Tru Kids Brands to Bring Back Toys “R” Us to Paramus, NJ and Houston
The first Toys “R” Us stores will be located in The Galleria in Houston, a Simon Mall, and in Westfield Garden State Plaza in Paramus, NJ.
PARSIPPANY, NJ—The once popular Toys “R” Us brand is making a comeback.
Locally-based Tru Kids Brands, the parent company of the Toys “R” Us brand, and joint venture partner b8ta of San Francisco, report they will open the first new Toys “R” Us locations in the United States in Paramus, NJ and Houston by the start of the holiday season.
The first Toys “R” Us stores will be located in The Galleria in Houston, a Simon Mall, and in Westfield Garden State Plaza in Paramus, NJ. Published reports state that the re-launched Toys “R” Us stores will total between 6,500 square feet to 10,000 square feet, as compared to the former 40,000-square-foot locations.
Toys “R” Us filed for bankruptcy in September 2017 and later shuttered its 800 stores in the US.
“With a 70 year heritage, the Toys “R” Us brand is beloved by kids and families around the world, and continues to play a leading role in the hearts and minds of today’s consumers,” says Richard Barry, CEO of Tru Kids and interim co-CEO of the new Toys “R” Us joint venture. “We have an incredible opportunity to entirely reimagine the Toys “R” Us brand in the US 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 today’s retail environment.”
The joint venture states that the new Toys “R” Us 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.
“As a kid, my memory of Toys “R” Us was running up and down the aisles kicking balls and playing with the coolest toys,” says Phillip Raub, co-founder and president of b8ta and Interim co-CEO of the Toys “R” Us joint venture. “As the retail landscape changes, so do consumer shopping habits. But what hasn’t changed is that kids want to touch everything and simply play. In partnership with Richard and his team, we are excited to bring back Toys“R”Us in an immersive way, focused on creating a fun and engaging experience for kids—and adults, too.”
The companies plan to open additional locations in prime, high-traffic retail markets within the US over the course of 2020.
Tru Kids license partners currently operate more than 700 Toys “R” Us and Babies “R” Us branded stores and e-commerce sites in more than 25 countries across Asia-Pacific, Europe, Africa and the Middle East, with more than $3 billion of retail sales attributable to the brands in these regions in 2018. The company has offices in New Jersey, Hong Kong and Shenzhen, China.
b8ta is a software-powered retailer designed to make physical retail accessible for product makers and exciting for consumers. b8ta operates 17 branded flagship stores throughout the US and has offices in San Francisco and New York City.