"We have seen you grow ... It has been a pleasure! Goodbye."
The actress Elena Rivera uploaded to her networks the emotional poster of the last Imaginarium store that has closed, located in the center of Cádiz, and caused a barrage of messages and retweets from thirty-somethings who grew up with the
toys of the Aragonese company.
Carlos Bardem
is one of them: "Hahahaha, when they opened the first little door, it came through my chest. I'm old, but very old," he replied to the
Cuéntame
actress
,
who received dozens of messages from people lamenting the closing of the famous two-door toy stores that were a benchmark in Spain.
Imaginarium
had a turnover of one hundred million euros,
but the crisis and poor financial management led to red numbers from which it has not been able to get out.
The company has a
debt of 22 million,
it is in
pre-bankruptcy
and has begun the negotiation of the ERE of 125 dismissals of a workforce of 144 people in Spain, as published by
El heraldo de Aragón.
Gone are the years of splendor of a company that arose from an idea of the Zaragoza businessman
Félix Tena Comadran
(60).
Trained in the United States, from where he returned with a strong entrepreneurial spirit, he realized that the Spanish toy market was denatured and there was room for
parents "with a special sensitivity
.
"
At the end of the 80s he launched into the creation and manufacture of
board games
with the help of his wife, his brother-in-law and some friends and founded his first company, which he ended up selling to an Italian company in the sector.
In 1992 the first Imaginarium store opened in Zaragoza, which in a short time reaped enormous success with initiatives such as
the two doors
, one for adults and one for children, a hallmark of all stores.
Imaginarium was a bombshell and a successful business that led to the entry of the venture capital firm 3i to shareholders.
After settling in Spain with its own stores and franchises, Tena embarked on
international expansion
, with openings in Latin America, Europe and Asia.
Entrance of an Imaginarium store, with its two doors.
The franchises grew like mushrooms, Imaginarium expanded its offer with other products for children that included a travel agency, and
went public
in 2009. But the
risky and controversial management
of the Zaragoza businessman ended up taking the company to the threshold of dissolution , which was avoided in extremis with the arrival of a group of international investors led by the Costa Rican lawyer
Federico Carrillo Zurcher.
Tena left the company and its new owners undertook a
profound restructuring process
, with drastic adjustments in size and workforce.
Carrillo's efforts to save the company do not seem to guarantee the future of the company that, according to
El Heraldo de Aragón
, aspires to
keep only five stores open in Spain.
Félix Tena the day Imaginarium went public.
Félix Tena, for his part, has remained dedicated to business.
He is a
director of Impact Hub Zaragoza,
dedicated to advising companies and
chaired by Félix, the oldest of his three children.
He is also listed as a representative of a company that manages family businesses together with his wife, Pilar, and their son Félix.
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