Toys R Us is set to open 120 new standalone stores across the United States in time for the 2026 holiday shopping season, in its largest expansion since the retailer’s collapse nearly a decade ago.
The new outlets are being launched through a partnership with Go! Retail Group, taking the number of standalone Toys R Us stores in the country to 160. The company has not yet disclosed the full list of locations, opening dates or the size of each shop, nor confirmed whether every site will remain open beyond the festive period. ([fox7austin.com](https://www.fox7austin.com/news/toys-r-us-makes-major-comeback-120-new-stores-opening-across-us-holiday-season))
The expansion is the latest stage in an attempt by WHP Global, the brand’s parent company, to restore Toys R Us as a physical retailer after it filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in 2017 and shut its remaining US stores the following year.
Toys R Us expands its US store network
The new shops will sell toys, collectibles and gifts linked to brands including Lego, Barbie, Hot Wheels and Pokémon. The range will also include products connected with KPop Demon Hunters, while selected stores are expected to feature sweet shops, cafés and Creator Studios for product launches and online content.
Jamie Uitdenhowen, executive vice-president of Toys R Us at WHP Global, said the expansion represented “a major moment” for the business as it increased its presence across the United States.
The company is pursuing several retail formats, including standalone stores, concessions inside Macy’s, airport outlets and shops operated through the Navy Exchange network. Go! Retail Group’s website lists Toys R Us locations in states including Texas, California, New York and Illinois, and promotes interactive play areas and appearances by the brand’s Geoffrey the Giraffe mascot. ([uat.goretailgroup.com](https://uat.goretailgroup.com/toysrus))
Go! Retail Group chief executive Gideon Schlessinger said the combined network was expected to bring the Toys R Us shopping experience to millions of customers during the holiday season.
The retailer began rebuilding its US presence with a flagship store at the American Dream complex in New Jersey in 2021. A year later, Toys R Us shops were introduced at hundreds of Macy’s stores, with Macy’s reporting that toy sales in the first quarter of the partnership were 15 times higher than in the comparable period before the tie-up.
WHP Global acquired a controlling stake in Toys R Us in March 2021. It later joined forces with Go! Retail Group to develop larger stores, while also taking the brand into travel retail, including an outlet at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport. ([whp-global.com](https://www.whp-global.com/blogs/brand-news/whp-global-announces-toysrus-retail-expansion-to-air-land-and-sea))
The revival has not been without setbacks. Smaller Toys R Us stores opened in Paramus, New Jersey, and Houston in late 2019 but closed in January 2021 during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Toys R Us said its global business now generates more than $2 billion in annual retail sales through more than 1,680 shops and e-commerce operations across 37 countries.
