I guarantee it will be a seasonal thing only and will be very limited locations (like Toyzam was), if it actually happens. The Malls are DEAD and there is no money there.

 

Just to clarify: The whole "top 200 stores" thing is a hope, not an actual plan yet. And that hope is to sell those stores, along with the Canadian ones. Even if a sale does go through, who knows what exactly the new owner(s) will do with them? Assuming a best case scenario of keeping those stores as TRU, let's hope that any prospective buyers won't repeat the same mistakes like this one:

That's from a new USA Today article which I feel really explains the multiple reasons why TRU is going away.

 

Oh no, I fully understand what's happening. Any shred of hope is better than nothing at all though.

 

Tru was too big for this time, they should have shrunk to the size of gamestop stores. They still could have sold a variety of toys. Just leave out big wheels, bikes, bb, fb, skate boards and only sell the big selling games and probley would still be in business.

 

I like this idea, except possibly double the size of Gamestop. Do you remember the days when you would go into a Sears store, point to an item in the Wish Book, and it would magically be in your hands a week or so later? A smaller-scaled TRU could have done that (with a faster turn around time than Sears in the 80's). This would have allowed the large segment of the population that is still not shopping online to have access to a MASSIVE amount of toys. Oh well, it's too late for them now. Perhaps K-B Toys can pick up some of these ideas.

 

You have to find a sweet spot. Gamestop looks small but they cram a lot in those stores you can still have transformers section ML,DC,turtle,legos,hot wheels,matchbox,barbies and others types of dolls and still have space for necas, S.H.F just a small section for games and board games leave the drones and robots to WM, target and BB. If GS was smart they could change some there stores to look like that or a new company could do it there a lot of empty radio shack stores that can be used.

 

well it seems like Toy R Us international are safe... at least that is what the employee of my local Toy R Us told me..

 

A smaller TRU and have an improve online presence & after market services.
TRU never considered this after Bain, KKR and Vornado took over?

 

'Exhausted' Toys 'R' Us suppliers weigh options as huge retailer shuts

info is in mid article...

 

I did read that article. I believe the writer may have misunderstood the official Toys R Us corporate press release from 3/15/18 that states this:

“The Company also disclosed that it is engaged in discussions with certain interested parties for a transaction that could combine up to 200 of the top performing U.S. stores with its Canadian operations. While discussions continue on this potential transaction, Toys“R”Us is seeking court approval to implement the liquidation of inventory in all the U.S. stores, subject to a right to recall any stores included in the proposed Canadian transaction.” https://www.toysrusinc.com/press/toysrus-to-wind-down-us-business

All stores in the US are indeed closing and liquidation sales will happen at all stores unless that transaction happens, which as of now, has unfortunately not.

 

TRU Philippines posted in their Facebook account that they're not affected. Am at work though, so I can't link/post their announcement here.

 

TRU Philippines is just doing fine here. They don't have much competition like in the US.
Their only competitor is Toy Kingdom (localized version of TRU, but as a Philippine Brand).

There's only a Duopoly of Retail Toy Store here in PH.
We don't have Gamestops, Walmarts, Targets here, not even an Amazon.
Just those the two of them.

If there other toy shops here, it will comic book / hobby shops hence, the secondary market.

 

I dunno, I think that's one of the places they have (had) an advantage. The large-size toys that you couldn't fit in a standard retail location. You need the board games, action figures, dolls and cars to be profitable but if you want to buy something like that for your kid,,,

Remember we're not talking hardcore, knowledgeable collectors and shrewd internet savvy shoppers. We're talking about the casual aunt or grandmother who needs something for a relative's kid. You need the name recognition because they don't know if 'little suzzie' wants a bike or a Barbie but they'll figure it out while they browse.

If anything the trend has become, "I don't know what she wants, so I'll get her a gift card." But maybe that's the fault of our society more than anything else.

 

so just like a tru express

 

See where that got them. Sometimes it's better to done size rather than expand to stay alive. If look at toy aisle of WM and target the aisle shelve make them look bigger, but you can easily have pegs come out of wall of a gamestop/radio shack size store and have space for girls toys, collectables and some average stuff.

 

Parts of my TRU looks to be stripped bare already and the liquidation sale hasnt even started yet. I hope theres actually something left when the sale does start!

 

Hasbro deserves it. They deserve every bit of business pain they suffer.

Even outside of Transformers, this is an absolutely monstrously run company. I'm not sure what kind of new age, powerpoint-slick executives they managed to hire, but these people have zero clue how to appeal to their target demographic, children, and only manage to show the almighty 5% increase in profits by cutting expenses and raising MSRP. Driving up demand? Expanding the buyer base? When was the last time Hasbro actually did that.

The cynical joke of a line that was TLK has been talked about to death. But arguably worse is the entire Marvel line. Look, Black Panther is a really good movie, but is it entirely shocking kids aren't running out to buy a 6 inch scale Legends of Black Panther's body guards? Marvel stuff clogs the shelves and doe snot move. They anchor their lines with drab, dull characters that make bad toys.

Growing up, this was my brother and mine's bread and butter.



We bought all of them, and this shit moved. Good luck finding a Gambit, a Wolverine or a female character.

And Star Wars. Good lord. Star Wars. Remember when Star Wars sold out in hours? Now it all shelf warms. Because nobody is interested in exorbitantly expensive vehicles and overpriced cheap figures.

Action figure sales were figured out 20 years ago. And yet here's Hasbro, burning through "waves"in 3 months, mass-shipping the most obvious shelf warming nonsense, and then being surprised when kids don't clamor for such overpriced and boring entries.



They deserve every bit of misery for screwing this up so bad. And they got another real problem on the horizon: a lot of enthusaists who were born in the 1980s are reaching their mid to late 30s. Many of us have filled out our Chug and Masterpiece collections with the ultimate figures of our favorite charactes we ever owned. It's going to have to be a real hell of an Optimus Prime to buy in 2025 to get 40-something year old me to buy. There is a real clock ticking on their nostalgia-driven Generations line, which is probably what is driving the Studio series - get the Bayverse figures you always wanted, for people who grew up with those.

 

That's me exactly. All I'm buying now is "CHUG" stuff to relive my G1 love. And also due to my decreasing space and lack of interest in product that more and more is becoming a QC nightmare. An increasingly expensive QC nightmare i might add.