Toys "R" Us is relaunching with a major physical expansion this holiday season, opening 120 new standalone stores and bringing the total to about 160 locations by Christmas, alongside product assortments inside Macy’s. The chain is positioning itself to capture a growing market of teens and adult collectors who increasingly buy toys for hobby, fandom and social experiences rather than solely for children. That audience is already driving meaningful sales growth, and the new stores are aimed at tapping that demand during peak shopping season.
Market research from Circana shows toy sales among adult-only households grew 16% through June and now equal about 55% of industry receipts; overall adult toy sales rose 25% and teen purchases climbed 33%, with teens and adults accounting for nearly 60% of incremental dollar gains in the first half of the year. Toys are experiencing their strongest first-half sales in six years as analog products regain cultural cachet. Top brands fueling the boom include Pokémon, major sports leagues, Marvel, Star Wars, Hot Wheels and LEGO; Toys "R" Us plans to feature LEGO, Barbie, Hot Wheels, Pokémon and KPop Demon Hunters. Once operating more than 1,000 U.S. stores before a 2017 bankruptcy driven by Walmart, Amazon and e-commerce trends, the chain is now run by WHP Global, a private-equity-backed portfolio manager.
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