Although their overall business plan is still a work in progress, the newly-restructured Toys R Us is planning to re-enter the US toy market. Rebranded as Tru Kid, this new company is plotting a variety of options, including pop-up shops, stand-alone stores, and even partnerships with toy manufactures. Unsurprisingly, Tru Kids is also exploring a potential partnership with Amazon.
According to Richard Barry, the new president of Tru Kids, “The U.S. is the biggest toy market in the world… This is the place where the business began.” As a result, Tru Kids is very interested in entering the market by Christmas 2019.
Barry has suggested that the overall vision will consist of growing the Toys R Us name throughout the United States while continuing to manage operations across the 900 global stores. As of 2018, these global stores had generated more than $3 billion retail sales, making them a strong foundation to establish their company.
However, there are a number of pitfalls that Tru Kids will need to work to avoid. Unlike the previous Toys R Us, Tru Kids will need to embrace investing in online stores, digital strategies, and the customers’ experience.
