Iconic 90s high street brand returns in TWO new locations today – see full list of stores & if there’s one near you
AN ICONIC 1990s shop is returning to one of Britain’s high streets today – following a revival accross the country.
The retailer, which any child from the turn of the millenium will remember fondly, has been making a comeback.
Toys R Us returned to the UK after collapsing into administration back in 2018.
The iconic chain was relaunched by parent brand WHSmith last year, with shops opening in York, Oxford and Cwmbran – among other locations.
Smiths is opening 30 branches by the end of August this year – with the store in Richmond set to open its doors today.
The store in Brent Cross is also opening today, with the first 100 children through the doors receiving a free Toys R Us goody bag, worth over £20.
In recent months, shoppers in places including Leamington Spa, Colchester, Derby and Nottingham have all seen the popular toy shops return.
Only two sites remain, including the Richmond store opening today.
The store in Taunton is set to open its doors on August 31.
Further new stores may be announced for next year, The Sun previously reported.
But Toys R Us will not be precisely the same as fans might remember it.
Vast warehouses packed to the rafters with toys of every variety imaginable will remain a thing of the past.
The franchise will instead reopen as a section within existing WHSmith branches.
These will incorporate a demonstration area for shoppers to try out products before buying them.
Toys can then be taken to the main store till as normal to be paid for.
Sean Toal, high street managing director at WHSmith, previously said: “After five years, we were very proud to help bring the beloved toy brand back to the UK’s high streets with the launch of nine shop-in-shops inside WHSmith.
“Every time I’ve been out visiting these stores since, I have seen first-hand how positively our customers have responded to the new ranges.
“Many tell me it feels like a back to the future moment – a brand they had known and loved since the mid-80s which is back to deliver the magic to a whole new generation of families.”
Full list of Toys R Us locations
- Hereford – opened May 25
- Leamington Spa – opened May 25
- Fosse Park – opened May 25
- Guildford – opened June 1
- Sutton – opened June 1
- Harrogate – opened June 8
- Shrewsbury – opened June 8
- Salisbury – opened June 15
- Colchester – opened June 15
- Maidstone – opened June 22
- Derby – opened June 22
- Nottingham – opened June 22
- Woking – opened June 29
- Brighton Churchill Square – opened June 29
- Worthing South Street – opened July 13
- Hastings – opened July 20
- Thurrock – opened July 27
- Lichfield – opened July 27
- Newton Abbot – opened August 3
- Halifax – opened August 10
- Lancaster – opened August 10
- Richmond – opening August 24
- Brent Cross – opening August 24
- Taunton – opening August 31