A UK biggest toy retailer is set to open three new stores across the UK. The Entertainer has announced plans to expand, with 160 standalone stores and over 1,000 concessions in other retailers.

One of these new spots will be a relocating store in Cardiff. The new shop in St David's Shopping Centre in Cardiff will be 25% larger than the current site. The second store will open at Junction 32 outlet village in Castleford, West Yorkshire. The third store is first to open in May at The Galleria in Hatfield, Hertfordshire.

This will be The Entertainer's first large-scale outlet store, at over 8,000 sq ft. This follows the company opening its first outlet store at Dalton Park in County Durham in 2025. TEAL Group chief executive Andrew Murphy said: "As Britain's Toy Shop, we're constantly identifying opportunities to expand our UK business and improve the quality of our existing physical estate."

He added: "I'm delighted with how our plans for 2026 are shaping up in that regard, with a fabulous upgrade in location, size and environment imminent for our very successful Cardiff St David's store, a huge vote of confidence in our brand from the owners of J32 in Castleford and - first off the blocks - our biggest new store for well over a decade opening during May at The Galleria in Hatfield."

Murphy also signalled further announcements to come, adding there was "great news incoming for toy enthusiasts in Manchester, Bedford and the Channel Islands".

This comes after the founder, Gary Grant, handed over the chain to staff in August of last year. The Entertainer, which also owns Early Learning Centre and Addo, was put into a trust with payments to the family to come out of profits.

An employee advisory board now has influence over the direction of the company and staff will benefit from tax-free bonuses based on profits.

The company is run by former John Lewis executive, Andrew Murphy, who is using his experience at the UK's biggest employee-owned business to shape the toy giant.

The Entertainer follows other companies handing over control to staff, including entertainment technology retailer, Richer Sounds, and vegetable box seller, Riverford.