Four years after it closed its doors for what was believed to be the final time, Toys ‘R’ Us is coming back to UK retail parks, with WHP Global signing an agreement with Toys ‘R’ Us Australia to head up the brand’s revival in the UK.
Toys ‘R’ Us has hired senior buyer James Ford, who helped build Debenhams’ toy arm, for the core Toys ‘R’ Us business, while Katie Ellis, who has worked for both Toys ‘R’ Us and Mothercare in the past, and Argos toys buyer Lukasz Jasinski have joined the Babies ‘R’ US UK team.
Toys ‘R’ Us Australia chief executive Louis Mittoni, who is spearheading the UK launch said: “I’m very excited to welcome over 100 years of retailing experience in our new team, who will lead the relaunch our iconic brand back into the UK market in the next few months. We have an amazing toy and baby buying team, which I believe is the best in the country.
“With this team now in place, we’re hitting the ground running and have been reaching out to the supply base to see with whom we can align on this amazing journey.”
With the market almost half a decade beyond where it was when Toys ‘R’ Us closed its doors in 2018 it will be interesting to see how Geoffrey thrives in the 2022 marketplace, especially with so many former TRU locations still sitting empty across the country.
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