It worked last year so Toys "R" Us is upping the ante this holiday season by opening 600 temporary shops this fall in empty mall spaces, many of which used to house the erstwhile KB Toys. Ann
Zimmerman quotes Gerald Storch, chief executive of Toys "R" Us, as saying, "Our customers told us they liked the convenience of buying toys where they were shopping for other holiday gifts."
Storch said last year's effort helped the company grab market share. For the fourth quarter, Toys "R" Us saw sales at stores open at least a year rise 3.3% and total sales were up 5.5% to $3.6
billion. In the previous year, its holiday sales declined 3.4%. Industry-wide toy sales for the fourth quarter were flat, according to NPD Group.
Toys "R" Us is hiring 10,000 workers to
staff the temporary stores, which will be run by seasoned department managers from established stores. It also is opening eight permanent outlet stores. Some of the pop-ups could become permanent, it
said. Last year, 30 of the temporary Toys "R" Us stores became permanent establishments.
advertisement
advertisement
Read the whole story at Wall Street Journal »