WHSmith (Swindon, England) and Toys “R” Us ANZ Ltd. (Sydney, Australia) are teaming to launch nine Toys “R” Us shop-in-shops in WHSmith’s High Street stores this month. These spaces will feature a 3-D sculpture of the brand’s Geoffrey the Giraffe mascot at the entrance leading to a space with dedicated sections by age, interest and category, along with interactive experiences, demonstration tables and visual elements throughout.
The partnership was announced by WHP Global (New York), owner of the Toys “R” Us brand.
“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,” said Sean Toal, Managing Director, WHSmith High Street. “The brand has long been known for its exceptional range of toys and games and complements our existing offer well.”
The new retail partnership follows last year’s launch of Toys “R” Us UK’s digital flagship e-commerce website.
“Our new Toys “R” Us shop-in-shops at WHSmith create the perfect home for Toys “R” Us as it returns to the U.K. high street shopping scene,” Simon Cartey, U.K. Commercial Director at Toys “R” Us. “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.”
The first Toys “R” Us opening will take place June 10 at WHSmith Monks Cross Retail Park store in York. The other eight locales will be:
- Canterbury (St George Street)
- Chelmsford (High Street)
- Cheltenham (High Street)
- Cwmbran (The Mall)
- Oxford (Cornmarket Street)
- Poole (Towngate Shopping Centre)
- Reading (Broad Street)
- Solihull (Mell Square)
WHSmith’s High Street business consists of more than 520 stores across the U.K. Toys “R” Us ANZ Ltd. is an Australian-based firm formerly known as Funtastic Ltd.
The U.K pop-ups are just one of several steps WHP has taken in recent months to expand the Toys “R” Us brand. Other moves include launching its first airport-based store and unveiling plans to open stores in Mexico.