Don’t cry for Geoffrey anytime soon—because Toys”R”Us is back. The toy store of our childhoods is returning, but with a whole new name.
By now you already know the sad saga of the toy giant. After decades of catering to kids (and their parents’ wallets), Toys”R”Us was forced closed its doors for good after declaring bankruptcy. Following the closures in 2018, reports and rumors swirled about new potential buyers.
Photo: Mike Mozart via Flickr
Last holiday season we all got a sneak peek into the could-be future of the toy retailer with Geoffrey’s Toy Box—a partnership with Kroger that brought beloved Toys”R”Us brands back to select store shelves for a limited time. But don’t expect to see a Geoffrey’s Toy Box as a stand-alone store anytime soon.
Instead, the new “Toys”R”Us is now Tru Kids. So what, or rather who, is Tru Kids? With former global chief merchandising officer of Toys”R”Us, Richard Barry, at the helm, Tru Kids is now the parent company of both the Toys”R”Us and Babies”R”Us brands. Tru Kids also owns the rights to Geoffrey the Giraffe and many of the store’s original brands.
While Tru Kids hasn’t announced specific plans for opening U.S. stores (don’t worry, reportedly these will come eventually), the new Toys”R”Us reported has 70 stores across Asia, Europe and India in the works.
When Tru Kids does hit the U.S. market, don’t expect it to look like the Toys”R”Us you remember. Instead of competing with other big box stores, Tru Kids will reportedly focus on e-commerce, using technology to improve in-store customer experiences and different types of retail approaches, such as pop-ups shops and partnerships with other brands.
—Erica Loop
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