Out with the old, in with the… old? Toys R Us is going away, but this may mean that another popular toy store chain could come back. It’s KB Toys which are planning a return.
KB Toys has been out of business for nearly a decade. Now the New York Post reports that it may be coming back later this year.
Strategic Marks is now the owner of the KB Toys Brand after it bought it from the US Trademark Office. The previous owner, Toys R Us, let the brand go dormant.
And now this decision may be coming back to haunt Toys R Us again. Strategic Marks says it’s planning to open as many stores as possible in time for Black Friday 2018.
“My original idea for the KB brand was to relaunch it online, but everything changed when Toys R Us said it would liquidate its 730 stores”, Ellia Kassoff told The Post. She’s the CEO of Strategic Marks.
The company is already in talks with toy manufacturers and retailers such as Go! Retail Group, Spencer Spirit Holdings and Party City. The goal is to have pop-up KB Toys stores in their malls and shopping centers.
KB Toys is definitely going to have a tough time, though. It’s expected that Walmart, Target, Amazon and many more independent toy stores will increase their toy offerings to try and gather as much Toys R Us customers as possible.
So, while the demise of Toys R Us is definitely sad, it may actually revitalize the overall toy industry. Or at least that’s the hope.
