Toys R Us opening new stores for the holidays in these cities

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Toys R Us shop-in-a-shop within the WH Smith store on 15th November 2024 in Shrewsbury, United Kingdom. Toys "R" Us is an American toy, clothing, and baby product retailer owned by Tru Kids and others. (photo by Mike Kemp/In Pictures via Getty Images

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NEW YORK - Toys R Us announced its opening more toy stores ahead of the holidays. 

The new flagship stores and seasonal holiday shops will sell this season’s top toy brands, including LEGO, Barbie, Hot Wheels, NERF, and PAW Patrol. 

What they're saying:

"Following the tremendous success of our Toys"R"Us flagship stores, we're thrilled to continue expanding through our partnership with Go! Retail Group," Jamie Uitdenhowen, Executive Vice President of Toys"R"Us at WHP Global, said in an online news release. "This next phase of growth brings the magic of Toys"R"Us to even more communities across the country — just in time for the holidays — and delivers the joyful shopping experience that has made us a trusted destination for generations."

Where are the new stores?

Dig deeper:

Flagship Stores:

• Chicago Premium Outlets – Aurora, IL - Now Open
• Camarillo Premium Outlets – Camarillo, CA
• Arundel Mills – Hanover, MD
• Jordan Creek – Moines, IA
• Westroads Mall – Omaha, NE
• Denver Premium Outlets – Thornton, CO
• Tanger Outlets Deer Park – Deer Park, New York
• Towne East Square – Wichita, KS

Seasonal Holiday Shops:

• Great Lakes Crossing – Auburn Hills, MI - Now Open
• Grapevine Mills – Grapevine, TX - Now Open
• Lakeside Shopping Center – Metairie, LA - Now Open
• Tanger Outlets – Nashville, TN - Now Open
• Crabtree Valley Mall – Raleigh, NC - Now Open
• The Mall in Columbia – Columbia, MD - Now Open
• South Plains Mall – Lubbock, TX - Now Open
• Westfield Southcenter – Tukwila, WA - Now Open
• Station Park – Farmington, UT - Now Open
• Deptford Mall – Deptford, NJ
• Eastland Mall – Evansville, IN
• Mall of New Hampshire – Manchester, NH
• Bay Street – Emeryville, CA
• Twelve Oaks Mall – Novi, MI
• Park Meadows – Lone Tree, CO
• North Star Mall – San Antonio, TX
• Tanger Outlets – Sevierville, TN
• King of Prussia Mall – King of Prussia, PA
• Crocker Park – Westlake, OH
• Walden Galleria – Buffalo, NY

History of Toys R Us

The backstory:

Toys R Us had dominated the toy store business in the 1980s and early 1990s, when it was one of the first of the "category killers"— a store totally devoted to one thing. Its scale gave it leverage with toy sellers and it disrupted general merchandise stores and mom-and-pop shops. Children sang along with commercials about "the biggest toy store there is."

But the company lost ground to discounters like Target and Walmart, and then to Amazon, as even nostalgic parents sought deals elsewhere.

But the company’s biggest albatross was that it struggled with massive debt since private-equity firms Bain Capital, KKR & Co. and Vornado Realty Trust took it private in a $6.6 billion leveraged buyout in 2005. Weak sales prevented them from taking the company public again. With such debt levels, Toys R Us did not have the financial flexibility to invest in its business. The company closed its flagship store in Manhattan’s Times Square, a huge tourist destination that featured its own Ferris wheel in 2016. 

In 2017, Toys R Us filed for bankruptcy but have since reopened several brick-and-mortar locations across the country.