Hamleys puts loyalty card on trial at flagship store

Hamleys, the iconic British toy store, is launching its first loyalty card scheme.

The Hamleys Star Card will be tested at the company’s flagship Regent Street store in London and if successful will be rolled out to its other stores and website.

Every £1 spent will be rewarded with one star, which will result in 10p off any product purchased. A spend of £100, for example, will result in £10 off the next purchase.

Rowan Luckie, Hamleys direct marketing manager, says: "We have an extremely loyal customer base, and we’re delighted to have the opportunity to provide them with offers. Plus we also get greater insights into what our key customers are buying, enabling us to target our communications much more effectively."

Star Card holders will be invited to product launches, late night shopping evenings and discount events, and will have priority booking to in-store activities. They will also be e-mailed with information on new products and toys.

In addition to its flagship store in London – the largest toy shop in the world – Hamleys has six UK airport stores and an outlet in Swindon. It also has three stores in Denmark and is planning to build the brand by expanding into territories such as Dubai, China and India.

The company has been trading since 1760 and was listed on the London Stock Exchange in 1994 until a management buy-out, supported by Icelandic retail group Baugur, took it private again in 2003.