The stores are slated to be about 10,000-square feet, roughly a third of the size of the brand’s big-box outlets that closed last year, the people said. The locations will also have more experiences, like play areas. The startup costs could be minimized with a consignment inventory model in which toymakers ship goods but don’t get paid until consumers buy them, some of the people said.
I honest to god have never been to a Toys R Us. My parents would never take me. Hopefully that changes because of this!!
Tru Kids Brands TM (Tru Kids), the proud parent of the ToysRUs brand will bring ToysRUsstores back to the United States this holiday season. Tru Kids and b8ta, the software-powered experiential retailer have entered into a joint venture to launch a new store experience that will deliver the hottest toy products and brands, carefully curated and showcased in highly immersive smaller-format spaces.
The first two new ToysRUs stores will open this holiday season, located in The Galleria in Houston, Texas, a Simon Mall, and in Westfield Garden State Plaza in Paramus, New Jersey. Brand partners and experiences will be announced in the coming weeks.
With a 70 year heritage, the ToysRUs brandis beloved by kids and families around the world, and continues to play a leading role in the hearts and minds of todays consumers, said Richard Barry, CEO of Tru Kids and Interim co-CEO of the new ToysRUs joint venture. We have an incredible opportunity to entirely reimagine the ToysRUs 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 todays retail environment.
The new ToysRUs stores will serve as must-visit destinations for kids to learn, play, and fall in love with the latest and most popular toys, and for parents to have fun with their children and ignite their own childlike sense of play. The stores will be highly interactive with new events and activities every day, from seeing toys displayed out of the box to test before making a purchase, to visiting different brand stations to driving learning through play embracing STEAM, or just having fun with Geoffrey the Giraffe in the open playspace.
As a kid, my memory of ToysRUs was running up and down the aisles kicking balls and playing with the coolest toys, said Phillip Raub, co-founder and president of b8ta and Interim co-CEO of the ToysRUs joint venture. As the retail landscape changes, so do consumer shopping habits. But what hasnt changed is that kids want to touch everything and simply play. In partnership with Richard and his team, we are excited to bring back ToysRUs in an immersive way, focused on creating a fun and engaging experience for kidsand adults, too.
Using b8tas innovative experiential retail model, brands will showcase their products in an interactive, playground-like environment, creating an entirely new retail experience centered around product discovery and engagement. Brands also will have the opportunity to design custom experiences and branded shops to help them create memorable experiences for parents and children. This experiential retail environment will leverage b8ta's Retail as a Service (RaaS) platform, which enables brands to actively manage their in-store experiences and measure how offline experiences translate into online sales.
We launched b8ta to change the fundamental infrastructure of retail, from the business model to the customer experience. b8ta is proud to bring ToysRUs stores back to the U.S. alongside our partner, Tru Kids, and with our Retail as a Service platform as its engine, said Vibhu Norby, CEO of b8ta. The new ToysRUs stores will be the most progressive and advanced stores in its category in the world, and we hope to surprise and delight kids for generations to come.
The companies plan to open additional locations in prime, high-traffic retail markets within the U.S. over the course of 2020. To learn more about ToysRUs, and stay in the know about new store openings and offers, visit www.toysrus.com.
I wish they never shut down to begin with. That MCU Vision and ScarletWitch 2 pack is so hard to find under $200 lol.
I'll be on board with the idea if they bring Mattel and Hasbro into it.
1 hour ago, sonic360 said:Sorry, but this sounds like a half baked idea designed to cash in during the 2019 Xmas shopping season.
I don't think there's a real effort into creating a good Toy Store experience with quality toys.
Like the company that owns the name KB Toys planning to open "popup" stores starting on Black Friday? Speaking of...Jay C, do you know if that's still on track to happen this year, too?
Sorry, but this sounds like a half baked idea designed to cash in during the 2019 Xmas shopping season.
I don't think there's a real effort into creating a good Toy Store experience with quality toys.
I hope it succeeds but I also there's one made in my area. We lost our TOYS "R" USback in the late 2000's.
I would be very surprised if this actually worked out.
58 minutes ago, 80sboy4 said:I ultimately think this will not work out, for one the big two Hasbro and Mattel have to be on board with this new venture in order for this to successfully succeed. Curious to see how this works out.
They'll get on board because they want stores to sell their toys.
I think they should just let it go and leave it at that, it doesnt sound like it will take off
