The U.S. has lost a lot long-lived brands in the past few years. Bed Bath & Beyond. Borders book shops. Luby’s. Sports Authority. Compaq. A&P Supermarket. Lord & Taylor.
But for several generation of (former) kids, the loss of Toys R Us may have hurt the most. I mean, during the company’s hey days, what kid didn’t know all the words to “I don’t wanna grow up, I’m a Toys R Us kid…” or “The world’s biggest toy store is Toys R Us…”? (you’re welcome for the ear worms, by the way)
Toys R Us was once a corporate juggernaut, controlling a quarter of the world’s toy market with nearly 1,500 stores in the 1990s. But like so many other companies, as the 21st century came along, it couldn’t compete with the likes of Amazon, Super Walmart, Target, etc. With $5 billion in debt, Toys R Us filed for bankruptcy protection in 2017, and closed its 800 remaining stores the following year.
This one is just cruel…
But, of course, a company is REALLY only as dead as its intellectual property not being bought. Just ask the likes of Eastern Airlines (which we flew on), and the aforementioned Bed, Bath & Beyond (which was bought out by Overstock dot com, and suddenly BOOM, Overstock was BB&B, but without the ‘20% off’ coupons).
Toys R Us actually restructured and emerged as Tru Kids in 2019. As the parent company of the Toys R Us, Babies R Us and Geoffrey the Giraffe brands, Tru Kids opened 2 Toys R Us stores (one each in NJ and TX) in June of that year. However both stores closed in 2021, as a result of the pandemic.
About 2 months after the NJ and TX stores closed, brand management company WHP Global got a controlling interest in Tru Kids.
A few months later, WHP Global began partnering with Macy’s department stores to open store-within-a-store locations of Toys R Us. They also opened a 2-story flagship store at the American Dream Mall in NJ, just before Christmas 2021.
In late September 2023, WHP announced their plan to open 24 new standalone Toys R Us stores, starting in 2024. They also announced smaller stores that would be located in airports and cruise ships. The first of these stores is scheduled to open at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW). They haven’t yet said what other airports, or cruise ships would host these new Toys R Us stores.
Will this work?
I remember that, as a kid, I adored Toys R Us. They had board games, dolls, electric train sets, bikes, outdoor play sets…just about every toy a kid could ever think of. The store was a dream come true.
I just really question how a Toys R Us location in an airport or on a cruise would do very well. I mean, it’s not like you can go to an airport and buy a new bicycle, or pick up a jungle gym or swing set on a cruise ship. With both locations, you’ll be very, very limited in what you can carry.
Granted, if they have a supply of small stuff – fidget toys, coloring books, etc., those would fit in carry on bags and could even be played with on the ship or plane. But unfortunately, none of those small things are going to make up for the price of the larger, high-ticket items, like 3′ tall stuffed animals, Razor scooters, and doll houses.
For their sake, I hope they do well. But I sincerely question if this model will survive.
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