Toys ‘R’ Us and Babies ‘R’ Us opening 11 new stores in Canada

Toys “R” Us and Babies “R” Us are expanding with 11 new stores and they are hiring 30 to 40 employees at each location. This summer there will be nine new 25,000-square-foot Toys “R” Us stores and two new 24,000-square-foot Babies “R” Us stores.

“Our first two dedicated Babies ‘R’ Us stores will open in Edmonton in former buybuy Baby locations, filling a big gap left in the market when buybuy Baby closed,” said Doug Putman of Putman Investments.

1:07 Calgary girl with heart defect dashes through Toys ‘R’ Us on shopping spree

All of the new Rooms + Spaces home and décor stores will have a 1,500- to 2,500-square-foot Toys “R” Us shop. This expansion totals more than 300,000 square feet of retail space, and brings the total number of Toys “R” Us and Babies “R” Us locations across the country to 107.

The new Calgary locations are Brentwood Village, 3630 Brentwood Rd. and Township Calgary, 80 Longview Common SE.

“Our new locations will have an elevated in-store experience with bigger retail shops from our vendor partners,” said Putman.

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Since 1984, Toys “R” Us has been the go-to place for kids’ gifts and baby products. The nostalgia of the Toys “R” Us commercials, catchphrases and songs are engrained in the minds of baby boomers and millennials alike.

The specialty retailer is now making a comeback after closing 180 stores in the United States in 2018 after filing for bankruptcy protection in Canada and the U.S.

0:25 Toys ‘R’ Us closing around 180 stores across U.S.

The retailer says in addition to the new store openings, two existing Toys “R” Us stores in Burlington and Newmarket, Ont., will open new 6,000-square-foot expanded books and gifting sections for adults this June.

“We create our product assortment based on what our customers demand,” says Nick Muriella, vice-president of merchandising and supply chain, Toys “R” Us Canada

These sections will feature gifts from brands like Umbra, Pavillion and Giftcraft and will have a selection of bestselling books and seasonal gifts.

Toys “R” Us says there will be more positions added leading up to the holiday season and candidates are asked to apply online.

1:53 Edmonton area families take part in private shopping session at Toys R Us

The new Toys “R” Us and Babies “R” Us stores will be located in the following Canadian cities:

British Columbia:

• Burnaby: Station Square, 6200 McKay Ave. (opening this summer)
• Kamloops: Columbia Square, 500 Notre Dame Dr. (opening this summer)
• Victoria: Uptown Mall, 3600 Uptown Blvd. (opening in October)

Alberta:

• Edmonton: South Edmonton Common, 2017 98th St. NW (Babies”R”Us only, opening this summer)

• Edmonton: West Edmonton Common, 8882 170 St. NW (Babies”R”Us only, opening this summer)

• Calgary: Brentwood Village, 3630 Brentwood Rd. (opening this summer)
• Calgary: Township Calgary, 80 Longview Common SE (opening this summer)

Ontario:

• Nepean: Barrhaven, 3777 Strandherd Dr. (opening this summer)
• Toronto: Lawrence and Allen Centre (opening in October)

Quebec:

• Lanaudière: Galeries de Lanaudière, 540-570 Montée des Pionniers (opening in October)

Nova Scotia:

• Halifax: 208 Chain Lake Dr. (opening this summer)