The Entertainer has stayed true to its roots and heritage in Buckinghamshire, where the first store opened in Amersham and where the company still has its headquarters. Husband and wife team, Gary and Catherine Grant, founded The Entertainer in 1981 when they opened a local toy shop stocking popular toys of the era such as Cabbage Patch Kids and the iconic Rubiks Cube. Thirty four years later, The Entertainer now employs more than 900 people in their stores and a further 100 based at their head office in Amersham. The retailer has seen profits soar in the last five years and has plans to open an additional 14 high street stores across the UK this year.

Gary Grant, Managing Director and Founder of The Entertainer, and a co-founder of Buckinghamshire Business First, said: “After experiencing such solid growth across the UK, we are pleased to announce the opening of our 100th store which marks a major milestone for The Entertainer. We look forward to bringing joy and wonder to the children of Aylesbury and to continuing our expansion in 2015 onto more high streets throughout the UK.”

The group is looking forward to celebrating the grand opening of its 100^th store on 14^th March in style with a special trolley dash with children from a local children’s charity, PACE, who aim to transform the lives of children and young people with motor disorders, such as cerebral palsy. Children from a local school will also be joining in the fun by taking part in arts and crafts activities, having their faces painted and meeting their favourite pre-school characters. Local media and radio station, Mix 96, will be covering the Grand Opening with prizes and games galore and SpongeBob Square Pants will be making a special appearance on Saturday to welcome his many fans!

The Entertainer has enjoyed great success recently, being named Best Online Toy Retailer at the Toy Industry Awards and Growth Retailer of the Year by Oracle Retail Week, as well as being awarded the Red Ribbon Award by the Family Business Place, which celebrates the contribution family businesses make to the economy. The Entertainer was also named as one of The Sunday Times 100 Best Companies to Work For.