Toys R Us is back, six years after it closed its doors supposedly for good in 2018. The much-loved toy brand is being revived by WHSmith who have just unveiled 17 new locations where the iconic toy shop will be set up - two of which are in London.
The new Toys R Us shops will be launched within existing WHSmith locations as concession stores. WHSmith has already opened nine other Toys R Us shop-in-shops as part of its retail partnership with the brand, is to open another 30 of the concessions by the end of August.
The London locations will be in George Street, Richmond and in Sutton. They are part of the tranche of 17 new stores that will be launched nationwide within the next two months as the group looks to bring back a brand “known and loved since the mid-80s”.
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The firm’s move to open the first concessions last year marked a return for the children’s chain following its collapse more than six years ago. Toys R Us went bust in February 2018, shutting the doors on all its 100 shops and resulting in the loss of more than 2,000 jobs. It announced plans for a relaunch in October 2022, before striking an exclusive deal with WH Smith for concessions in the UK.
Sean Toal, high street managing director at WH Smith, said: “I have seen first-hand how positively our customers have responded to the new ranges. Many tell me it feels like a back-to-the-future moment – a brand they had known and loved since the mid-80s which is back to deliver the magic to a whole new generation of families.”
He added: “From Hereford to Hastings, today we’ve unveiled the first 17 locations for the new Toys R Us stores in WHSmith.
“Not only is this an exceptionally exciting time for our colleagues and customers, but we’re also proud to be bucking the trend by continuing to invest in the UK high street.”
Here are a list of the next 17 Toys R Us shop-in-shops due to open across the WH Smith chain:
– Hereford, Herefordshire
– Fosse Park, Leicester
– Leamington Spa, Warwickshire
– Guildford, Surrey
– Sutton, London
– Shrewsbury, Shropshire
– Salisbury, Wiltshire
– Victoria shopping centre, Nottingham
– Maidstone, Kent
– Woking, Surrey
– Hastings, East Sussex
– Thurrock, Essex
– Newton Abbott, Devon
– Halifax, West Yorkshire
– Lancaster, Lancashire
– George Street, Richmond, London
– Taunton, Somerset
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