Last Updated on December 23, 2019 by Danielle
Party City announced that it will open 50 Toy City pop-up stores this September in the wake of Toys R Us’s demise.
Party City announced that it will open 50 Toy City pop-up stores this September in the wake of Toys R Us’s demise. Now that America’s biggest specialty toy retailer has shut down, families need a physical store to buy their toys. But where do they go now?
Wondering where to buy toys now that Toys R Us has closed? Big box stores like Walmart, Target, and K-Mart will be options but now there will also be these Toy City pop-up stores. Also, don’t forget that KB Toys is making a comeback later this year. Of course, online Amazon.com offers a wide assortment of toys.
Party City will roll out these temporary Toy City pop-up stores alongside its Halloween City pop-up shops in optimal markets in which it found “attractive leasing opportunities”. It is hoping to fill the void left by Toys R Us.
James Harrison, CEO of Party City, said, “The creation of a Toy City concept to complement our temporary seasonal retail strategy is a logical extension of our brand; one that will allow us to leverage our existing pop-up store capabilities and capitalize on the category whitespace that has recently been created.”
These Toy City pop-up stores are planned to open in September and will remain open for the duration of the holiday season.
In addition to these pop-up toy stores, Party City will also be expanding its online assortment of toys.
Stephanie Wissink, a Jeffries analyst, stated: “Throughout the retail reporting cycle, we’ve heard from a number of large and mid-sized retail chains that they expect to step in to compete in toys in a more meaningful way post-Toys R Us.”
Wissink anticipates that as much as 75 percent of Toys R Us’s annual share of the toy industry will be recouped in due course, as retailers plan and execute their strategies to win over customers.
Party City’s strategy is similar to that of Toys R Us a few years back. In 2010, when KB Toys filed for bankruptcy protection and shut down its stores, Toys R Us seized the opportunity, opening hundreds of pop-up shops in malls and outlet centers prior to the holidays.
Toys R Us’s demise was linked to heavy debt, online competition from Amazon, and its inability to invest in its business.
Source: CNBC
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