Two years ago, Mattel opened a six-story, 36,000 square foot store on the fiftieth anniversary of its iconic Barbie doll. Now, Mattel is shutting down the Shanghai Barbie store and eight others around the country. Mattel says its Shanghai store "successfully accomplished its mission" and that a new Barbie brand strategy will be rolled out to reach even more Chinese consumers. But Mattel isn't the only genius retailer to have trouble in the world's fastest growing economy. Veteran journalist Ted Fishman is author of China, Inc: How the Rise of the Next Superpower Challenges America and the World.
KCRW
