Toys R US Opening New Flagship Store in United States

Less than a year after closing two previously relaunched stores, Toys R Us is opening a new, standalone store yet again. According to Toy News International, the beloved toy retailer will open a new, 20,000 square foot flagship location inside New Jersey's American Dream mall. The store is set to open on Tuesday, December 21st with the two-store location said to be "reminiscent of the beloved toy store customers know and love" and will feature an ice cream parlor, multi-level slide, and plenty of toys. The brick-and-mortar store's opening was first announced earlier this month.

"Toys R Us is back and it's back in a mega way," Toys R Us chairman and CEO Yehuda Shmidman told USA Today earlier this month. "This is going to be our largest format store in America. I don't believe that Toys R Us needs a turnaround as a brand because the brand is awesome. We're just trying to bring it bac to America and we're trying to do it with a modern-day distribution."

The American Dream mall store is set to be the only Toys R Us standalone store in the United States at this time, though in August the brand announced that it would open "shop-in-shops" in 400 Macy's locations.

"As a Toys R Us kid, I could not be more excited to bring this beloved brand that so many of our customers know and love into Macy's online and to our stores across America," Nata Dvir, Macy's chief merchandising officer said when the move was announced. "Our toy business grew exponentially in the past year, with many families looking to inspire their children's imagination and create meaningful moments together. Toys R Us is a globally recognized leader in children's toys and our partnership allows Macy's to significantly expand our footprint in that category, while creating more occasions for customers to shop with us across their lifestyles."

Toys R Us also maintains an online presence as well as roughly 900 stores in the international market. As was noted above, this isn't the first time that new physical Toys R Stores have opened in the United States. Tru Kids Inc., which took over the Toys R Us brand after it emerged from bankruptcy in 2019, had previously planned to open a dozen standalone stores in U.S. malls, though only two locations — one in New Jersey and one in Texas — ever materialized. Both locations closed in early 2021. At the time, the closures were blamed on the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. In March, WHP bought Toys R Us from Tru Kids Inc.

The new Toys R Us flagship store will mark its grand opening at New Jersey's American Dream mall on Tuesday, December 21st.