Every American who fondly remembered wistfully perusing the aisles of Toys "R" Us as a child — or scouring those same aisles as a parent hoping to find the perfect gift — was heartbroken in 2018 when the bankrupted retailer closed its doors. Now, roughly one year since Geoffrey the Giraffe was put out to pasture, the toy chain appears to be making a bricks-and-mortar comeback, albeit a very limited one.
Richard Barry, former Toy "R" Us executive and current CEO of parent company Tru Kids Inc., proposed plans during an "industry conference" this week of reviving the toy store, according to a Bloomberg report.
Plans have not been made public, so True Kids Inc. couldn't comment further on the topic; however, according to Bloomberg, Toys R Us could be making a comeback by the end of the year–just in time for the holiday season.
Barry's reported plan includes opening half a dozen stores across the nation and an online store.
"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," Bloomberg reported. "The locations will also have more experiences, like play areas."
Barry initially came with plans to revive Toy R Us in a February press release: "We have an incredible team focused on bringing Toys 'R' Us and Babies 'R' Us back in a completely new and reimagined way, so the U.S. doesn't have to go through another holiday without these beloved brands."
His statement continued: "Despite unprecedented efforts to capture the U.S. market share this past holiday season, there is still a significant gap and huge consumer demand for the trusted experience that Toys 'R' Us and Babies 'R' Us delivers."
"We have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to write the next chapter of Toys 'R' Us by launching a newly imagined omnichannel retail experience for our beloved brands here in the U.S. In addition, our strong global footprint is led by experienced and passionate operating teams that are 100% focused on growth," he concluded.
The toy store chain initially filed for bankruptcy in September 2017 for its international stores, however, reported business as usual for its U.S. locations.
"The company's operations outside of the U.S. and Canada, including its operations in Europe and Australia and its approximately 255 licensed stores and joint venture partnership in Asia, which are separate entities, are not part of the Chapter 11 filing," a spokesperson said at the time.
Unfortunately, in the months to follow, things only get worse and the company announced in January 2018 that 182 stores across the U.S would close; only to followed by the March 14, 2018 announcement that the company confirmed all stores in the U.S. would be closing—ending a 70-year operation.
