NEW YORK – Toys R Us is backing down again.
The only two Toys R Us outlets opened in November 2019 as a component of a small attempt to return the iconic toy chain to the United States have already closed.
The Toys R Us store at the Galleria Mall in Houston closed on January 15, while the Garden State Plaza store in Paramus, New Jersey, closed on Tuesday, according to Tru Kids, a new entity formed in the acquisition of Toys R Us. when it is liquidated in 2018.
These adjustments come at a time when physical stores, grocery shopping malls, have been affected by weak visitor traffic amid the pandemic.
Toys R Us is still in operation.
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“After COVID, we have made a strategic resolution to shift our store strategy to new places and platforms with higher traffic,” Tru Kids said Friday. “Consumer demand in the toy category and for Toys R Us remains strong and we will continue to invest in channels where the visitor needs to notice our brand. “
The two enclosed sites measured approximately 6,500 square feet, approximately one-seventh the length of the old Toys R U outlets and were focused on hands-on experiences. Employees would unpack toys, for example, so young people could simply see them.
During a stopover at the New Jersey store in 2019, the youth fired Nerf disintegrators and sat in a circle during story time as Geoffrey, the chain’s mascot, walked. You’ll have to stick to the rules of social estating.
Tru Kids says that outside the U. S. , it operates retail outlets and e-commerce sites from Toys R Us and Babies R Us through licensing partners in more than 25 countries in Asia, Europe, Africa and the Middle East.
Bloomberg News first announced the closing news.