New Toys R Us store to be one of the largest toy stores in Australia

Toys R Us could be making a return to Australian shores, with the toy retailer announcing plans to open “one of the largest” toy stores in the country in Melbourne’s southeast.

The proposed Clayton store would stretch more than 3000sq m, combining a Toys R Us and Babies R Us in an “experiential retail centre”.

In 2018, the toy store chain went into liquidation, closing around 44 stores across the country and cutting 700 jobs before launching stores online a year later after reaching a new deal with Hobby Warehouse.

The company was then bought by ASX-listed retailer Funtastic in 2021 and subsequently changed its name to Toys R Us.

An ASX announcement was released on Monday stating the company would need to raise at least $5m, with a target of $8m from existing shareholders to open the store.

The Clayton store has been “leased and part fitted” and is attached to the company’s existing logistics and head office facility.

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Images of plans for the new store show a “Robot Factory” area and a Geoffrey’s Playhouse, Geoffrey being the company’s giraffe mascot.

Toys R Us has recently opened nine stores in the UK with retail giant WH Smith and now holds a 40-year exclusive licence to operate in Australia and New Zealand.

The ASX announcement forecasts the new store to deliver $7m in annual trading.

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