Toys "R" Us Adds 120 Stores for Holiday Season

Toy vendors and branded-product licensors gain 120 new holiday-season retail doors as the chain rebuilds its standalone footprint.

Updated on Nov. 1, 2026 in Retail

Long empty retail aisle with pale wooden shelves holding rows of plain colorful gift boxes and a holiday garland under warm overhead light. — Toys "R" Us plans to open 120 new standalone U.S. stores by the holiday season, bringing its standalone store count to 160 as it rebuilds after its 2017 bankruptcy. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

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Do you plan to shop at a new Toys "R" Us store this holiday season?

Toys "R" Us plans to open 120 new standalone stores across the United States by the holiday season, which would bring its U.S. standalone store count to 160. The stores will carry LEGO, Pokémon, Barbie, Hot Wheels, NERF, and K-pop Demon Hunters products, aimed at the season's most in-demand toys and collectibles.

Why it matters

The expansion comes from a brand that filed for bankruptcy in 2017, which forced nationwide store closures, so the rebuild of a standalone physical footprint is a notable test of whether a legacy toy retailer can regain shelf presence. For toy sellers and vendors, a large new set of holiday-season doors means a fresh channel to reach families buying licensed and branded products.

Toys "R" Us has confirmed 120 new standalone stores nationwide, taking its U.S. standalone footprint to 160 locations. The company also operates shops inside Macy's stores across the country, though the figures for those shop-in-shops were not part of the expansion announcement.

The players

Toys "R" Us

A legacy toy retailer that operates standalone stores and shops inside Macy's, rebuilding its physical footprint after a 2017 bankruptcy.

WHP Global

The parent company of Toys "R" Us, which oversees the brand's retail operations and store expansion.

Macy's

A national department store chain that hosts Toys "R" Us shops within its locations across the country.

The details

Toys "R" Us operates through its parent company WHP Global, and the new stores are being built around a mix of major brand licenses and current movie tie-ins. The stores will feature an assortment of the season's hottest toys, collectibles, and gifts from major toy brands, including LEGO, Pokémon, Barbie, Hot Wheels, NERF, and K-pop Demon Hunters. Because the expansion is concentrated ahead of the holiday season, the sales mix will lean heavily on licensed products that carry strong seasonal demand.

2017: Bankruptcy filing forced nationwide Toys "R" Us store closures.
November 1, 2026: The company confirmed plans to open 120 new stores.
By the holiday season: The 120 new standalone stores are planned to open.

Market Landscape

The 2017 bankruptcy and nationwide store closures left Toys "R" Us with a far smaller physical footprint than it held before. The planned 120 standalone openings, with 160 total U.S. standalone stores after the expansion, mark a deliberate rebuild of that footprint around holiday-season toy demand.

Toy vendors and licensors should watch for placement and assortment decisions across the new standalone stores ahead of the holiday season. Brand managers for LEGO, Pokémon, Barbie, Hot Wheels, NERF, and K-pop Demon Hunters products may see new shelf opportunities as the rollout progresses.

The takeaway

Toy suppliers and licensed-product brands should prepare for a holiday-season channel that is returning to physical standalone stores. Operators in the category should track the announced opening dates and store-by-store assortments as they are released.