What Year Is It!? 'Toys R Us' Is Coming Back
From this month through mid-October, Toys R Us will be opening up shops inside every Macy's store — over 500 of them — across the United States.
It looks like we're taking a trip back to the early 90s, and we're totally OK with that! An iconic store that holds many childhood memories for millennials is making a comeback this year, just in time for the holiday season. Returning from the dead, new brick-and-mortar retail stores of Toys R Us are opening up across the country. But is there one coming near you?
From this late month through mid-October, Toys R Us will be opening up shop, taking space inside every Macy's store across the United States, according to a press release. The toy shops will vary in size within existing Macy's stores from 1,000 square feet to 10,000 square feet in the brand's flagship locations. The new rollout builds on the existing expansion of the iconic toy stores, which began last year.
"Macy's cannot wait to bring the Toys R Us experience to life in our stores," Nata Dvir, Macy's chief merchandising officer, said in the company's announcement. "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."
According to Scrape Hero, a data collection company, there are 509 Macy's locations in the United States as of June 23, 2022. With the company's promise to have a Toys R Us in each Macy's, there are many opportunities for parents to recreate some memories from their childhood with their kids.
The largest Toys R Us stores, which could be up to 10,000 square feet, inside Macy's stores will be at their flagship locations, which include:
- Lenox Square, Atlanta
- State Street, Chicago
- Ala Moana, Honolulu
- Memorial City, Houston
- South Coast Plaza, LA
- Aventura, Miami
- Dadeland, Miami
- Herald Square, NYC
- Roosevelt Field, NYC
- Union Square, San Francisco
- Valley Fair, San Jose
To celebrate the expansion, starting on Oct. 15 through Oct. 23, Macy's stores will host nine days of events, including daily giveaways from brands like LEGO and Barbie and family fun activities.
In 2017, Toys R Us filed for bankruptcy while traditional retail declined in favor of online sales, The Washington Post reports. The bankruptcy filing resulted in 33,000 layoffs across 900 stores in the US. In addition, the last two standing physical stores closed in January 2021 due to the pandemic.
In March 2021, WHP Global, a brand management firm, acquired the Toys R Us brand. Later that year, the brand management firm built a partnership with Macy's to begin offering Toys R Us products online.
