CLICK TO PLAY

Toys R Us went broke and closed in 2018. But it is back in 2020 . . . sort of. “Test” stores have opened in Paramus, New Jersey, and Houston, Texas. The new locations are trying out a small-scale, interactive approach.

At the store in the Westfield Garden State Plaza mall, eight-year-old Jaelyn Farrell climbed up a tree fort, played with make-believe sand, and hung out at the Hasbro’s Paw Patrol area.

“So far, I’m liking Toys R Us,” says Farrell. “It has cool stuff. Little kids or big kids like my age can play in here.”

Richard Barry is the Chief of Tru Kids Brands, the company that now owns Toys R Us. “What the kids really want is play. They want hands on experiences.”

The new Toys R Us stores are about 6,500 square feet. That’s tiny compared to the 45,000-square-foot original Toys R Us stores. Mr. Barry says his company plans to open eight more of the small stores next year, and aims to increase the business slowly. But at that rate it will take a long time to recover from the effect of closing the original Toys R Us stores.