From Tru fb page. Looks to be attempting to make a comeback. https://www.toysrus.com/press-release/100618/index.html

Edited October 6, 20187 yr by rcdb1984

Well, they posted this 18min ago.

Don't know whatcha talkin' about, TRU always was alive in Canada  

Unless they can step up their online game, I cant see them being a big player. 

24 minutes ago, bigboy61 said:

Unless they can step up their online game, I cant see them being a big player. 

Their old problems had more to do with debt repayments from the leveraged buyout than with the rest of their business model.

Their new problems are having to rebuild a B&M footprint and logistics chain plus sign new distributor agreements having offloaded/broken everything but the trademark.

Some things should stay dead, TRU is one of them. If they ever arise from the ashes, the entire board and management needs replacing with staff being told to treat stock and customers with respect.

5 hours ago, TabbyBoy said:

Some things should stay dead, TRU is one of them. If they ever arise from the ashes, the entire board and management needs replacing with staff being told to treat stock and customers with respect.

I know it's all a matter of personal experience, but the TRUs around me are surprisingly none of the above.

Oh, probably has something to do with the fact that TRU Canada was always run independently from the other worldwide stores. I guess we're just too nice.

Quote

The reorganized company will own rights to the Toys “R” Us and Babies “R” Us brands in all markets globally, with the exception of Canada.

 

It´s good for competition and one should also give the new owners a chance - they may be able to do something with it if they are competent.

None of us who sell online should be happy about less B+M stores as they are the shop windows for the brand.

TRU Canada, in my experience, has always been pretty good.  Happy the Canadian arm was saved, and I am happy to support them when I can.

https://brickshow.com/2018/10/toys-r-us-comeback-geoffreys-toy-box




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https://brickshow.com/2018/10/toys-r-us-comeback-geoffreys-toy-box




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Huh. Interesting.

On 10/7/2018 at 12:51 PM, Val-E said:

It´s good for competition and one should also give the new owners a chance - they may be able to do something with it if they are competent.

New owners? The group who owned TRU before - Geoffrey, LLC are still the owners.

Quote

Geoffrey, LLC, as reorganized

They just went into bankruptcy and apparently followed the rules regarding selling off the assets to pay whoever their teenie portion of monies owed and then convinced people the assets as-is were worth more than incoming offers to buy them. 

Sounds like this was their medium-term Plan B executed to perfection if Plan A - to remain solvent and pay their bills - didn't pan out.

2 hours ago, gregpj said:

New owners? The group who owned TRU before - Geoffrey, LLC are still the owners.

They just went into bankruptcy and apparently followed the rules regarding selling off the assets to pay whoever their teenie portion of monies owed and then convinced people the assets as-is were worth more than incoming offers to buy them. 

Sounds like this was their medium-term Plan B executed to perfection if Plan A - to remain solvent and pay their bills - didn't pan out.

The operating company may be the same but the question is who now owns the company? New shareholders may keep the name.

22 minutes ago, jeff_14 said:

The operating company may be the same but the question is who now owns the company? New shareholders may keep the name.

Its existing lenders retained the company: Bain, KKR, and Vornado.

Geoffrey's toy box is literally a box in the middle of other stores. This one was found at a Krogers 

 

Yesterday I received an email from Smyth Toys that TRU is officially dead now in Germany and is now called Smyth Toys.

I dont know if I will miss you, sometimes you had good offers, but your employees just sucked, but I guess Smyth Toys will just take them over, so lets see if Smyth Toys will do similar promos as TRU did in the past.

https://www.foxbusiness.com/retail/toys-r-us-to-open-stores

Toys R Us opening several smaller stores by end of the year...

Nice.  Rebrand a bit and start slow.  I like it.

1 hour ago, Achilles said:

https://www.foxbusiness.com/retail/toys-r-us-to-open-stores

Toys R Us opening several smaller stores by end of the year...

 

1 hour ago, BrickU said:

Nice.  Rebrand a bit and start slow.  I like it.

Will they have the same 10-20% markup as before? I sure hope so. I miss paying inflated retail prices for items that are readily available for less everywhere else!

If they indeed do follow a consignment model it likely means very little clearance.


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Regardless of clearance, still money to be made.

Wow a WHOLE 6 stores US wide.. lol. What a comeback!!

 

Didn’t see this in the original article, but they confirmed physical locations “in Westfield Garden State Plaza in Paramus, New Jersey and The Galleria in Houston, Texas.”

Per CNET: https://www.cnet.com/google-amp/news/toys-r-us-is-coming-back-to-the-us-for-the-holiday-season/?__twitter_impression=true

https://www.cnbc.com/2019/10/08/target-is-going-to-power-toys-r-us-new-website.html

That reminds me, a few weeks ago I saw "TRU is hiring" ads on Facebook..  The return of the infamous parking lots

 

This strategy is really bizarre.  So did Niko buy Toys R Us?