NEW YORK: The reincarnated version of Toys “R” Us is opening two stores this holiday season as a testing ground, with the hope of scaling up to 10 locations by the end of 2020.
A key part of their strategy is to provide “Instagram-able” experiences to lure shoppers into the new locations, including photo ops with Geoffrey the Giraffe, birthday parties and other events, Tru Kids Brands CEO Richard Barry said in a phone interview.Phillip Raub, the co-founder and president of b8ta, called the store test a “blueprint,” and said future locations may be bigger.
He said there are already talks about non-mall locations for the new stores they’re looking to open next year. The brand’s relaunch comes more than a year after the shuttering of its US operations.