Most Learning Express Toys locations are in strip centers, regional malls, lifestyle centers, and town centers. They range in size from around 1,200 square feet to 4,000 square feet, though 2,500 square feet is a typical size.

Convention

Since 1999, Learning Express Toys has produced an annual convention for its store owners, vendors, and other members of the toy industry. The event is held in various locations in the United States. The final evening is generally reserved for an Awards Banquet, where members of the community give and receive honors for their contributions to the Learning Express Toys community. Notable vendor awards include "Vendor of the Year" and "Toy of the Year."

Catalog

Learning Express Toys produces several print catalogs each year and two during the critical toy industry holiday season during November and December. The holiday catalog is distributed to customers nationwide. Individual store owners use the catalog as a guide for toy purchases throughout the year.Toy Directory Monthly -
Learning Express CEO Knows Specialty Retail
- February 2006

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Learning Express Inc Companies based in Middlesex County, Massachusetts 1987 establishments in Massachusetts Retail companies established in 1987 Toy retailers of the United States