Toys R Us is set to make a major comeback on the UK high street by opening 37 new concessions in WHSmith stores before Christmas. The rollout will see three new Toys R Us locations unveiled every week from September 28 until the festive season. The initial 23 locations have already been disclosed, starting with stores in Bexleyheath, Eastbourne, and Southampton.
This expansion comes after the iconic toy store chain returned to the High Street last year with concessions within WHSmith branches. Currently, WHSmith hosts Toys R Us concessions in 39 of its stores, with plans to reach 76 locations by the end of this latest wave of store openings. Toys R Us first launched in the UK in 1985 as a toy supermarket but faced closure in 2018, leading to the shutdown of all 100 UK stores.
The revival of Toys R Us was announced in October 2022, with a strategic partnership formed with WHSmith. Managing Director of WHSmith High Street, Sean Toal, expressed pride in overseeing the return of the beloved brand and highlighted the enthusiasm of customers as shown by long queues during store openings. The aim is to bring back the magic of Toys R Us to more customers just in time for the festive season.
Simon Cartey, the UK Commercial Director at Toys R Us, emphasised that the collaboration with WHSmith provides an ideal platform for the brand’s reentry into the UK retail scene. The new Toys R Us shop-in-shops within WHSmith stores aim to recreate the iconic Toys R Us experience and offer a convenient destination for a wide range of toys and games, creating a magical shopping experience for families across the country.
The list of new Toys R Us locations includes cities like Bath, Leicester, Cardiff, Plymouth, Coventry, Southampton, and more. The partnership between Toys R Us and WHSmith is set to make the holiday shopping experience even more joyful for customers across the UK. The announcement of these new store openings marks a significant milestone in the ongoing revival of Toys R Us and is sure to reignite nostalgia among fans of the iconic toy retailer.