Toys R Us, on a yearslong rebound from bankruptcy and physical extinction, is substantially expanding its brick-and-mortar footprint.
The toy retailer plans to open 10 flagship stores and 20 seasonal holiday shops in the United States by year’s end. The chain also plans to debut more stores globally.
Toys R Us, known for its longtime mascot Geoffrey the Giraffe, is adding to its fleet of about a half-dozen U.S. stores in partnership with Go Retail Group. Earlier this month, Toys R Us debuted a second store in the Chicago area, at Chicago Premium Outlets in Aurora, Illinois. It already had a store at Harlem Irving Plaza in Norridge, Illinois, that it opened roughly a year ago.
Toys R Us, under its second owner since its liquidation, has been resurrected in a rather unusually successful comeback for a retailer. The then-New Jersey-based company closed all its stores in 2018 after filing for Chapter 11. A new owner, Tru Kids, made a faltering attempt to relaunch the brand. Then in March 2021, WHP Global, headquartered in New York, acquired a controlling interest.
WHP took a multifaceted strategy to restore the chain’s physical presence. It struck a deal with Macy’s for that department store giant to open Toys R Us shop-in-shop locations throughout its national fleet. And slowly but surely WHP began to open flagship stores, with the first one arriving at the American Dream megamall in East Rutherford, New Jersey, in 2021.
Starting a fleet
It also established flagship locations at Mall of America in Bloomington, Minnesota, as well as the Tanger outlet center in San Marcos, Texas, in the Austin area. Toys R Us also has a dedicated store at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport.
Toys R Us and Go Retail Group didn’t respond to emails from CoStar News asking for the addresses of the new flagships and temporary seasonal shops. But some of their locations are becoming known through national and local media reports, Go Retail Group’s website, and Toys R Us being added to mall store directories or statements made by managers of such properties.
For example, Go Retail Group’s website said there is a Toys R Us holiday shop now open at Great Lakes Crossing Outlets mall in Auburn Hills, Michigan. Last week, a Toys R Us store opened at Tanger Nashville in Nashville, Tennessee, while a pop-up bowed in earlier this month at Grapevine Mills Mall in Grapevine, Texas.
Just this week, Go Retail Group announced that a holiday pop-up will also be opening at the Lakeside Shopping Center in Metairie, Louisiana. Another temporary pop-up is also slated at Denver Premium Outlets in Thornton, Colorado.
Other Toys R Us openings are slated for:
- Arundel Mills, Hanover, Maryland.
- Camarillo Premium Outlets, Camarillo, California.
- Long Beach, Long Beach, California.
- Bay Street Emeryville, Emeryville, California, a pop-up.
- The Streets of Brentwood, Brentwood, California, a pop-up.
- Jordan Creek Town Center, West Des Moines, Iowa.
- Westroads Mall, Omaha, Nebraska.
Global growth
“We’re always looking to bring new tenants to our centers that we know will resonate with the community and are excited to open these Toys R Us stores ahead of the holiday shopping season,” Justin Stein, Tanger’s executive vice president of leasing, said in an email to CoStar News.
Toys R Us is also expanding its reach to military families, with six stores slated to open through a partnership with the U.S. Navy, building on the first two already serving military bases.
Internationally, Toys R Us said it is moving into new markets — Chile, Peru, Venezuela, Ecuador, Morocco and Lebanon — and also reestablishing a presence in Turkey. The brand is further strengthening its footprint in major markets such as the United Kingdom, Mexico, South Africa, Asia and South Korea, where it is introducing new concept formats with strategic partner Lotte.
“From new store openings with our global partners, to the launch of our second Global Holiday Play Day serving as the runway to the season, ... Toys R Us is creating joy and excitement for kids of all ages everywhere,“ Kimberly Miller, global chief marketing officer for the chain, said in a statement.
Toys R Us generates more than $2 billion in global retail sales annually through more than 1,500 stores and e-commerce businesses in 35 countries.