WHP Global – the owner of Toys R Us – has confirmed a new retail partnership with WHSmith for the launch of nine shop in shops bringing the iconic children’s toy brand back to the UK high street.
The first opening will take place on Saturday 10 June at WHSmith Monks Cross Retail Park in York, with a grand opening event for customers.
A further eight shop in shops will then open throughout the summer in Canterbury, Chelmsford, Cheltenham, Cwmbran, Oxford, Poole, Reading and Solihull.
Customers visiting the stores will be welcomed by a life-size Geoffrey the Giraffe 3D sculpture, before discovering and playing across dedicated sections by age, interest and category, with interactive experiences, demonstration tables and visual elements throughout.
Each Toys R Us shop in shop will feature a key range of products and activities from brand including Barbie, Bluey, Fisher Price, Hot Wheels, LEGO, Marvel, PAW Patrol, Peppa Pig, Playmobil, Star Wars and more.
“At WHSmith, we’re always exploring new opportunities to launch exciting, new product ranges to our customers on the high street, and our partnership with Toys R Us certainly does this,” commented Sean Toal, md, WHSmith High Street. “The brand has long been known for its exceptional range of toys and games and complements our existing offer well. Across each of the nine locations, we have a great team of colleagues who look forward to welcoming many new and existing customers over the coming weeks and showcasing the new store layout and, not forgetting, Geoffrey the Giraffe.”
The new retail partnership follows last year’s successful launch of Toys R Us UK’s digital flagship ecommerce website at www.toysrus.co.uk.
Simon Cartey, UK commercial director at Toys R Us, continued: “Our new Toys R Us shop-in-shops at WHSmith create the perfect home for Toys R Us as it returns to the UK high street shopping scene. With this collaboration, we are not only bringing back the beloved Toys R Us experience but also providing convenient access to a wide range of toys and games.
“Together, we hope to create a magical and joyful shopping destination for families across the country.”
