A beloved toy shop which vanished from the high street after collapsing into administration is opening inside The Trafford Centre.
It was a sad day for many when Toys R Us stores closed their doors in 2018. But now, six years after the company collapsed, the iconic brand is making a comeback.
We've had sneak peek at the new shop-in-shop, which is opening inside WHSmith this Saturday, July 13, after it partnered with WHP Global.
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The familiar branding can be seen from the front of the store, with a huge statue of mascot Geoffrey the Giraffe sitting on his own bench, where kids will be able to sit for the perfect photo opportunity.
There are cuddly toys of Geoffrey too, and shelves stacked with everything from action figures and Lego, to dolls, pre-school toys, family board games and more.
Nine concession shops have already opened elsewhere, but more than a dozen more are opening this summer.
To mark the opening this Saturday, the Trafford store will be hosting a grand opening event for customers from 10am to 2pm.
Geoffrey the Giraffe will be joining the WHSmith team for an official ribbon cutting when the store opens, before greeting visitors to the store throughout the morning. The first 100 children visiting the store will also receive a free Toys R Us goody bag worth over £20.
Doors will open at 10am so people will need to get there early for the giveaway. We shared news of the opening last week, with families reacting with glee.
"Brilliant news," said one shopper. "Glad to see them making a comeback," said another. Trafford Centre is one of 30 WHSmith high street stores set to open before the end of the year and follows an initial launch of nine stores in 2023.
Ian Sanders, group commercial development director at WHSmith, said: “We’re really excited to be opening Toys R Us in Manchester. WHSmith is known for being the hub of the high street by providing customers with a range of great products and services.
"Partnering with Toys R Us gives us a leading toys and games range in our stores and means customers have even more reasons to shop with us. We look forward to welcoming many more customers into our store.”
Toys R Us launched in the UK in 1985, when it emerged as the 'world's first toy supermarket'. However, in 2017 the US parent company filed for bankruptcy after debts reached more than £3.5billion.
A year later, the iconic toy chain collapsed, closing all of its 100 UK branches and triggering thousands of redundancies.
In 2021, owner WHP Global signed an agreement with Toys R Us Australia to lead the brand's revival in the UK.
WHP Global had previously acquired a controlling interest in Tru Kids, the parent company of the Toys R Us and Babies R Us brands.
