BACK FROM THE DEAD

Toys R Us is officially back from the dead

My life long infatuation with the Toys R Us saga continues...

Its official, Toys R Us  is opening two new stores in November with business partner  b8ta . TRU Kids announced that the two stores will be opening in a couple swanky malls... they didn't say "swanky". The first is the 2.4 million square foot Galleria, Texas’ largest shopping center, located in Houston. This mall has over 400 stores and restaurants, two high-rise hotels, three office towers, a full-size ice rink, two swimming pools, full-service national and international banks,... I think you get the idea, its humongous.

The Galleria

The second location will be at Westfield Garden State Plaza in Paramus, New Jersey. This  2.two-story, 1 million square foot retail giant houses over 300 stores and is one of the highest-revenue producing malls in the United States.

Westfield Garden State Plaza

Interestingly, Due to state blue laws and more restrictive limitations in place in Paramus, Garden State Plaza is almost completely closed on Sundays, except for some of the restaurants and the movie theater, all of which have special Sunday entrances.
But enough about the locations... The stores themselves will be about 6,500 to 10,000 (mixed reports on this) square feet compared to some of its past locations that were around 30,000 square feet.

artist's rendering of new Toys R Us storefront.

Some new store features include a section for parents and children to test out toys before making a purchase, interactive stations and an open play space with Geoffrey the Giraffe for photo-ops.

Activity area

 "We have an incredible opportunity to entirely re-imagine the Toys R Us brand in the U.S. and are thrilled to partner with b8ta and key toy vendors to create a new, highly-engaging retail experience designed for kids, families and to better fit within today's retail environment," said Tru Kids CEO Richard Barry in a news release. The partnership with software retailer b8ta gives Tru Kids a negotiating tool as it tries to woo back brands to sell in its stores. Part of what made Toys R Us unique was its access to the best and sometimes exclusive products. But the relationship between toy brands and the retailer was frayed in its liquidation, which led to companies big and small losing money in the process. B8ta will also be giving Tru Kids access to data and analytics to track things like foot traffic in and out of the stores to allow the company to make smarter decisions.
Which toy makers will be returning to Toys R Us, and whether Hasbro/NERF will be among them is yet to be seen.The new Toys R Us will be announcing the brands that are going to be sold in its stores in “short order,” said Richard Barry.
The company is also talking about up to 20 new US stores by the end of 2020...?  I think that would be nice , since the closest one to me is nearly 2000 miles away. I guess we'll see what happens over the holiday season and into next year. Will Toys R Us be able to make a sucessful comeback or not? Only time will tell.

                                               
NERF on NERFerS!!!