Toys ‘R’ Us announces grand comeback in the UK

Toys "R" Us was one of the most affected major companies when the COVID-19 pandemic struck in 2020. It has closed a lot of its outlets in the U.S. and U.K., but it was announced this week that the toy store is making a comeback in British land.

For its grand return, Toys "R" Us is opening both a digital and physical store, and this was part of the agreement. It was reported that the parent company of the toy store and Babies "R" Us agreed to a long-term agreement so its stores could re-open again in the United Kingdom next year.

For the toy retailer's online shopping site, it was said the plan is to launch it in the coming months and will be exclusively available for customers in the country. According to the Evening Standard, while it was mentioned that the online store and physical locations are set to open in the U.K., there are no details as to the exact dates yet.

Toys "R" Us ANZ was granted the license to run the stores, and it may re-open most of the outlets that have shut down since 2018. It was said that around 100 stores had been affected by the closures.

Finally, WHP Global, a brand acquisition and management firm based in New York, confirmed that Toys "R" Us ANZ would take over and operate the brand's chain in the U.K. The company was formerly known as Funtastic, and it was also responsible for the re-launched of Toys "R" Us in Australia back in 2019.

"We selected Toys "R" Us ANZ as our partner to expand into the United Kingdom because of their proven success in launching with us in Australia under the leadership of their CEO, Dr. Louis Mittoni," WHP Global and Toys "R" Us chairman and chief executive officer, Yehuda Shmidman, said in a press release. "Toys "R" Us today is a vibrant business with over 900 stores and e-commerce sites across 25+ countries generating over US$2 billion a year in sales and growing, especially with the new launches underway for both the US and UK markets.