Coronavirus not impacting Baby Yoda, Build-A-Bear CEO says

With coronavirus fears leaving consumers spending less and practicing social distancing, the fate of retail is in unknown territory. However, Build-A-Bear Workshop CEO and President Sharon John, said the company has already seen “tremendous demand” for its newest Baby Yoda product, "The Child."

BABY YODA TO HIT BUILD-A-BEAR WORKSHOPS

The product is set to hit online and store shelves come spring 2020 and John told FOX Business' Maria Bartiromo that more than 100,000 people have already signed up to order it.

What’s more, John said she doesn’t believe the coronavirus will have any impact on further product sales, especially since the company recently boosted its e-commerce efforts.

“We have shifted in the digital economy in the last few years to really enhance our capabilities on Build-A-Bear dot com,” she said. “If we need to, of course, we can shift the way we offer Baby Yoda to the consumers that really want to be able to have that cute little critter… we have a lot of opportunities in different ways for people to experience Build-A-Bear and to be able to buy products from us.”

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Build-A-Bear has experienced big improvements in revenue and profit from year to year, seeing a $20 million swing from prior year results.

Even though the company is primarily up year to date, with some recent traffic shifts noted due to the virus, John said Build-A-Bear is consistently making changes to ensure the safety of its customers during a time of uncertainty.

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“We're making changes in our everyday decisions about what we do,” she said. “The health and wellbeing of our employees and our guests and our supply chain and our partners are all very important to us. We've ramped up our sanitation procedures… and we will take the appropriate steps that we believe keep people safe."