Toys “R” Us plans 120 new standalone U.S. stores for the 2026 holidays, a major comeback test after its nationwide retail collapse.
USA Today reported that Toys “R” Us announced the expansion on Sept. 17, with openings planned across the country during the holiday season.
The retailer expects the plan to lift its standalone U.S. store count from 40 to 160. It has not announced every location or each store’s opening date.
The size of the 120-store comeback marks a sharp change for a brand that liquidated its U.S. business only eight years ago.
Shoppers would gain more places to buy toys, collectibles and gifts before the holidays. For the company, the expansion will test whether a familiar name can again support a large physical footprint.
Toys “R” Us is working with Go! Retail Group to expand its standalone presence. The company also operates through Macy’s shops, airports and Navy Exchange locations.
About 400 Toys “R” Us shops now operate inside Macy’s stores nationwide, the company says. Those locations began opening in 2022 and gave the brand a broad retail presence without rebuilding a full national chain.
The planned return to standalone retail is a much larger commitment. A shop inside another retailer is one thing; opening 120 separate stores demands far more execution.
The company has also pushed into airports. A shop-in-shop opened at Orlando International Airport in August, and another location there is planned for summer 2027.
Toys “R” Us says its global business produces more than $2 billion in annual retail sales. It also claims more than 1,680 stores and e-commerce operations across 37 countries.
The retailer filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in September 2017 while carrying about $5 billion in debt. Chapter 11 allows a company to reorganize under court supervision.
Toys “R” Us liquidated its U.S. business and closed its remaining stores in 2018. The company returned to physical retail in 2019 with smaller stores in Paramus, New Jersey, and Houston.
Both stores later closed in 2021, showing why the current post-bankruptcy expansion cannot be judged by store announcements alone. Openings matter, but lasting operations will decide the outcome.
WHP Global acquired Toys “R” Us in 2021 and continued rebuilding the brand. A 20,000-square-foot flagship opened that December at the American Dream mall in New Jersey.
The company is now introducing Creator Studios at five existing locations. Those sites include stores in New Jersey, Minnesota, California, Colorado and Illinois.
The biggest unanswered question is basic: where will all the new stores go? The company has announced a nationwide expansion without releasing a complete location list.
Nor has it provided individual opening dates for the 120 stores. That leaves shoppers, workers and local retail centers waiting for the practical details behind the holiday plan.
Existing stores in California are already part of the brand’s broader comeback push. But a nationwide rollout on this scale requires the company to turn a broad announcement into open doors across many markets.
The strategy mixes standalone stores with smaller spaces inside other retailers and travel hubs. That approach spreads the brand across several channels instead of betting everything on one store model.
Still, the holiday calendar gives the company a firm test. Toys “R” Us must move from plans to openings while giving customers a reason to return after years of closures and attempted revivals.
In a free market, nostalgia can win attention. Only sound execution and real value earn a lasting place.