Toys R Us to open up to 24 flagship stores; will also open stores at airports, cruise ships

Toys R Us is expecting to open up to 24 flagship stores across the United States next year.

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WHP Global, parent company of Toys R Us, announced its plans on Friday, six years after filing for bankruptcy, according to The New York Times.

The company also announced it will be opening stores at airports and cruise ships. The first airport store will open in November at the Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport the company says is part of a partnership with Duty Free Americas.

“The Toys R Us brand is growing fast and our expansion into air, land and sea is a testament to the brand’s strength,” Yehuda Shmidman, Chairman and CEO of WHP Global, said in a statement, “Since acquiring Toys R Us, we have increased our global retail footprint by more than 50% with openings in the United States, United Kingdom, India, Dubai, and Mexico. We now have over 1,400 stores and e-commerce sites across 31 countries, and as we head into 2024, we are excited to bring Toys R Us to consumers everywhere, whether you’re visiting one of our stores at Macy’s, at our flagships, in an airport, or onboard a cruise ship.”

The flagship stores are expected to start opening in the 2024 holiday season, according to CNN.

Toys R Us’ comeback attempt comes as other brick-and-mortar stores are having a difficult time after following e-commerce growth and the post-coronavirus pandemic, the Times reported. However, the company signaled the comeback back in 2021 as it opened a 20,000-square-foot store at New Jersey’s American Dream Mall. Following that opening, 452 mini-stores were launched inside of Macy’s store across the country.

WHP Global acquired a controlling stake of Toys ‘R’ Us in 2021, the Times reported.

“As a specialty retailer and with deep roots in the toy and game industry, we are thrilled and honored to partner with WHP Global to expand the base of Toys R Us flagship stores,” Gideon Schlessinger, CEO of Go! Retail Group, said in a statement. “With over 30 years of experience in all 50 states, our focus will be to do what we do best -- provide valuable brick-and-mortar logistics and operational excellence to this iconic brand.”