Toys "R" Us is expanding with plans to open 120 new stores across the United States, marking its largest expansion in nearly a decade. This growth comes as adult consumers increasingly purchase toys like trading cards and collectibles, contributing to a 17% surge in toy sales during the first half of this year—the strongest performance since 2020. The company now accounts for 55% of all toy sales through its adult customer base. Toys "R" Us will operate stores under one-year leases and includes popular brands such as LEGO, Barbie, Hot Wheels, and Pokémon in their offerings.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-09-18,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
Toys "R" Us is planning its largest expansion in nearly a decade by opening 120 stores across the country. This move comes as toy sales surged by 17% in the first half of 2023, marking the strongest performance in six years and driven largely by adult consumers buying trading cards and collectibles. Circana, which tracks consumer data, reports that adults now account for 55% of all toy sales. The new locations include Woodbury Commons and Westchester in White Plains, New York, as well as the Mall at Short Hills in Millburn, New Jersey. These stores will feature major brands like LEGO, Barbie, Hot Wheels, Pokémon, and KPop Demon Hunters, catering to both children and adults who are embracing their "kidult" status by indulging in toys typically associated with younger audiences.
Written for “Toys R Us Expands Stores” on 2026-09-18,
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No political leaning scored for article 17022 · logged 2026-09-18
Here’s some good news for adults who “didn’t wanna grow up,” as the old ad jingle had it.
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jingle → ’ → it
Toys “R” Us is kicking off its biggest expansion in nearly a decade, opening 120 stores amid surging demand from adult customers, the company said Thursday.
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company → kick → customers
The retailer — whose 2017 bankruptcy devastated the toy industry — inked one-year leases across the country as toy sales notched their biggest spike since 2020, according to Circana, which tracks consumer data.
uncertain
which → devastate → data
The new locales include Woodbury Commons and the Westchester in White Plains, NY, and the Mall at Short Hills in Millburn, NJ.
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locales → include → Millburn
Toy sales in the US grew 17% in the first half of the year – the strongest first-half performance in six years – largely fueled by adults who are snatching up trading cards and collectibles, according to Circana.
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who → grow → Circana
Adults now account for 55% of all toy sales, the researcher found.
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researcher → account → sales
Mall operators like having toy stores on premises, “so shoppers don’t feel like they have to leave the mall and go to Walmart or Target,” observed former Toys “R” Us chief executive Gerald Storch.
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Storch → like → Walmart
The new stores will offer some of the biggest brands, including LEGO, Barbie, Hot Wheels, Pokémon and KPop Demon Hunters – and some will have cafes and candy shops, according to the company.
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some → offer → company
New York-based Toys “R” Us is owned by WHP Global, the brand licensing firm that also owns Marc Jacobs, Vera Wang and Lands’ End.
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that → base → Jacobs
The brick-and-mortar strategy is being led by Go! Retail Group, which operates pop-up stores and quietly began the Toys “R” Us expansion last year.
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which → lead → expansion
The expansion push started last month when Go! Retail began opening 3,500- to 7,500-square-foot stores, said a spokesperson for Toys “R” Us.
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spokesperson → start → Us
The number of stores is set to reach 160 in the coming weeks – a fraction of the 750 outlets Toys “R” Us had when it filed for bankruptcy and closed all of its US stores in 2017.
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it → set → 2017
Its iconic Times Square store featured a ferris wheel and 20-foot-tall animatronic T-Rex –generating sales of $75 to $100 million a year before closing in 2015, according to Storch.
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store → feature → Storch
Founded by Charles Lazarus in 1948 as a baby furniture store – which eventually became Babies “R” Us – the company went belly up due to a $5 billion pile of debt.
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company → found → debt
Private equity firms Bain Capital, KKR and Vornado bought the chain in a $6.6 billion leveraged buyout in 2005.
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Capital → buy → 2005
Its demise crippled the industry, which depended on Toys “R” Us to drive sales and launch new products.
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which → cripple → products
Many toy company owners were bitter about the filing, which saddled them with millions in unpaid bills.
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which → saddle → bills
“The toy industry is incredibly strong,” said former Toys “R” Us veteran Jamie Uitdenhowen, now WHP Global executive vice president.
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Uitdenhowen → say → ?
The industry has “a growing consumer base that extends well beyond kids,” he added.
“’Kidults’ have become an important part of the category,” said Uitdenhowen, using the newfangled word for grownups with tastes typically associated with younger people.
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Uitdenhowen → have → people
WHP controls the global license for Toys “R” Us, which includes 1,680 stores in 37 countries and some $2 billion in annual sales.
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which → control → sales
The Aporia
