Build-A-Bear Workshop

Build-A-Bear Workshop Inc. is the US specialty interactive-experience retailer listed on the New York Stock Exchange under BBW and headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri. The company operates a vertically integrated model anchored by the proprietary in-store stuff-and-customize-your-own-stuffed-animal experience that defines the brand’s commercial proposition and distinguishes it from broader toy retail.

Founded in 1997 in St. Louis by Maxine Clark, who left a successful department-store executive career to launch the brand around the in-store experience of stuffing, dressing, and personalizing a teddy bear or other plush animal, Build-A-Bear pioneered a category of experiential retail that fundamentally combined entertainment, product, and personalization mechanics. Sharon Price John has led the company as CEO since 2013, having taken over from founder Maxine Clark and overseeing the multi-year transformation that returned the brand to profitable growth, expanded the product portfolio beyond pure children’s plush, and developed the multi-channel-and-multi-format retail strategy that defines the contemporary business. Build-A-Bear Workshop reported total revenue of approximately $496 million in fiscal year 2024 (ended February 1, 2025), with the company achieving consecutive record-revenue years across recent fiscal periods. The “Bear Cave” pop-up stores, the After Dark adults-only collection (introduced 2018), and the broader extension of the brand into adult-targeted licensed products (Disney, Marvel, Star Wars, Squishmallows-licensed product, Stranger Things, and other pop-culture licensing collaborations) substantially broadened the brand’s customer base beyond its founding children’s demographic. The Build-A-Bear Adventure mobile application and the integrated digital-and-physical loyalty program support continued cross-channel customer engagement.

Build-A-Bear Workshop operates approximately 500 retail experience locations globally, including approximately 350 directly operated stores and approximately 150 franchised, concessioned, and tourist-destination locations. The strongest markets include the United States, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Canada, China, and various tourist-destination markets including Royal Caribbean cruise ships, Carnival Cruise Line vessels, Great Wolf Lodge resort properties, and Beaches Resorts in the Caribbean. The typical Build-A-Bear store occupies 1,500 to 3,500 square feet, with formats designed around the multi-station stuffing-and-customization experience including the iconic Stuff Me station, the Hear Me sound-recording station, and the dress-me wardrobe wall. For mall operators, Build-A-Bear is a Class A specialty family-experience tenant for regional and super-regional centers, lifestyle centers, and family-destination retail. The dwell-time economics produced by the 30-to-45-minute average store visit produces particular co-tenancy value alongside family dining, entertainment, and broader family-demographic retail.