The second Hamleys store in the UK is a 30,000 sq ft unit. The store was opened by chief executive Gudjon Reynisson and Claude Dion, of centre owners Ivanhoe Cambridge.

Shoppers were greeted by a red double-decker bus filled with teddy bears and around 8000 toys and games.

Hamleys' Glasgow events and marketing co-ordinator Grant Yuill said: "We are not just bringing London to Scotland. Everything inside the store is bespoke to the city. The Hamleys Bear, for example, has been kitted out with a red mac because it rains so much here.

"And above all the shelves, there is a cartoon mural of the Glasgow city skyline, with the science centre and the Kelvingrove, and the arms of the shelves are shaped like the armadillo.

"We have tried to get every toy in and to cater for every demographic, but what makes us different from, say, Toys R Us, is that children can come in and play with the toys. We have demonstrators throughout the store."

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Other retailers to have joined the scheme include H&M, Henleys, Pulp, Wheels of Sport, Jessica Boo, Swatch, Folli Follie and Lambretta.