Tru Kids Brands, the new owners of Toys’R’Us, will re-launch the storied retailer this year with two stores located in in Houston and New Jersey. The stores will open before the holiday season. The companies plan to open additional U.S. locations in high-traffic retail markets in 2020.
Tru Kids have partnered with b8ta, an experiential retailer, to revamp the stores into smaller-format stores that showcase curated toys and games in an interactive way.
Founded in 2015, b8ta operates 17 flagship stores throughout the U.S. focused on helping customers discover, try and buy new products in real life.
Richard Barry, CEO of Tru Kids and Interim co-CEO of the new Toys’R’Us joint venture said, “We have an incredible opportunity to entirely reimagine the Toys’R’Us brand in the U.S. and are thrilled to partner with b8ta and key toy vendors to create a new, highly-engaging retail experience designed for kids, families and to better fit within today’s retail environment.”
The new stores will be highly interactive with events and activities every day, from seeing toys displayed out of the box to test before making a purchase, to visiting different brand stations. Brand partners and experiences will be announced in the coming weeks.