https://www.bloomberg.com/news/arti...AuYXumg1S7k7rsUewL_OT7nNlnG-hdMVPgj03DpntNuzA
On the one hand, glad TRU is back. But the smaller store format and business model makes me think this won't last. I hope I'm wrong...
About a year after shuttering U.S. operations, the remnant of the defunct toy chain is set to return this holiday season by opening about a half dozen U.S. stores and an e-commerce site, according to people familiar with the matter.
The stores are slated to be about 10,000-square feet, roughly a third of the size of the brand's big-box outlets that closed last year, the people said. The locations will also have more experiences, like play areas. The startup costs could be minimized with a consignment inventory model in which toymakers ship goods but don't get paid until consumers buy them, some of the people said.
It remains to be seen how much of a boost the retailer's comeback will provide the toy industry, including giants such as Hasbro Inc. and Mattel Inc. The original Toys "R" Us, the only national toy chain, left a huge hole when it went under. It had been generating about $7 billion in sales a year in the U.S. through more than 700 locations, including the Babies "R" Us brand.
On the one hand, glad TRU is back. But the smaller store format and business model makes me think this won't last. I hope I'm wrong...