In a dramatic business decision, the company decided at the time to close its operations around the US, and proceeded to shut down all of its 700+ remaining stores across the nation. While nearly one thousands of locations remained open across Europe and Asia, American customers would no longer have access to their most cherished toy store…. until now.
Following a considerable manifestation of public interest, the company just decided to reconsider its plan to permanently cease it USA operations. To this effect, its executives decided to go for a second chance by opening two new stores this year of 2019 as a test. If everything goes well, it’s very likely there will be more openings in the next year as they expand their locations to match consumer interest. While at this point there isn’t yet much information about the future plans for this development, we already have some details regarding the first two new locations for the Toys R Us American comeback.
This doesn’t mean however that everything will be the same with this comeback since the new business model will be heavily revamped. The new stores will be much smaller compared to the traditional footprint Toys R Us stores, and they will open under a new name – Tru Kids Inc. While the old stores used to be typically over 30,000 square feet focusing only on toys, the current plan for the comeback involves a smaller footprint of just 10,000 square feet and an expanded focus to provide different kinds of experiences as well as play areas where customers can actually try the toys before buying.
Additionally, the new company will have a strong focus on e-commerce, in order to align with the current trends and buying habits of consumers.
At this point, it’s not yet fully established where the new stores will open, although there’s a strong probability it will happen in New Jersey and involved of a workforce comprised only of previous Toys R Us employees. While the new sales strategy is not yet set in stone and even though it’s not yet clear where additional stores may open towards 2020, this is all around good news for anyone who loves toys and feels nostalgia about the Toys R Us brand.
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