Macy's Inc
The "return" of Toys R Us is the third attempt at corporate necromancy to revive the brand after its 2018 bankruptcy and liquidation, and the fourth "launch" of the brand including its initial opening. The first attempt at reviving Toys R Us folded after the two pilot stores closed in a shore time, a second more successful attempt was attempted in late 2021 with the opening of a two-story shop at the American Dream Mall in Newark, New Jersey.
WHP Global, the holding company that currently owns the Toys R Us brand, has been in talks with Macy's for "store-in-store" locations since before the opening of the NJ store. The in-store locations are an expansion of an existing partnership between the two firms, which began with online sales of Toys R Us branded products on Macy's ecommerce storefront.
"Macy's cannot wait to bring the Toys R Us experience to life in our stores," Macy's chief merchandising officer Nata Dvir said. "We hope Toys R Us kids of all ages discover the joy of exploration and play within our shops and families create special memories together. The customer response to our partnership with Toys R Us has been incredible and our toy business has seen tremendous growth."
The new "stores-in-stores" will vary in size based on the square footage of the Macy's locations they are put within, with stores as large as 10,000 square feet at flagship stores. Macy's has planned 9 days of festivities starting on opening day, October 15, which is set to include toy giveaways and family friendly activities. The stores will feature a slew of improvements as well, including colorful eye-catching fixtures, demonstration tables for children to play with newly released toys, and a life-sized Geoffrey the Giraffe statue that families can stop by for a quick photo.
Necromancing Toys R Us back from the depths of the corporate underworld has been a challenging endeavor for WHP Global that seems to finally be paying off. In addition to the successful and popular American Dream Mall store, the brand has contributed to a 15% rise in toy sales on Macy's ecommerce storefront.
