In 2018, once-powerful retail giant Toys R Us filed bankruptcy and closed over 700 stores in the United States. However, as announced about a month ago, Toys R Us is reopening in the United States, starting with just two new stores that will open at some point before the 2019 holiday season. And now we know where the new Toys R Us stores will be located.

The new 10,000 square feet Toys R Us stores (about a third of the size of the original stores) will be located in The Galleria in Houston, Texas and in the Westfield Garden State Plaza in Paramus, New Jersey. The new Toys R Us stores won't sell quite as many toys, instead opting to focus on interactive experiences.

The new Toys R Us stores will have "playground-like environments" for toy brands, according to a report by CNN Business. This interactive version of Toys R Us is being developed in collaboration with a company called b8ta that specializes in these kinds of stores. The goal will be to provide a "memorable experience" for parents and children alike when they choose to visit the new Toys R Us retail locations.

toys r us reopening 2019 locations

If these new Toys R Us stores are successful, then parent company Tru Kids will look to open more stores in the future. The plan is to open more Toys R Us retail locations as early as 2020 if things go well. Specific locations weren't mentioned, though it was said that these stores would be opened in "high-traffic retail markets."

Interactive experiences seem to be an idea that many retail chains are exploring to stay alive in an increasingly online shopping market. For example, video game retailer GameStop has announced similar plans as Toys R Us, hoping to start hosting video game tournaments, letting people play games in-store before buying them, and selling more retro games and hardware.

Whether or not retail chains like GameStop and Toys R Us are successful with this new approach remains to be seen. If they are, then we may very well see other companies follow suit with similar takes on their stores.

Source: CNN Business