Giggles N’ Hugs, Inc. (GIGL) – On the Move with a Proven Restaurant Concept
For years, costly fountains and simple, coin-operated puzzle tables and rides held center court in malls across the U.S. By the 80s though, shopping mall owners and operators had replaced these pieces with less costly art/performance spaces and lounge areas they believed would attract more customers. These days, mall designers are offering new enticements to keep shoppers from shopping online or at competitive locations. They are adding restaurants fit for foodies, promoting real-life services like fitness clubs and hair salons, and turning to cozy play areas to bring in more shoppers (both parents and kids), capture their attention and get them to stay longer in their malls.
Giggles N’ Hugs, which owns and operates three family-friendly restaurants in major malls in the Los Angeles area, has been enjoying this rising trend. Recognizing that the once-humble play area is a thing of the past and that cushy new play areas are the shopping malls’ new secret weapon, the company doubled down with its restaurant concept. At each of its locations, Giggles N’ Hugs has paired innovative, kid-friendly entertainment and play spaces with adult-friendly, organic food and drink menus, and created a popular, family-friendly atmosphere and winning formula that has brought its first three locations notable success. During the course of the first and second quarters of 2015, for example, the company’s sales of $1.75 million surpassed last year’s levels by 6%.
Major expansion is now in the works for Giggles N’ Hugs and its highly marketable restaurant concept. The company is preparing to duplicate this concept at new locations in West Coast markets like Seattle, San Francisco, San Diego and Orange County and has been actively discussing expansion with several large mall owners, including the Westfield Group. Giggles N’ Hugs typically targets kids who are 10 or younger and, in the Westfield Group, the company just might have found a like-minded strategic business partner. At its Galleria at Roseville mall in California, Westfield has been testing out a play area stocked with touch-screen games, puzzles and Jenga-style games more suited to kids aged 6 to 10 who wish to do more than run and climb.
For more information, visit www.gigglesnhugs.com
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