The iconic toy store, Toys 'R' Us, is set to reappear on UK high streets within months, with the company already hunting for a new UK team to oversee its comeback. The UK branch of the chain went into administration back in 2018.
The Australian arm of the failed chain signed a license agreement last year to bring its "digital and physical retail commerce" back to Britain. It has ramped up its recruitment and plans to relaunch in the next few months.
The firm has fired senior buyer James Ford, who helped build the toy arm of Debenhams, for the core Toys 'R' Us business. Katie Ellis, who has worked for both Toys 'R' Us and Mothercare in her career, and Argos toys buyer Lukasz Jasinski have also joined the Babies 'R' Us team in the UK.
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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.”
Toys 'R' Us first launched in the UK in 1985 when it emerged as the "world's first toy supermarket". However, the US parent company filed for bankruptcy in 2017 after debts reached more than £3.5 billion.
The legendary toy chain collapsed a year later, closing all 100 branches of its stores in the UK and triggering thousands of redundancies, The Mirror reports.
Last year, owner WHP Global signed an agreement with Toys 'R' Us Australia to lead the brand's revival in the UK. It had previously acquired a controlling interest in Tru Kids, the parent company of the Toys 'R' Us and Babies 'R' Us brands.
Yehuda Shmidman, the chairman of WHP Global and Toys 'R' Us, previously said: “Toys 'R' Us today is a vibrant business with over 900 stores and e-commerce sites across 25-plus countries generating over US$2 billion a year in sales and growing, especially with the new launches underway for both the US and UK markets."
Louis Mittoni, boss of Toys 'R' Us ANZ, said: “My team and I are looking forward to developing technical and commercial relationships with UK-based vendors and partners and to engage with the many loyal Toys 'R' Us former customers and fans in the UK."
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