Toys ‘R’ Us to RETURN to Britain’s high streets ‘within months’ – four years after closing stores
TOYS ‘R’ Us is set to return to Britain's highstreets "within months" - four years after closing stores.
The failed toy chain went into administration in 2018, shutting shops across the UK.
But last year, the company's Australian arm signed a licence agreement to bring its “digital and physical retail commerce” back to Britain.
It is now said to be ramping up recruitment and looks set to relaunch the brand in the coming months, reports.
Toys 'R' Us Australia chief executive Louis Mittoni, who is spearheading the UK launch said: “I’m very excited to welcome over 100 years of retailing experience in our new team, who will lead the relaunch our iconic brand back into the UK market in the next few months.
"We have an amazing toy and baby buying team, which I believe is the best in the country.
“With this team now in place, we’re hitting the ground running and have been reaching out to the supply base to see with whom we can align on this amazing journey.”
The chain has hired senior buyer James Ford, who helped build Debenhams’ toy arm, for the core Toys 'R' Us business.
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It has also hired Katie Ellis, who has worked for both Toys 'R' Us and Mothercare in the past, as well as Argos toys buyer Lukasz Jasinski for the Babies 'R' US UK team.
At its peak, Toys "R" Us had as many as 1,500 stores worldwide.
Toys 'R' Us filed for bankruptcy in the US in 2017, shutting its doors soon after.
A year later, the iconic toy chain collapsed, closing all of its 100 UK branches, causing thousands to lose their jobs.
The retailer also stopped accepting gift cards over a month before all the stores closed, which put consumers' money at risk at the same time.
But last year, owner WHP Global signed an agreement with Toys 'R' Us Australia to help revive the brand in the UK.
The chain is planning to launch an all new online store this year too.
You can visit a at the moment, but all shoppers can do for now is subscribe to the mailing list and play the free web game while they wait.
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