Perhaps the best known toy shop in the world, Toys R Us has every toy you can imagine. From the latest technology, through the best educational toys to the greatest traditional toys ever created, you can get anything your want for your child (or adult) at Toys R Us. Not only this, but with our free gift card, you can get them all for nothing.
Toys “R” Us is a United States based toy shop originating from Wayne, New Jersey. As well as having over 850 stores in the United States they also have over 700 stores across 35 countries throughout Asia, Europe, Canada, Oceania, Africa and Australasia. Their flagship toy store is located in Times Square, New York City and is famous for its large indoor Ferris wheel.
The company was started in 1948 by Charles Lazarus who set up a shop called Children’s Supermart in Washington, DC originally selling baby furniture. After branching out in to selling toys the focus of the store soon shifted from selling furniture to children’s toys and as a result the shop was renamed Toys R Us in 1957. Lazarus sold the company to Interstate Stores in 1966.
Follwing many years of sustanied growth, the nineties saw the value of the company steadily decline thanks to the rise of competitors such as Wal-Mart and Target who moved from their traditional product offerings and into toys and games, thus eroding the Toys R Us customer base.
The company was bought for $6.6 billion by a consortium of Kohlberg Kravis Roberts, Bain Capital Partners and Vornado Realty Trust in 2005. This move took the company back into private ownership for the first time since 1966.
Following the takeover the new owners undertook a program of closing the poorest performing stores in the United States. It was decided that 87 stores would close in the spring of 2006 saving around 5,000 jobs.
Despite the closures, the 2009 holiday shopping season saw the opening 90 of smaller stores across the United States and Canada branded as Toys R Us Express. In time for the busy shopping period, 90 Express stores were opened. These stores were a success and in June 2010 Toys R Us began a program of opening 600 more Express stores across North America.
Don’t forget, you can get anything you want for nothing with a Free Toys R Us Gift Card.