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The Beginning
In 1948, 25-year-old Charles Lazarus turned his dream of creating a child-oriented business into a reality. A visionary for his time, Lazarus started a baby furniture store, Children's Bargain Town, in Washington, D.C. to cater to the post-war baby boom era. Lazarus filled his store with cribs and baby furniture and ran it single-handedly, overseeing everything from keeping the books to delivering merchandise in customers' homes.
Although quite successful with his baby furniture venture, his customers were constantly inquiring about toys for both infants and older children. After months of listening to customer requests, Lazarus finally acquiesced and began selling toys. The first toy he added to the inventory was a cradle gym. When it proved a strong seller, he added tricycles, books and other toys. Charles learned early on in the toy business that, unlike furniture, toys broke or fell out of fashion with children, prompting parents to return to the store again and again. Almost ten years later, Charles adopted the supermarket model for his store, which allowed customers to examine and pick out products on their own and pay for them at a checkout stand. With the opening of his second store, he settled on the name Toys"R"Us with a backward "R." Although the name drew ire from parents and teachers alike for its grammatical incorrectness, Lazarus knew it was an attention-getter.  Charles believed that success meant focusing on the everyday shopper, such as a parent searching for the perfect birthday gift or a child hoping to spend his or her weekly allowance. In the pre-mall, pre-discount days, specialty retailing and off-price positioning were revolutionary concepts that Charles leveraged to his advantage. Through his ingenuity, Lazarus expanded his fledgling business into a toy conglomerate and saw his brainchild become a public company in 1978 with established community roots and a loyal customer base from coast to coast. With its iconic mascot Geoffrey the Giraffe introduced in February 1960 and the catchy jingle "I Don't Want to Grow Up, I'm a Toys"R"Us Kid," Toys"R"Us has become one of the most recognized and beloved brands in the world. Today, Toys"R"Us operates nearly 600 store locations across the United States. Market Expansion
By the early 1980s, Toys"R"Us looked to diversify its portfolio by finding new incentives to attract parents with an extension of the "R"Us brand. In 1983, the company branched out into children's clothing when it opened its first Kids"R"Us stores in Paramus, New Jersey and Brooklyn, New York. Although Toys"R"Us closed its
freestanding Kids"R"Us locations in 2003, the company remains committed to the apparel business and continues to sell a wide variety of name brand designer and private label boys and girls clothing through its Babies"R"Us locations and in most of its Toys"R"Us stores across the country.
Toys"R"Us launched a worldwide presence in 1984 when the company opened its first two international stores in Singapore and Canada. Almost ten years later, President George H. Bush traveled to Japan to open that country's first Toys"R"Us store. More than 20 years after the first store opening, Toys"R"Us, International operates, licenses or franchises more than 700 stores in 33 countries outside of the United States, including Australia, Canada, France, Portugal and the United Kingdom.  Baby and Educational Products
In 1996, the Toys"R"Us family gave birth to a new addition with the launch of Babies"R"Us, the nation's premier baby products retailer and specialty store chain. Opening its first store in Westbury, New York, the chain has since grown to more than 260 locations across the country and is the undisputed leader in the juvenile market. The stores offer new and expecting parents everything they need for their baby, including an incredible selection of baby products and supplies, from leading manufacturers, at prices moms love.
The entry of Toys"R"Us into the rapidly growing educational and learning toys business was solidified with the company's purchase of Imaginarium in 1998. Today, all Toys"R"Us stores in the U.S. feature an Imaginarium "boutique" offering a broad selection of toys that promote creativity, learning and "smart play." The World's Largest Toy Stores
Recognizing the incredible potential of the Internet, Toys"R"Us launched Toysrus.com in June 1998, and it quickly became one of the fastest growing sites in the toy and baby shopping categories. Today, Toysrus.com is one of the most visited sites in the retail category with a vast assortment of toys, video game titles, exciting toy exclusives, personalized versions of popular toys and fantastic deals every day. In addition, Babiesrus.com offers a wide selection of baby products and supplies and a best-in-class online baby registry.
In 2001, Toys"R"Us opened its international flagship store in New York City's Times Square, which quickly established itself as The Center of the Toy Universe™. Replete with a 60-foot Ferris Wheel, a 20-foot animatronic T-Rex dinosaur, a lifesize Barbie dollhouse and a New York City skyline constructed entirely of LEGOs, Toys"R"Us Times Square has become one of the top tourist attractions in the Big Apple for families from around the world. The prestigious Zagat's "U.S. Family Travel Guide" has rated Toys"R"Us Times Square the top family destination in New York City. Building a Portfolio of Brands
To broaden its web-based portfolio, in February 2009, Toys“R”Us, Inc. acquired the highly regarded e-commerce sites, eToys.com and babyuniverse.com, as well as the parenting resource website, ePregnancy.com. These respected brands, combined with Toysrus.com and Babiesrus.com, provide online shoppers with a differentiated assortment of toy and baby product offerings, as well as valuable resources for parents and parents-to-be.
Later that year, in May 2009, Toys“R”Us, Inc. acquired FAO Schwarz, one of the most iconic children’s retailers in the world and a brand synonymous with quality and innovation. Together, Toys“R”Us and FAO Schwarz have a combined 208-year history of delighting kids and the combination of these two marquee brands represents an unparalleled expertise in toy retailing. Along with FAO.com, the company operates two FAO Schwarz stores – a flagship location in New York City and a store in Las Vegas at The Forum Shops at Caesars Palace. The acquisition provided Toys“R”Us, Inc. with a unique opportunity to grow its toy specialist market share and advance its authority position in the overall toy category. Evolving Businesses
As the traditional definition of toys has changed, Toys“R”Us has been the industry leader in identifying and offering innovative product choices to today’s tech-savvy generation of kids. From digital cameras to Apple iPods to musical instruments and more, Toys“R”Us is the destination for what’s new and hot in electronics.
Positioning the global franchise for the future, Toys“R”Us became a private company in July 2005 when an investment group consisting of affiliates of Bain Capital Partners LLC, Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. (KKR), and Vornado Realty Trust (NYSE: VNO) completed the acquisition of Toys“R”Us, Inc. for $6.6 billion. A Future Rooted in the Past
In 2006, Toys“R”Us, Inc. returned to its roots of offering toys and juvenile products in one location when it began renovating existing Toys“R”Us stores to include a small Babies“R”Us store within an existing location. Expanding on the success of this model, the company opened its first “R” Superstores, which combine full-size Toys“R”Us and Babies“R”Us stores under one roof in late 2007, to provide parents with a true one-stop shopping experience. The company currently operates approximately 20 “R” Superstores and additional stores that follow this integrated format continue to open around the country.
With a story as unique and exceptional as the customers who have shopped in its stores for more than 60 years, Toys“R”Us has solidified its position as THE toy authority by becoming the preeminent place for the hottest toy launches and most in-demand toys. And, with the company’s foray into the baby products market, Babies“R”Us has become the quintessential source for everything new and expectant moms need when preparing for baby’s arrival, setting up a nursery, traveling with a newborn and baby safety. | |
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