The Comeback: Toys “R” Us tries again

The once acclaimed toy store giant, Toys “R” Us, has announced that they are reopening stores across the United States. After numerous years of declining profits, the toy store announced two years ago that they were forced to close their stores nationwide and go into liquidation. However, due to recent partnerships with Target and others, Toys “R’ Us is slowly making a come back with their brick and mortar stores.

For many Americans, Toys “R” Us represents the nostalgic memories of childhood and the opportunity for parents and their children to spend time within a store filled with games both new and old. Unfortunately, with the rapid popularity of online shopping and e-commerce giants like Amazon, brick and mortar stores in general have failed to keep the doors open. Within the past decade, numerous stores have disappeared or filed for bankruptcy due to the inability to compete with the scale of Amazon in the marketplace. Toys “R” us was one of the victims, as more and more consumers opted to buy toys online instead of within the store.

Toys “R” Us is beginning open “experimental” stores that encourage their consumers to engage and interact with their products, an opportunity that Amazon cannot fulfill. Additionally, Toys “R” Us has teamed up with retail leader Target to allow further online shopping opportunities. The question is, will this revamped strategy allow Toys “R” Us to compete with Amazon? Will the brand legacy of Toys “R” Us help stabilize the company while they unveil their experimental stores?