Updating a story that we first brought you in June, addressing the successful bid of Fairfax Financial Holdings to keep Toys R Us Canada in operation, we have even more great news for our fellow Transformers fans in Canada: the launch of Toybox outlets! These smaller stores represent the vision of Toys R Us Canada President Melanie Teed-Murch, recently interviewed before the first location’s debut in Guelph’s Stone Road Mall.
“We’re trying to show that in smaller markets, we really don’t need 40,000 square-foot stores. I think the future for us as a retailer is definitely smaller venues… for sure. I’d love to see some 10,000s and I’d like to see some 5,000 showroom stores in the future.”
Features of the outlets include:
- demonstration tables
- lower shelves
- personalized service from sales clerks equipped with devices to help customers order and ship items
- toys grouped by age-type and category rather than manufacturer
Remember to share your thoughts about this business model in discussion on the 2005 boards!
AzT
http://www.trucadevtest.com/tru/pdf/TRU_Website_Guelph_Store_Opening_E.pdf
G.B. Blackrock
Agreed. Indeed, I'm surprised that TRU Canada found it necessary to do the clarification, but I'm glad they did so.
primalxconvoy
In Japan, there's no official Ikea delivery service (no lorries). I live near Japan's flagship centre (in Chiba) and they use the local post office to deliver items. We can't order from the website. I thought that was the whole point to Ikea's business model; they want you to go to their shops and not online?
Shizuka
You can in the UK you can deliver from the website to your home but I agree about the food as I brought the subject (I work there) and asked if one day there's still there did through other outlets but people don't know.
General Tekno
Cool to read the clarification. It didn't sound like a rebranding but rather a misleading headline, having read the original article.
AzT
Toys R Us Canada clarifies position on Toybox roll-out | Toy World Magazine
Dirge121
Order it for you and get it to you in 3 to 5 days? Unless the shipping is free you’re not going to top Amazon. The failure of the store to keep stock up to date isn’t something that should be paid for by the consumer.
shiftshock
Zombies are real.
Max Tower
If I was – it was unintentional as I was actually talking about Toys R Us loosing money on things like Baby Clothes and prams & Babies are us in general – to much competition on that stuff.
But that said The Last Knight was not as great sucess as it could have been. They even said the ended the line early. Which isn't so bad as they had Studio series ready to take it's place – I suspect some things they might have had to drop from the cancelled Last Knight Later waves would just end up in that line anyway – but I think they always planned to end it pretty quickly anyway due to the poor shelf life on specific movie toyslines in general these days.
G.B. Blackrock
That's Larian's view. He's more than a little biased.
metalwar2010
Pretty much sums up the US market with TRU gone:
Toy billionaire: 'The Toys 'R' Us name' is 'basically destroyed'
Toy billionaire: 'The Toys 'R' Us name' is 'basically destroyed'
metalwar2010
I don't disagree but if you shopped online, the prices for TRU products were over priced, same in the stores. TRU never had a chance against the other stores I mentioned, even today. Certainly the location is key but that goes without saying for any business. I also agree they should've diversified. I mean Target, Walmart, Menard's, Home Depot, etc all have. I never thought to find one day outside of candy and soda a hardware store stocking pet food or grocery type items you would only find in a store that specialized in that.
Regardless, now that they are gone in the US and HTS taking some slack for their financial reporting, intentional or not, its hard to say "I'm back" when everyone has moved on. You have to be very creative and go full force or your doomed to repeat what happened the last time. Sears and JCPenny and more I'm sure can be added here, all tried to copy other successful companies strategies and we all know how that's working out for them today. As you said, products they decide to carry is going to be just one part of that strategy.
WishfulThinking
A second thought. I know the U.S. company IP holders are trying to make bank on international use of the name. I wouldn't be surprised if the primary reason for avoiding the TRU name is to avoid potential royalties for using the ToysRUs branding.
WishfulThinking
Thank you! That's exactly what I was trying to figure out myself. It sounds like they're doing pop-up stores called Toybox…but the larger stand alones are still going to be called ToysRUs?
ZapRowsdower
But it's not all price wars: sometimes it's the convenience of not having to drive 20-30 miles to the nearest box store. Or getting the items in the mall, where you're already shopping for other Xmas gifts.
Plus, with proper product demonstrations (something TRU had wanted to do for a loooooong time), you can convert more potential into actual sales.
AND, it's all about the execution. A few years back, I went to the TF exhibit in a museum in Indianapolis. They had some toys out for demo purposes… and they chose Warrior Class STEELJAW as their demo toy! If you've ever owned that toy, you know it's one of the more difficult ones to convert. And this is what they had out for non-TF fans? I'm guessing they grabbed whatever shelf-warmer they could find at the local store ("wait, TF distribution and stocking is a problem??").
All of that said, for TRU to ever survive, it has to evolve. Toward the end, TRU was selling grocery items (or planned to). I think they should consider selling more electronics or any hot holiday items (even robes or socks, if those sell). A stand-alone toy store is destined to fail, imo. Parents just don't buy toys like they did in the 80s/90s. Times have changed. It's all health food and wellness and hippy junk now!
AutobotAvalanche
You're funny.
metalwar2010
I'm not sure if this will work in the US because of so much push to fill in the TRU void this past year both by HTS offering more products in their store and other places like Amazon. Don't forget the Wal-Mart vs Amazon vs Target wars every Xmas season via price wars. In any other market that doesn't involve the US, I'm sure this will do fine.
primalxconvoy
I don't think we can order from the website with Ikea? Also, in Japan, where I live, I'm sure there are people not interested in buying large items of furniture but might be interested in the food items and smaller home items that Ikea sells. This would be more interesting for those that rent semi-furnished flats or who live in small homes, etc, or who don't have a car. It might entice people to come to the larger shops and/or the brand.
User_124141
yes i can finally have more chances getting Transformers!
jtkv
Not really a new idea… They had Toys R Us Express (around Toronto, Canada anyways) many years ago, where it\'s a smaller store in a strip mall, with select merchandise.
But they didn\'t last long…