Iconic 90s shop reveals full list of 17 locations it’s set to open stores – and they’re coming in weeks
AN ICONIC 90s retailer has revealed the full list of areas it is set to open new stores within weeks.
Toys R Us will be opening 30 new shops across the UK this summer following the successful opening of almost a dozen stores last year.
It has now announced the first 17 towns and cities that will be home to a new branch of Toys R Us.
The popular toy brand opened up nine new shops in 2023 after vanishing from the high street in 2018.
However, the new stores have a slightly different look as they are “shop-in-shops” and are located inside WHSmith stores.
Shoppers can browse and play with toys in-store and each branch will feature a demonstration area where customers can try products out-of-the-box and see how toys and games work before purchasing.
Customers can then pick their toys off the shelf as normal and go to the WHSmith tills to pay.
The first Toys R Us store to open in a WHSmith branch was in York (Monks Cross retail park) on June 10.
Sean Toal, high street managing director at WHSmith, said: “After five years, we were very proud to help bring the beloved toy brand back to the UK’s high streets with the launch of nine shop-in-shops inside WHSmith.
“Every time I’ve been out visiting these stores since, I have seen first-hand how positively our customers have responded to the new ranges.
“Many tell me it feels like a back to the future moment – a brand they had known and loved since the mid-eighties which is back to deliver the magic to a whole new generation of families.”
Toys R Us collapsed in 2018 and closed all of its 100 UK branches, but announced plans for a relaunch in October 2021.
A new online store launched in September 2022 and started selling over 14,000 toys from over 100 different suppliers.
Below is the full list of 17 new Toys R Us branches set to open in WHSmith branches this summer.
- Hereford
- Fosse Park
- Leamington Spa
- Guildford
- Sutton
- Shrewsbury
- Salisbury
- Nottingham Victoria
- Maidstone
- Woking
- Hastings
- Thurrock
- Newton Abbott
- Halifax
- Lancaster
- Richmond George Street
- Taunton
Branches in Hereford, Leamington Spa and Fosse Park, Leicester, will open on May 25, with the rest to follow.
WHSmith confirmed to The Sun that all 30 locations will be open by the end of August.
Toys R Us was founded in 1957 by American businessman Charles P Lazarus.
It quickly expanded from its first store in Wayne, New Jersey, to become a chain of more than 1,500 stores worldwide.
Toys R Us mascot Geoffrey the Giraffe – originally known as Dr G Raffe – was introduced in 1969.
We visited one of the biggest Toys R Us shop-in-shops on Broad Street in Reading which was one of six to open in July 2023.
Our reporter was not expecting too much at first but was pleasantly surprised – read our exclusive report to find out more.
What other retailers have made a comeback?
It has been a tough time for retailers since Covid and the last few years have seen many vanish from our high streets.
The rising cost of living and expensive rents have all been playing a part in the demise of some of our much-loved high street names.
However, as with Toys R Us, some have managed to make a comeback.
Last year much-loved retailer Wilko fell into administration and closed all of its shops in September 2023, leaving Brits heartbroken.
However, a glimmer of hope was given when the brand name was scooped up by The Range, in a £5million deal – meaning that the name would live on.
Customers were overjoyed after learning the store was being relaunched online, and even more so when in a surprising turn of events, physical branches started to open up again.
Locations have since popped up Plymouth, Exeter, Luton, St Albans and Rotherham.
In October last year, Paperchase also made a return after closing all of its 134 shops and concessions earlier in the year.
Fans of the brand were devastated when the retailer disappeared from the high street in April after falling into administration.
However, supermarket giant Tesco stepped in and bought the rights to the brand and then went on to launch it in some of its stores.
A total of 261 Tesco stores now stock Paperchase products – we have the full list.
More recently fashion retailer M&Co who also closed all of its stores after collapsing into administration announced it would be opening a brand new location.
The new store in Newton Mearns, Scotland, will be opening where a previous store was located before going into administration.
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