As the holiday season fast approaches, many people have already kick started their Christmas shopping, feeling super optimistic that this will be the year they won’t have to battle busy malls for last-minute gifts. Yeah, we’ll see about that.
For all you people out there who have kiddos on your “to buy for” list, I have some good news! Everyone’s favorite retail chain, Toys “R” Us, is back!
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Sort of .
Okay, so what’s really happened is the company has teamed up with Target to launch a new website.
Or, more accurately, relaunch its old website, with a twist.
According to CBS News , visitors to ToysRUs.com will see reviews, toy news, and some DIY kids activities. But once they try to click an item to actually purchase it, they’ll be redirected to Target’s own toy selection.
In 2018, Toys “R” Us closed all the doors on all of its U.S. stores and laid off tens of thousands of employees.
The rise of e-commerce and changing toy tastes led to a significant decrease in sales. Drowning in billions of dollars worth of debt, the chain had no choice but to declare bankruptcy.
Before this, many considered Target to be Toys “R” Us’ greatest competition.
Now, the two companies have joined forces just in time for the holiday season.
“Target’s leadership in toys, digital and fulfillment are an unbeatable platform for Toys “R” Us to reconnect with their fans while we introduce them to the ease and convenience of shopping at Target,” Nikhil Nayar, Target’s senior vice president of merchandising, said in a press release .
She added, “By applying our capabilities in a new way with Toys “R” Us, we can serve even more toy shoppers, drive new growth, and build on our toy leadership.”
Former Toys “R” Us merchandising executive Richard Barry said this team-up is a way to modernize the original retail chain.
“Our U.S. strategy is to bring back the Toys R Us brand in a modern way through a strong experiential and content-rich omnichannel concept,” he explained. “Target will help us deliver on that experience with its toy assortment, digital strength and ability to deliver orders to shoppers in a matter of hours.”
If the website wasn’t enough, Toys “R” Us will actually be opening two new physical locations in the U.S.
One will be in Houston, Texas, and the other in Paramus, New Jersey. Customers can come check out the new products with store clerks available to help with online purchases for toys that can’t be purchased in-store.
h/t: CBS News
