---
title: "Toys R Us Bets on Brick and Mortar With 120 New Stores"
url: https://burnaze.com/article/dcfa394e-e1be-43ba-9201-adc19493a5fa
source: "Commercial Observer"
original_url: https://commercialobserver.com/2026/09/toys-r-us-leases-new-stores/
author: "Edavis"
category: "Specialty retail"
industry: "Retail"
segment: "Specialty retail"
published: 2026-09-28T15:13:46.000Z
modified: 2026-10-31T13:19:15.100Z
image: https://commercialobserver.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2026/09/Toys-R-us-GettyImages-1151373501-WEB.jpg?quality=80&w=1200
---

# Toys R Us Bets on Brick and Mortar With 120 New Stores

**TL;DR:** Toys R Us operator WHP Global plans to open 120 US stores this holiday season through a partnership with Go! Retail Group. The new stores will be smaller and temporary, with experiential features such as candy shops and cafes.

*By Edavis, originally published in Commercial Observer on 2026-09-28. [Read the original](https://commercialobserver.com/2026/09/toys-r-us-leases-new-stores/).*

## Story

**Toys R Us** operator **WHP Global** has an ambitious plan to open 120 U.S. stores this holiday season.

The private equity-backed brand-management company partnered with **Go! Retail Group**, a seasonal pop-up operator, to launch the new locations, according to an announcement last week. Shoppers nationwide can expect the new stores to be on the smaller side, the *Boston Globe* reported, and only temporary.

“Together with our incredible partners, we are growing Toys R Us in unique ways to meet customers wherever they are, whether that’s at a stand-alone store in their hometown, inside **Macy's**, at the airport or at a **Navy Exchange**,” **Jamie Uitdenhowen**, WHP Global’s executive vice president of Toys R Us, said in a statement.

The brand’s resurgence comes nearly a decade after Toys R Us filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in September 2017, triggering mass closures worldwide and affecting roughly 33,000 employees. The COVID-19 pandemic hampered post-bankruptcy revival efforts by **Tru Kids** through a **Target** partnership and pop-ups. WHP Global, which also oversees brands **Vera** **Wang**, **Express** and **Marc Jacobs**, acquired a controlling interest in Toys R Us in 2021.

WHP Global wasted no time opening the first Toys R Us flagship store since bankruptcy in 2021, selecting **Triple Five Group**’s **American Dream Mall** in East Rutherford, N.J. The operator landed an in-store partnership with Macy’s the same year.

Despite intense competition from online retailers, WHP Global has a few reasons to hope that its brick-and-mortar bet will pay off this holiday season. U.S. toy sales hit a six-year high earlier this year, and the profitability of millennial and Gen Z nostalgia is undeniable. In an effort to evolve with the times, new Toys R Us locations will offer experiential features, including candy shops, cafes and a select series of in-store event spaces for product launches.

The full list of new locations has yet to be confirmed, but confirmed hosts around New York City include **Woodbury Commons** in Central Valley, N.Y., and **The Westchester** in White Plains, N.Y., according to the *New York Post*. There will also be a new toy store at the **Mall at Short Hills** in Millburn, N.J.

Most upcoming leases will span 12 months, **Alex Winkelman**, an executive vice president at Go! Retail Group, told the *Globe*. The openings will bring Toys R Us’ retail footprint to roughly 160 stores by year’s end, rounding out the brand’s shops inside Macy’s department stores. An expansion into select airports is expected in 2027.

## Entities

- Retail (sector)
- Commercial Observer (publication)
- Target (company)
- store expansion (topic)
- holiday season (topic)
- Macy's (company)
- brick and mortar (topic)
- Toys R Us (company)
- retail footprint (topic)
- WHP Global (company)
- American Dream Mall (location)
- brand resurgence (topic)

---
Originally reported by Edavis, Commercial Observer (https://commercialobserver.com/2026/09/toys-r-us-leases-new-stores/). Summarized by Burnaze (https://burnaze.com/article/dcfa394e-e1be-43ba-9201-adc19493a5fa).