Toys 'R' Us Will Be Making a Comeback in Time for the Holidays - with Help from Target
The Toys ‘R’ Us comeback is going full-steam ahead – and this time, they’re getting a little help from their friends.
The fun-focused retailer, which closed its last remaining locations in June 2018, will be popping back up in two different cities this holiday season for an innovative play experience called the Toys ‘R’ Us Adventure, which the brand said will be an “immersive toy wonderland” created in collaboration with the team behind the famous pop-up Candytopia. The play-themed exhibit will be filled to the brim with toys, games and of course, photo-ops.
They’re also opening two permanent stores at the Galleria Mall in Houston, Texas and the Garden City Plaza in Paramus, N.J., this October, and will have an e-commerce presence, toysrus.com, which will direct shoppers to the Target website to buy the toys of their choice.
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Toys ‘R’ Us liquidated in 2018 due to bankruptcy, closing 800 stores across the country. The store’s new parent company, TruKids, is partnering with other brands (including software retailer b8ta, Target, and Candytopia) to rethink the Toys ‘R’ Us experience, and now plans to relaunch 10 stores across the country in 2020; Target will also power online shopping from the stores for any items that aren’t in stock.
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Opening in late October, each Toys ‘R’ US Adventure will feature over a dozen rooms and experiences based on some of the toy store’s favorite brands and characters.
Toys ‘R’ Us mascot Geoffrey the Giraffe, for example, will be in attendance. Experiences based on toy vendors like Melissa & Doug, PAW Patrol and Schleich will also be highlighted. The brand promises guests will encounter state-of-the-art new gadgets, classic toys from decades past and everything in between. After the limited-time run in Chicago and Atlanta, The Adventure will be on the move, with plans to touch down in other major U.S. cities in 2020.
The permanent locations in New Jersey and Texas will open ahead of holiday shopping, while toysrus.com is currently live and directing shoppers to Target.
