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Former executives of Toys ‘R’ Us, which went out of business last year, are mulling a U.S. comeback.
The brand, which is now owned by its lenders — including Solus Alternative Asset Management and Angelo Gordon — closed all its U.S. stores last year but continues to run about 900 stores worldwide, generating some $3 billion in sales last year. In January several former Toys ‘R’ Us executives established a company called Tru Kids, and they are now looking at setting up operations in the U.S., CNBC reports.
“The U.S. is the biggest toy market in the world. Fundamentally, this is the place where the business began”
What form those operations would take — proprietary stores, pop-ups, alliances with other retailers, or even working through Amazon.com — has yet to be worked out.
"The U.S. is the biggest toy market in the world," said Richard Barry, president of Tru Kids and formerly chief merchandising officer of Toys ‘R’ Us, as reported through CNBC. "Fundamentally, this is the place where the business began.”
Overall toy sales fell back by 2 percent this past Christmas — the first without Toys ‘R’ Us — according to research firm NPD Group.
By Edmund Mander
Director, Editor-In-Chief/SCT
