Once a place of kids' dreams and parents' holiday shopping nightmares, Toys R Us is expected to return to brick-and-mortar locations this year ahead of the holiday season.
It's the latest development in the partnership between Macy's and WHP Global, the toy store's parent company. All Macy's stores across the country will include an in-store Toys R Us and be stocked with toys from the storied brand, Macy's said on Monday.
The Toys R Us shops will span from 1,000 square feet and go up to 10,000 square feet in flagship locations in Atlanta, Chicago, Honolulu, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York and San Francisco.
The Toys R Us sections are designed to stand out and will include hands-on demonstration tables for customers to try out and play with the toys. And for those missing Geoffrey the giraffe, worry not. The stores will feature a photo opportunity with the "Geoffrey on a Bench."
The stores are set to begin opening later this month, with all locations expected to be in place by Oct. 15 ahead of the holiday shopping season.
The partnership marks a distinct turn of events for the toy brand that went out of business in 2018 following bankruptcy and has tried previously to make comebacks without much success.
But this time might be different. The toy brand began partnering with Macy's online last August and has seen some success. Macy's said toy sales in its reported earnings for the first quarter of 2022 were 15 times higher than the comparable period before the partnership with Toys R Us started.