Toys R US ready for restart under new name Tru Kids

NEW YORK — Toys R Us fans in the U.S. should see the iconic brand re-emerge in some form by the 2019 holiday season.

Richard Barry, a former Toys R Us executive who is now CEO of the new company called Tru Kids Inc., said he and his team are still working on the details, but they’re exploring options including freestanding stores and shops within existing stores. He said e-commerce will play a key role.

Toys R Us, buckling under competition from Amazon and several billions of dollars of debt, filed for Chapter 11 reorganization in September 2017 and then liquidated its businesses last year in the U.S. as well as several other regions including the United Kingdom.

In October, a group of investors won an auction for Toys R Us assets, believing they would do better by reviving the toy chain than selling it off for parts. Starting Jan. 20, Barry and several other former Toys R Us executives founded Tru Kids and are now managing the Toys R Us, Babies R Us and Geoffrey brands. Toys R Us generated $3 billion in global retail sales in 2018. Tru Kids estimates that 40 to 50 percent of Toys R Us market share is still up for grabs despite many retailers like Walmart and Target expanding their toy aisles.

“These brands are beloved by customers,” said Barry. He noted that the company will focus on experiences in the physical stores, which could cover about 10,000 square feet. The original Toys R Us stores were roughly 40,000 square feet.

Barry said he and his team have been reaching out to toy makers and have received strong support. But he acknowledged that many had been burned by the Toys R Us liquidation.