Toys R Us — the once-major toy retailer — closed its last two remaining stores in the United States after an attempt at a comeback, according to The Associated Press.
- The toy chain opened two stores in November 2019 as a part of a comeback attempt, but now those stores have closed again.
The two stores include:
- The store at the Galleria mall in Houston shuttered on Jan. 15.
- The store at the Garden State Plaza in Paramus, New Jersey,
Bigger picture:
“The moves come as physical stores, particularly mall-based locations, have been hurt by weak customer traffic amid the pandemic,” according to The Associated Press.
Context
Toys R Us closed down more than 700 stores after it filed for bankruptcy two years ago, according to CNN.
- The franchise closed amid a viral moment, though, as Geoffrey the Giraffe was last seen exiting one of the last stores of Toy’s R Us, as I wrote for the Deseret News.
- After the 700 stores closed, the Giraffe appeared at a professional wrestling event before he was slammed with a steel chair.
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Toys R Us said in 2019 that it planned to bring back stores with an eye on technology.
- “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.”