Toys R Us Bets on Brick and Mortar With 120 New Stores

Toys R Us operator WHP Global has an ambitious plan to open 120 U.S. stores this holiday season.

The private equity-backed brand-management company partnered with Go! Retail Group, a seasonal pop-up operator, to launch the new locations, according to an announcement last week. Shoppers nationwide can expect the new stores to be on the smaller side, the Boston Globe reported, and only temporary. 

“Together with our incredible partners, we are growing Toys R Us in unique ways to meet customers wherever they are, whether that’s at a stand-alone store in their hometown, inside Macy's, at the airport or at a Navy Exchange,” Jamie Uitdenhowen, WHP Global’s executive vice president of Toys R Us, said in a statement.

The brand’s resurgence comes nearly a decade after Toys R Us filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in September 2017, triggering mass closures worldwide and affecting roughly 33,000 employees. The COVID-19 pandemic hampered post-bankruptcy revival efforts by Tru Kids through a Target partnership and pop-ups. WHP Global, which also oversees brands Vera Wang, Express and Marc Jacobs, acquired a controlling interest in Toys R Us in 2021. 

WHP Global wasted no time opening the first Toys R Us flagship store since bankruptcy in 2021, selecting Triple Five Group’s American Dream Mall in East Rutherford, N.J. The operator landed an in-store partnership with Macy’s the same year.

Despite intense competition from online retailers, WHP Global has a few reasons to hope that its brick-and-mortar bet will pay off this holiday season. U.S. toy sales hit a six-year high earlier this year, and the profitability of millennial and Gen Z nostalgia is undeniable. In an effort to evolve with the times, new Toys R Us locations will offer experiential features, including candy shops, cafes and a select series of in-store event spaces for product launches.

The full list of new locations has yet to be confirmed, but confirmed hosts around New York City include Woodbury Commons in Central Valley, N.Y., and The Westchester in White Plains, N.Y.,  according to the New York Post. There will also be a new toy store at the Mall at Short Hills in Millburn, N.J.

Most upcoming leases will span 12 months, Alex Winkelman, an executive vice president at Go! Retail Group, told the Globe. The openings will bring Toys R Us’ retail footprint to roughly 160 stores by year’s end, rounding out the brand’s shops inside Macy’s department stores. An expansion into select airports is expected in 2027.  

Emily Davis can be reached at edavis@commercialobserver.com.