BERGEN COUNTY, N.J. (NEXSTAR) — Do you miss walking into that big Toys R Us store, complete with a backward “R” in the signage, and seeing more toys than your eyes could believe? You can soon have that feeling again, with new features including an ice cream parlor and a two-story slide.
Toys R Us will open a new two-story flagship store in American Dream, an entertainment/retail center in Bergen County, New Jersey, the retailer’s parent company, WHP Global, has announced.
Spanning 20,000 square feet, the flagship store “will be reminiscent of the beloved toy store customers know and love.” It will feature various toy brands, the chance to meet store mascot Geoffrey the Giraffe, interactive experiences, and product demonstrations.
New elements will include Geoffrey’s Café, an ice cream parlor, a two-story slide, and additional features not yet released. American Dream is already home to two other entertainment features for adults and kids alike, including Nickelodeon Universe Theme Park and DreamWorks Water Park.
If you’re ready to plan your trip to the new store, you won’t have to wait long. WHP Global notes the new store will open in mid-December. This is the first standalone flagship store returning to the U.S.
In August, Macy’s and Toys R Us announced a partnership bringing the toy retailer to 400 Macy’s stores nationwide in 2022. You can also shop the partnership online at macys.com/toysrus.
Toys R Us currently has over 900 stores and e-commerce sites throughout 25 countries outside of the U.S., according to Yehuda Shmidman, Chairman and CEO of WHP Global and Toys R Us. WHP Global, a New York-based brand management firm, acquired a controlling stake in Tru Kids, the parent company of Toys R Us and Babies R Us brands, in early 2021.
Toys R Us, which declared bankruptcy in 2017 with $7.9 billion in debt, briefly opened pop-up stores in 2019 before closing them when the company was acquired by WHP Global.
