Toy’s R Us is back in the United States for the upcoming holiday shopping season, but you’ll have to look hard to find it.
What happened: The toy retailer recently opened up a store in Paramus, New Jersey, at the Westfield Garden State Plaza.
- The new store comes with a tree house in side, a reading place and a movie theater, per News 12 New Jersey.
- “This store has about 1,500 items, but through the technology in the store, you can buy over 15,000 items today,” Richard Barry, president and CEO of Tru Kids, told News 12 New Jersey.
Flashback: Toy’s R Us closed down more than 700 stores after it filed for bankruptcy two years ago, according to CNN.
The company announced in July that it planned to bring back some stores with a technology focus.
- “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,” said Richard Barry, president and CEO of Tru Kids Brands, in a statement. “We have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to write the next chapter of Toys R Us by launching a newly imagined omni channel 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.”
One more note: Toy’s R Us mascot Geoffrey the Giraffe attended the ribbon-cutting ceremony. This marks Geoffrey big return to the franchise. He was last seen exiting one of the last stores of Toy’s R Us. He briefly appeared at a professional wrestling event before he was slammed with a steel chair.