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The Entertainer (Amersham) Limited
Formerly	Funtech Limited (September–November 1986); Peter James Limited (1986–2001);
Company type	Limited company
Industry	Retail
Founded	1981; 44 years ago
Founder	Catherine and Gary Grant
Headquarters	Amersham, England
Number of locations	166
Area served	United Kingdom; Isle of Man; Jersey; United Arab Emirates; Pakistan; Azerbaijan; Ireland (in Tesco);
Brands	Gamleys (defunct); ToyZone (defunct);
Owner	TEAL Group Holdings
Subsidiaries	Addo; Early Learning Centre;
Website	thetoyshop.com

The Entertainer (Amersham) Limited is a British toy retailer, founded in 1981 by Catherine and Gary Grant. It is based in Amersham, the town of its first location.

As of November 2024, the retailer has 166 stores across the United Kingdom, Jersey, the Isle of Man, as well as some franchises in Asian territories.^[2] It operates a concession partnership with the supermarket chain, Tesco, with 850 concessions in the UK and Ireland.^[3] The retailer has had an online business since 1999, called TheToyShop.com.^[4]

History

In 1981, married couple Catherine and Gary Grant took over The Pram and Toy Bar in Amersham, with Catherine coming up with 'The Entertainer' as its new trading name.^[5]

In 1985, they purchased their second shop, located in Beaconsfield.^[6] In April 1991, ten years after the acquisition of the toy shop in Amersham, the chain opened its third shop in Slough. The company then underwent massive expansion and, by 2001, the chain had opened its 25th shop, located in the Victoria Centre in Nottingham.^[7] By November 2008, the chain had 50 stores.^[8]

In February 2013, The Entertainer extended to Pakistan and Dubai through franchise agreements.^[9]

In March 2014, the retailer opened its 100th store in Aylesbury.^[10]

In May 2014, a location opened in Abu Dhabi.^[11] In November 2014, a store in Azerbaijan opened in partnership with The Zeta Group.^[12]

In September 2018, a partnership began with Matalan, opening 59 in-store concessions under the name 'Totally Toys'.^[13]

In December 2018, The Entertainer announced it had rescued Poly Toys in Spain from administration, with 57 stores and 350 jobs saved.^[14]

In February 2019, The Entertainer purchased Early Learning Centre from Mothercare, which included 520 international franchise outlets.^[15]

In March 2020, the retailer closed all 172 of its stores temporarily, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.^[16]

In May 2021, The Entertainer converted one of its Poly Toys stores in Spain to The Entertainer fascia.^[17]

In October 2020, The Entertainer started a trial programme with Asda, replacing the supermarket's existing toy aisles with branded concessions in selected stores.^[18] The programme ended in February 2022.^[19]

In September 2022, The Entertainer signed a new trial agreement with Tesco, placing in-store concessions in 35 supermarkets.^[20] In January 2024, Tesco announced they would extend this agreement to 850 stores throughout the UK and Ireland.^[21]

In March 2024, it was announced that Poly Toys in Spain would begin liquidation procedure.^[22]

Religious views

Catherine and Gary are both devout Christians, and as such the retailer does not open on a Sunday; which is considered the Lord's Day in Christianity.^[23] The retailer also does not stock toys that resemble realistic firearms, or toys associated with the occult or witchcraft, such as Harry Potter and Halloween.^[24] Gary has remarked that he only wishes to sell toys that he considers to be "wholesome".^[25]