PARemember 2018? It was a rough year. Between the state of the global political three-ringed circus and impending doom at the hands of a climate crisis, we were put through the emotional ringer.
Not to mention Toys ‘R’ Us closed and completely obliterated all our chances of reliving fond childhood memories being a spoiled brat and torturing parents.
But now, 2019 holds new hope with the announcement the superstore chain is expected to return just in time for the holidays this year.
GettyAccording to Bloomberg, the defunct toy store is set to return this holiday season by opening about a half dozen stores in the US as well as an e-commerce site.
Industry sources shared their intel – but asked not to be identified because the plans aren’t public.
However, they did claim Richard Barry, a former Toys ‘R’ Us executive, has been pitching his vision to reincarnate the chain to toymakers, including at an industry conference this week.
Barry, who is now CEO of new entity Tru Kids Inc., is apparently planning stores slated to be about 10,000-square feet, roughly a third of the size of the brand’s big-box outlets which closed last year.
DisneyThe locations will also offer a more immersive experience for kids and their long-suffering parents, including features like play areas.
A spokeswoman for Tru Kids said the company wasn’t ready to publicly share details on its US strategy. All the same, a Toys ‘R’ Us’ return has been in the works since earlier in 2019.
After being absorbed by Tru Kids Inc., Barry said in February there was a ‘once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to write the next chapter of Toys ‘R’ Us.’
PAIn a press release, he added:
We have an incredible team focused on bringing Toys ‘R’ Us and Babies ‘R’ Us back in a completely new and reimagined way, so the US doesn’t have to go through another holiday without these beloved brands.
Thank you, Barry, you know not what joy you bring to the children of America.
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A former emo kid who talks too much about 8Chan meme culture, the Kardashian Klan, and how her smartphone is probably killing her. Francesca is a Cardiff University Journalism Masters grad who has done words for BBC, ELLE, The Debrief, DAZED, an art magazine you’ve never heard of and a feminist zine which never went to print.