Gymboree

The Gymboree Corporation

Type	Private
Industry	Retail
Founded	1976
Headquarters	San Francisco, California
Number of locations	Gymboree: 629 Gymboree Outlet: 139 Janie and Jack: 119 Crazy 8: 65 (January 2010)[1]
Key people	Matthew K. McCauley (CEO)
Products	Children's clothes & Toys
Services	Play activities
Revenue	$791.64m (2006)[2]
Owner(s)	Bain Capital
Employees	9,500 (4,300 full-time equivalents)[3]
Website	http://www.gymboree.com

Gymboree headquarters on Howard Street in San Francisco

The Gymboree Corporation is a San Francisco-based corporation that operates a chain of around 900 specialty retail stores of children's apparel in the United States, Puerto Rico, Mexico and Canada. It has nearly 500 Play and Music centers worldwide. Bain Capital acquired the company in 2010.

History

Formation

Joan Barnes created the Gymboree Play and Music Program in 1976 when she couldn't find a safe place for new parents and children to play and exercise together.^{[citation needed]}

Play centers

The Play centers' main purpose is to help children stimulate their development through music, exercise, art, and other activities as well as helping parents know how to participate in furthering their children's mental and physical growth.^{[citation needed]}

Gymboree classes include a multi-colored clown named Gymbo. The children interact with Gymbo following his "demonstrations" of activities and usually ending with "good-bye kisses". Other class activities include time playing with parachutes, playing with bubbles, and climbing on cushioned equipment. Classes are run for Infants up to age 6. Music played at Gymborees is often by the children's band Parachute Express.

There are located across the United States, Puerto Rico, Mexico, and Canada. It has expanded its franchises in 30 countries including Bogota, Colombia; San Paulo, Brazil; Hangzhou, China; Hyderabad, India, Saudi Arabia.

Gymboree franchises nearly 300 Gymboree Play & Music centers around the globe. In recent years, Gymboree has competition from The Little Gym, Romp n' Roll, and My Gym.

Retail stores

A Gymboree retail store

In 1986, the company opened a chain of clothing stores named Gymboree. Gymboree stores offer coordinating children's clothing. The sizes range from birth to age twelve. Gymboree, in its current incarnation (it has reorganized several times) is incorporated under the Gym-Mark, Inc nameplate. It currently operates 580 Gymboree Retail, 80 Gymboree Outlet, 100 Janie & Jack, and 20 Crazy 8 stores in the United States.

Gymboree operated a chain of 17 women's clothing stores called Janeville until all locations closed by January 2007.

Gymboree's employees believe in Legendary Service.^{[clarification needed]}

Crazy 8 was started in August, 2007. It features cheaper clothing and is Gymboree's direct competitor for The Children's Place and Old Navy.

The music and play centers sell products related to their activities, such as toys, musical instruments, and compact discs.

References

1. ^ Gymboree 2010 Annual Report
2. ^ http://ir.gymboree.com/EdgarDetail.cfm?CIK=786110&FID=1193125-07-70930&SID=07-00
3. ^ http://ir.gymboree.com/EdgarDetail.cfm?CIK=786110&FID=1193125-07-70930&SID=07-00

External links

	San Francisco Bay Area portal
	Companies portal

• Official website
• New York Times article on the structure of the corporation.
• GymboFriends Gymboree Discussion Forum
• Crazy8.com
• Gymboree, Rawabi Holding, Saudi Arabia