In this article:
- BRICK AND MORTAR IS ALIVE!
- Toys “R” Us is, too!
- And nowWHP, the Toys “R” Us parent company, announced the opening of a two-story 20,000-square-foot Toys R Us location at the American Dream megamall in New Jersey before the end of this year.
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As the press release said, this opening would signal “The return of the first standalone flagship store of the iconic and beloved toy brand in the USA.” All such stores were shuttered by the beginning of 2021, and since then you could only find physical Toys R Us in Macy’s stores. While the opening in the New Jersey location will, technically, occur before December 25, very few people wait until the latter part of the month to purchase toys, particularly if they want one of the must-haves of the season.
Still, a toy store opening in December would be able to catch those last-minute shoppers and those who want to immerse themselves in the memories of that Mecca of their childhood. Its location is already identified as a destination for fun, right near Nickelodeon Universe Theme Park and DreamWorks Water Park.
Visitors to the store aren’t just shopping for toys but going to enjoy the experience riding down the slide, meeting Geoffrey the Giraffe, seeing product demonstrations, plus “new branded elements” that may have been inspired by the American Girl Place like Geoffrey’s Café and ice cream parlor.
Yehuda Shmidman, WHP Global and Toys”R”Us Chairman and CEO, noted “American Dream is a one-of-a-kind unrivaled retail center featuring massive entertainment experiences that make it an ideal destination for families. Debuting our first Toys”R”Us flagship here is a no-brainer.”
He added that he is optimistic about the upward trajectory of the “The Toy”R”Us brand: “Today we have over 900 stores and e-commerce sites operating across 25 countries outside the USA, and now our USA expansion plans are in high gear, propelling us into the next chapter of growth for our global brand.”
This is, for sure, a bet – the same goes for the entire American Dream complex. But one thing we know for sure – if the brand and its parent company will not provide its store visitors with a unique customer experience that is complete with cross-channel communications, leveraging data to create personalized touchpoints in realtime, the chances this initiative will fail will increase.