: Newer standalone flagships, like the massive multi-level store at the American Dream mall in New Jersey, ditch the boring grid aisles for interactive play areas and massive displays.
: Major retailers like Walmart and Target were willing to sell toys at a loss during the holidays just to get parents through the door. Toys "R" Us couldn't afford to match those razor-thin margins. toy r us store
: Founded in 1948 by Charles Lazarus as a children's furniture store called Children's Bargain Town . : Newer standalone flagships, like the massive multi-level
: In 2005, private equity firms bought the company in a leveraged buyout. They put billions of dollars of debt directly onto the company's books. : Founded in 1948 by Charles Lazarus as
: Because the company was paying hundreds of millions annually just to service its massive debt, it couldn't afford to update its dated, grid-like stores or invest heavily in a digital footprint.
The story of Toys "R" Us is the story of a massive shift in how Americans shopped in the 20th century.