Possible Comeback for Toys R Us?

Friend and forum member Agustin sent us a link to a CNBC article that gives some information about the current state of Toys R Us:

Some former Toys R Us executives are looking to bring back the iconic retailer — Geoffrey the Giraffe and all.

After being liquidated. several of the lenders took control of the intellectual property of Toys R Us, Babies R Us, and Geoffrey the Giraffe. Just a few weeks ago, several former Toys R Us executives formed a company called "Tru Kids", with the purposes of managing that intellectual property and exploring ways to bring back the toy retailer. Tru Kids is currently headquartered in Parsippany, NJ, which is only a few miles away from Toys R Us's former headquarters in Wayne. Richard Barry is the new president of Tru Kids. He was formerly the chief merchandising officer of Toys R Us.

Barry still sees a big opportunity in the US toy market, noting that the other big box retailers, as well as Amazon, were unable to fully tap into the market during the last holiday season. He believes that there is room for Toys R Us to exist again in some form. He is keeping all options open as they seek an avenue to begin operations. According to the article, this may mean standalone stores, pop up shops, or online partnerships. Barry says the new group is focused on remedying the issues that plagued Toys R Us before it's downfall, including customer experience and technology.

Barry acknowledges that perhaps the biggest hurdle will be to win back the loyalty of toy makers (like Hasbro), many of whom got burned by the bankruptcy, and lost a lot of money during the liquidation. He feels that the toy industry knows the importance a retailer like Toys R Us in the United States. Toy sales were down 2% last year. Among many factors, the loss of Toys R Us is believed to be the largest.

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