Toys R Us is launching its biggest U.S. expansion in years, with 120 new standalone stores set to open in time for the holiday shopping season.
The retailer announced Thursday that it will open the new standalone stores across the U.S. this holiday season through a partnership with Go! Retail Group, bringing its total number of standalone U.S. stores to 160.
The rollout marks a major step in the brand’s yearslong effort to rebuild its brick-and-mortar presence since its 2017 bankruptcy and the closure of its U.S. stores the following year.
The company did not provide a full list of the new locations, their opening dates or store sizes in its announcement. It also did not specify whether all 120 stores will remain open after the holiday season.
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The new stores will stock toys, collectibles and gifts tied to major brands and entertainment properties, including LEGO, Barbie, Hot Wheels, Pokémon and “KPop Demon Hunters,” the company said. Select locations will also feature candy shops, cafés and Creator Studios, where influencers and toy companies can create content and host product launches.
“This is a major moment for Toys ‘R’ Us as we significantly expand our presence across the United States,” Jamie Uitdenhowen, executive vice president of Toys R Us at parent company WHP Global, said in a statement.
Uitdenhowen said the company is attempting to reach shoppers through several formats, including standalone stores, Toys R Us shops inside Macy’s, airport locations and Navy Exchanges.
Go! Retail Group CEO Gideon Schlessinger said the companies expect the 160 standalone stores to bring the Toys R Us shopping experience to millions of customers during the holidays.
The announcement accelerates a yearslong effort to revive a retailer that was once a fixture of American childhood.
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Toys R Us filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in 2017 after years of declining sales and under the weight of $5 billion in debt. The company shuttered its remaining U.S. stores in 2018 before reemerging under new parent company Tru Kids Brands the following year.
The retailer attempted an initial brick-and-mortar return in late 2019 with smaller-format stores in Paramus, New Jersey, and Houston, Texas. Both locations closed in January 2021 amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
WHP Global acquired a controlling stake in Toys R Us in March 2021 and opened a 20,000-square-foot flagship at the American Dream complex in New Jersey later that year.
The comeback gained more ground in 2022 when hundreds of Toys R Us shops opened inside Macy’s stores nationwide. Macy’s said at the time that its first-quarter toy sales were 15 times higher than during the comparable period before the partnership.
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WHP Global then partnered with Go! Retail Group in 2023 to roll out more U.S. flagship stores under an expansion strategy dubbed “air, land and sea.” The effort pushed the brand beyond traditional malls and included its first airport store at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport.
Toys R Us is now expanding that travel footprint in Florida. One shop-in-shop opened at Orlando International Airport in August through a partnership with WHSmith North America, and another is scheduled to open in summer 2027.
The company also operates locations through the Navy Exchange Service Command, which serves members of the military and their families.
Toys R Us said its global business generates more than $2 billion in annual retail sales through more than 1,680 stores and e-commerce operations in 37 countries.
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