Freehold Disney Store, 30+ Other Locations To Close In March

FREEHOLD, NJ - Even The Mouse isn’t immune to the economic effects of the coronavirus pandemic.

Earlier this month, Disney announced that it will be closing at least 20 percent of brick-and-mortar Disney Store locations before the end of 2021 as the brand pivots its focus to e-commerce. The company expects to close at least 60 Disney Store sites in North America before evaluating its position in other parts of the globe, according to a news release.

The Freehold Raceway Mall's Disney Store location is set to close on or before March 23, according to the official Disney Store Locator. More than 30 other stores across the country - as well as two Canadian sites - are expected to shutter before March 23.

A Disney Store representative at the Freehold Raceway Mall told Patch that the Freehold location's last day in business will be March 23 or until supplies last. All merchandise will be 25 percent off until the closure.

Disney has announced that it intends to expand its ShopDisney website and increase product offerings to include more streetwear, collectibles and adult apparel. An undisclosed amount of layoffs will coincide with the brick-and-mortar closures, CNBC initially reported.

“While consumer behavior has shifted toward online shopping, the global pandemic has changed what consumers expect from a retailer,” Disney consumer products, games and publishing president Stephanie Young said in a statement. “Over the past few years, we’ve been focused on meeting consumers where they are already spending their time, such as the expansion of Disney store shop-in-shops around the world.”

The first Disney Store opened in Glendale, California in 1987. There are roughly 300 Disney Store locations around the world, with nine stores in the Garden State as of February 2021: Bridgewater, Cherry Hill, Deptford, Edison, Elizabeth, Freehold, Jackson, Paramus and Wayne.

While the Freehold location serves as the only Disney Store site to anticipate a closure on or before March 23, it remains to be seen whether the other New Jersey locations will survive 2021.