Toys R Us Accelerates Store Openings Ahead of Holiday Season

By Tom Whitfield

Toys R Us will open 120 new stand-alone stores across the U.S. this holiday season, its largest brick-and-mortar expansion since the brand's collapse and revival. The company announced the push in a press release on Sept. 17, 2026. Once complete, the stand-alone footprint will reach 160 locations.

The expansion runs in partnership with Go Retail Group. That partner also operated the store whose grand opening in San Marcos, Texas, illustrated the format the retailer now scales nationwide.

"This is a major moment for Toys R Us as we significantly expand our presence across the United States," Jamie Uitdenhowen, executive vice president of Toys R Us at WHP Global, said in a statement.

What will the new stores contain?

The retailer frames the build-out as a way to meet customers wherever they are. The new locations will stock a curated selection of toys, collectibles and gifts from brands including:

• Lego
• Barbie
• Pokémon
• KPop Demon Hunters

Some stores will feature Creator Studios, a dedicated space where influencers and toy brands can produce content. Select locations will also house candy shops and cafes.

The move puts creator content infrastructure inside toy stores — a bet that social media production drives traffic and brand partnerships as much as shelf merchandise does.

How does this compare with last year?

The timing follows a pattern. Around the same time last year, Toys R Us ran a similar but smaller expansion, opening more than 30 stores, including flagships and seasonal holiday shops. This year's program is roughly four times that scale in store count.

The stand-alone fleet is only part of the physical network. Toys R Us also operates inside Macy's stores nationwide and runs shop-in-shop concepts at airports and with the Navy Exchange Service Command.

The company opened a shop-in-shop location at Orlando International Airport in August. A second airport location is scheduled to open next summer.

Holiday-season competition is tightening in parallel. This week, toy brand FAO Schwarz announced a new Amazon storefront, extending the toy category's holiday land grab onto the largest e-commerce platform.

Why is a 2018 liquidation case opening 160 stores?

The brand's trajectory explains the unusual structure. Toys R Us filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2017, following a 20-year decline. By 2018, the company had liquidated all U.S. operations.

It later emerged as a new company, Tru Kids. In 2021, Tru Kids sold a controlling stake to brand management specialist WHP Global, which now operates Toys R Us alongside a portfolio that includes:

• Express
• Marc Jacobs
• Bonobos
• Anne Klein

WHP Global's model treats the retailer as a licensable brand asset rather than a traditional chain, and the 160-store footprint is the clearest test yet of whether that model supports physical retail at scale.

For marketers, the story is the channel mix: a brand that once died online-first now pairs 160 owned stores, a department-store partnership, airport concessions and creator studios to reach parents and collectors. The second Orlando airport opening next summer will show whether the model extends beyond the holiday peak.