At 130 years old, Pleasure Beach in Blackpool is best known for seaside amusement park traditions, wooden roller coasters, the Big One and its shows. Its retail operation is less visible, but Damian Jackson, head of retail, describes it as a deliberately built part of the visit rather than a souvenir stall at the exit. The flagship shop sits at the main entrance in the Casino building, supported by outlets across the site. Jackson oversees physical stores, e-commerce, ride photography and merchandise development, and works with Amanda Thompson from concept through design, sampling and approval. His stated rule is simple: “We do not simply put a logo on a product; every range must have a reason for existing, a clear customer and an authentic connection to the resort.” That principle shapes both the product mix and the operating model.
The starting point is audience segmentation. Jackson says the park can serve first-time families, school groups with limited spending money, teenage friends and couples, international tourists, lifelong fans and serious coaster enthusiasts on the same day. Their reasons for buying differ. A family may want a traditional memento; an enthusiast may want an accurate collectable tied to a specific ride; teenagers may respond to confectionery, accessories and trend-led apparel; heritage-minded guests may value nostalgia and craftsmanship. Pleasure Beach combines sales data with shop-floor observation and guest feedback, asking whether a product would be worn away from the resort, displayed with pride by an enthusiast, welcomed by a child or genuinely remind a family of its visit. This is a useful discipline: it tests whether merchandise has value beyond branding.
A tiered range rather than unlimited choice
The portfolio is organised around customer missions, price points and levels of engagement. It includes impulse purchases such as confectionery, magnets, keyrings and badges; practical items such as bottles, bags and ponchos; fashion-led apparel and accessories; children’s products and plush; and premium or limited-edition pieces for collectors. Pleasure Beach also balances attraction-specific ranges with broader resort branding, licensed products, playful lines and heritage collections. Jackson is explicit that “something for everyone” does not mean filling shops with unlimited choice. It means a carefully edited range in which each product has a purpose, a target customer and an appropriate price. The commercial logic is supported by price architecture and product adjacencies: a plush may lead to an outfit, a ride photograph to a frame or multi-photo offer, and apparel to matching accessories. The aim is to encourage trade-up by showing additional value—better materials, greater detail, exclusivity, personalisation or a bundle—rather than simply charging more.
Aviktas shows the attraction-led model
The clearest example in Jackson’s account is Aviktas, a new attraction whose merchandise was developed around its complete visual world: a golden snake, emerald colouring, mythology and a sense of mystery. Instead of applying the ride logo to a generic collection, the team treated retail as part of the attraction’s creative development. Jackson argues that merchandise is strongest when it is part of the original creative conversation rather than added after the attraction is complete. The result included a premium limited-edition run: 50 models priced at £250 each, which sold out. That outcome is evidence of demand for higher-priced collectables among at least part of the audience. It does not prove that every premium range will sell, but it shows that authenticity, detail and a strong connection to an attraction can support prices well above those of conventional souvenirs.
The same logic is applied differently across the estate. Jackson says ICON lends itself to a clean, contemporary, fashion-led treatment, while heritage attractions such as the Big Dipper and Grand National draw on archive artwork, engineering details, nostalgia and generations of guest memories. Product development covers materials, colours, proportions, trims, embroidery, packaging and in-shop presentation, alongside intended customer, expected demand, price points, production quantities, lead times and sales locations. The final product must be creatively distinctive and commercially viable. That balance matters because an attraction-led range has to satisfy both creative and commercial tests.
Heritage, licensing and exclusivity
Pleasure Beach’s 130-year history gives it an archive of attraction imagery, typography, posters, architecture and stories. Jackson says the aim is not to make everything look old-fashioned but to reinterpret authentic history in a fresh and desirable way. Mr Funshine merchandise is cited as an example of nostalgia with a contemporary twist. Playful assets also broaden the offer: humour, colour and character engage children, families and casual visitors, while heritage collections appeal to guests with a personal connection to the resort. Licensed brands add another layer. Nickelodeon and Aardman properties such as Wallace and Gromit require close work with IP owners and approved suppliers, including brand guidelines and approval processes. Jackson sees the strongest partnerships as collaborative: the licensor protects the brand, while Pleasure Beach explains what its visitors respond to and how products must work in an attraction environment. The competitive answer to general online retailers is relevance and exclusivity—exclusive designs, attraction references, location-specific details, personalisation or products that celebrate the visit itself.
Jackson also identifies a shift in demand. Guests increasingly ask for products that feel exclusive, authentic and considered: attraction-specific merchandise, premium apparel, subtle branding, collectables, limited editions and items with a clear story. There is greater demand for products that can be used or worn beyond the visit, such as a hoodie, cap, bottle or bag that works as an attractive product in its own right. Enthusiasts want accurate details, models, technical artwork and products that recognise an attraction’s history or engineering. Generic souvenirs and heavily branded products without an additional story have become less compelling. Traditional keyrings, magnets, mugs and confectionery remain important, but Jackson says their design, quality, presentation and relevance must continue to evolve.
Operations and experience complete the offer
The strategy depends on execution. Jackson calls stock accuracy and product availability the least glamorous and most critical parts of the operation. An outstanding product cannot generate revenue if it is in a stockroom, has not been reordered, is incorrectly priced or is unavailable where guests expect it. Deliveries, stock movement, replenishment, pricing, signage and daily compliance checks protect both revenue and the guest experience: clear pricing builds trust, good housekeeping makes products more desirable and replenishment prevents missed purchases. Supplier relationships are treated as partnerships, with quality, communication, lead times, compliance, pricing and consistency all relevant.
Retail is also designed as part of the day. Jackson wants it to feel like another chapter rather than an obligatory gift shop at the exit. Themed environments, product demonstrations, characterful displays, confectionery experiences, personalisation, ride photography and interactive selling can make shopping entertaining, while each shop should reflect the personality of its location. Staff are expected to act as hosts, storytellers and brand ambassadors, not just transaction processors; their activities can include creating candy floss, helping a child build a teddy, demonstrating bubbles or personalising a gift. Gift wrapping and personalised embroidery add value and make a purchase harder to replicate on a general marketplace. E-commerce extends the relationship year-round, supports launches and seasonal campaigns, and provides demand insight that may differ from in-park behaviour. Taken together, the Pleasure Beach case shows that attraction retail can be more than branded merchandise. Its advantage lies in coherence—products, environment, staff and story reinforcing one another—but that advantage still depends on edited ranges, credible exclusivity and disciplined stock control.