Once upon a time, Toys ‘R’ Us was a UK retail giant. With its huge warehouses of goodies and shelves stacked to the ceiling with toys, the American company was an essential part of growing up in this country. Well, up to the 2010s, anyway: in 2017, online competition forced Toys ‘R’ Us to close all 100 of its UK stores.
But last year, in tremendously exciting news, Toys ‘R’ Us made a comeback. Following the announcement of its return in 2022, nine new stores opened across the UK. The new Toys ‘R’ Us stores aren’t quite the same as the chain that previously dominated warehouses and retail parks: they’re operated as franchises inside branches of stationary store WH Smiths, with shoppers able to try out toys before ordering them digitally.
And now there’s even better news for Toys ‘R’ Us fans. The chain recently revealed that it’ll be opening a further 30 new stores in WH Smiths. While these new stores don’t yet have official locations or opening dates, the toy store chain has said they’ll open before the end of this financial year.
Here’s the full list of Toys ‘R’ Us stores that have already opened in the UK.
- Canterbury (St George Street)
- Chelmsford (High Street)
- Cheltenham (High Street)
- Cwmbran (The Mall)
- Oxford (Cornmarket Street)
- Poole (Towngate Shopping Centre)
- Reading (Broad Street)
- Solihull (Mell Square)
- York (Monks Cross retail park)
If you don’t live near any of these places, fear not. Toys ‘R’ Us also launched its online store back in December, which you can have a browse through here.
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