TOY JOY
Iconic 90s shop set to return to more high streets starting TODAY – is one of the nine locations near you?
Watch our video above to see which other franchises are coming back to your area
A BELOVED '90s shop is making its return to a number of high streets from today - with nine new locations set to open.
The retailer has been on the comeback trail, but it's in a very different form to the stores fans will remember.
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Toys R Us is back in the UK after collapsing into administration back in 2018.
The iconic chain was relaunched by parent brand WHSmith last year, with stores opening in York, Oxford and Cwmbran among other locations.
This year, Smiths is opening a further 30 branches by the end of August.
In just the last couple of months, shoppers in places like Leamington Spa, Colchester, Derby and Nottingham have all seen the popular toy shops return.
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There are just nine openings left on the list, including one that has popped up today.
The Worthing South Street Toys R Us is enjoying its first full day of trading after its comeback, having opened on July 13.
Other upcoming stores including Hastings on July 20, Newton Abbot on August 3 and a double of Halifax and Lancaster on August 10.
The reopenings will then finish up in Taunton on August 31, with further new stores yet to be announced for next year.
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Full list of Toys R Us locations that have opened or will oepn in 2024
- Hereford - opened May 25
- Leamington Spa - opened May 25
- Fosse Park - opened may 25
- Guildford - opened June 1
- Sutton - opened June 1
- Harrogate - opening June 8
- Shrewsbury - opening June 8
- Salisbury - opening June 15
- Colchester - opening June 15
- Maidstone - opening June 22
- Derby - opening June 22
- Nottingham - opening June 22
- Woking - opening June 29
- Brighton Churchill Square - opening June 29
- Worthing South Street - opening July 13
- Hastings - opening July 20
- Thurrock - opening July 27
- Lichfield - opening July 27
- Newton Abbot - opening August 3
- Halifax - opening August 10
- Lancaster - opening August 10
- Richmond - opening August 24
- Taunton - opening August 31
However, Toys R Us won't quite be the same as many fans might remember it.
Gone are the vast warehouses packed to the rafters with toys of every variety imaginable.
I’m one of 14 kids and my parents told us loads of lies to save money - they said Toys R Us was a museum
Instead, the franchise will reopen in a more sustainable form - as a section within existing WHSmith branches.
These will incorporate a demonstration area for shoppers to try out products before buying them.
Toys can then be taken to the main store till as normal to be paid for.
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-80s which is back to deliver the magic to a whole new generation of families."
Retailers opening stores
IT'S not all bad news on the high street as several retailers are bucking the trend and opening shops.
- German discounter Aldi has announced it will open 35 new UK stores this year. The openings form part of Aldi's long-term target of operating 1,500 stores in the UK.
- Asda has been opening hundreds of convenience stores as it looks to rival major players Tesco and Sainsbury's.
- Purepay Retail Limited , the parent company of Bonmarché, Edinburgh Woollen Mill (EWM) and Peacocks, Purepay Retail Limited, has said it wants to open 100 new high street stores over the next 18 months.
- Home Bargains has said it wants to "eventually have between 800 and 1,000 retail outlets open".
- Primark is also opening new branches and investing and renovating more than a dozen of its existing shops.
- Screwfix is set to open 40 new stores nationwide as its owner, Kingfisher, seeks to expand the DIY brand's national presence.
- Tesco has revealed plans to open 70 more stores across the UK over the next year as part of major expansion plans.
- WHSmith has turned its focus to the travel side of its business, with plans to open new sites in airports, railway stations and hospitals.
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