Toys R Us may be no more in the US and UK, but still remains strong in Canada. The company is even vowing to remain a big player for decades to come.
Toys R Us Canada president Melanie Teed-Murch says to The Canadian Press that her team already put into place a big plan for the company. She’s been working for Toys R Us Canada for 22 years, starting as a store manager in Kitchener, Ontario.
“People are absolutely confused…There is a huge misconception from Canadians that our stores are closing and there is going to be a massive clearance. We have been here for 34 years and are going to be here for 30 plus more. Toys “R” Us Canada is here to play and here to stay”, she says.
She had a lot of work during the Toys R Us turmoil in the US and UK. For a while, she was putting in 70-hours work weeks to make sure Toys R Us Canada remains strong.
One of the results were more social media and store campaigns to keep customers coming and engaging more with them. The stores updated their experience, added play areas, benches and is now open to birthday parties and smaller locations.
“Is food and beverage in our future? I can’t say definitively, but in the suite of Fairfax families there is a lot of restaurants,” Teed-Murch hinted.
Another benefit is that sometimes it’s still better to just go to the store, browse toys and experience them. Sometimes you might not be so sure about a toy by watching it online, but you immediately love it when you see it in person. That’s another point that Toys R Us Canada is going to use.
“We have lots of ideas for the future, but right now we are really just trying to re-establish and stabilize the business,” she said. “As a Canadian company, we need to recraft our mission.”
This also means expanding the toy portfolio. Toys R Us will have big plans for Christmas with more toys, more offer and more fun.
