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Toys R Us Inc., with its distinct stylized spelling as TOYS "Я" US, has been a prominent toy and juvenile-products retailer since its founding in 1948. The company is headquartered in Wayne, New Jersey, and has a massive retail presence with more than 875 Toys R Us and Babies Я Us stores in the United States, over 625 international stores, and more than 140 licensed stores in 35 countries and jurisdictions. Toys R Us also exclusively operated the legendary FAO Schwarz brand, including its flagship location in New York City. Additionally, the company owned and operated several popular e-commerce sites, such as Toysrus.com, Babiesrus.com, eToys.com, and FAO.com.
History[]
A former Toys "R" Us store in Clay, New York. This store opened in 1988 and has largely stayed the same until the chain went out of business in 2018. This has since been converted into an RV dealership. This store used to be a PC Richard and Son from 1970-1987. The vertical rainbow stripes and a brown roof design is still used on all the stores until the retailer's closure. Stores also used the 1985 logo with a vertical rainbow stripes and a brown roof until 2018.
In 1948, Charles Lazarus founded Children's Supermart in Washington, D.C., during the post-war baby boom era. The store initially specialized in baby furniture but quickly expanded to offer baby toys and later, toys for older children due to customer demand. In 1957, the store's focus shifted entirely to toys, and Toys R Us was born in Rockville, Maryland.
Toys R Us continued to grow and expand, and in 1966, it was acquired by Interstate Department Stores, the owner of other toy-store chains such as White Front, Topps, and Children's Bargain Town USA. The latter was rebranded as part of the Toys R Us chain, expanding its reach across the American Midwest.
The original Toys R Us store design from 1968 to 1989 featured vertical rainbow stripes and a brown roof, with a distinctive front entrance and side exit. Some locations still have the classic brown roof design, although many have been renovated or painted different colors.
Toys "R" Us began selling toys online with the launch of Toysrus.com in 1996.
After facing financial difficulties, Toys R Us filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on September 18, 2017. The company made the difficult decision to close 182 stores as part of its restructuring efforts.
However, on March 14, 2018, Toys R Us faced a pivotal choice: either close all of its stores or find a buyer to keep the business afloat. Unfortunately, the company was unable to find a suitable buyer, and on the following day, it announced that it would be closing all of its stores.
Toys R Us stores remained open for several months as the company began the process of liquidating its assets. However, on June 29, 2018, the final Toys R Us stores closed their doors for good, marking the end of an era for the iconic toy retailer. The closure was met with sadness by many, as Toys R Us had been a beloved destination for generations of families.
In 2019, Toys "R" Us made a comeback by opening two smaller, interactive locations just in time for the holiday season. These new locations, located in the Westfield Garden State Plaza in Paramus and The Galleria in Houston, aimed to provide a fresh and exciting experience for shoppers. Additionally, as part of the 2019 relaunch of the Toys "R" Us brand, a new Toysrus.com was launched in partnership with Target. While initially all sales were processed through Target's website, the site switched to Amazon as its fulfillment partner in 2020. ToysRUs.com switched to Macy's.com as its fulfillment partner about a year later.
Although 10 more locations were planned to open by the end of 2020, only the two aforementioned stores opened, both of which closed in January 2021. However, Toys "R" Us made another comeback in 2021 under new ownership. It was announced that the beloved toy retailer would return in new locations, with the first United States store opening in December 2021 at the American Dream Meadowlands in East Rutherford, New Jersey. This new location was met with excitement and anticipation, and Toys "R" Us plans to open 450 additional stores in the near future. In 2023, a store was opened at Mall of America. In 2024, a store was opened at Harlem Irving Plaza.
See also[]
- Babies "R" Us
- Kids "R" Us
- KB Toys - former competitor
- Learning Express Toys - competitor
- Walmart - indirect competitor
- Target - indirect competitor
- Amazon - online indirect competitor
- Kohl's - indirect competitor