This past summer, Tru Kids struck a deal with a startup called b8ta, an experiential retailer to launch interactive stores. Toymakers will pay for space in the stores but will get all the sales. The tech company will also offer brands access to data that will track traffic patterns and other metrics.
Tru Kids also penned a deal with Candytopia, a maker of candy-based art exhibits, to launch pop up shops this month in Chicago and Atlanta. After Toys R Us closed its stores, a group of investors in October 2018 won an auction for Toys R Us assets, believing they would do better by potentially reviving the toy chain rather than selling it off for parts. Richard Barry, now CEO of Tru Kids and a former Toys R Us executive, along with other former executives, founded Tru Kids earlier this year and are now managing the Toys R Us, Babies R Us and Geoffrey brands.