Toys R Us is coming back to Nottingham and people living in the city are already looking forward to it. The entertainment giant, which went bust in 2018 with 100 shops closing, is returning to the UK high street with 17 stores set to open.
It's part of a partnership with WH Smith, with a new store set to open inside the WH Smith branch in the Victoria Centre. Sean Toal, high street managing director at WH Smith, said: "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."
He added: "Not only is this an exceptionally exciting time for our colleagues and customers, but we're also proud to be bucking the trend by continuing to invest in the UK high street." The news has been greeted with delight by many Nottingham shoppers, with those we spoke to outside the shopping centre looking forward to it.
Alex Meakin, 19, from Top Valley said he believes the return of Toys R Us “will override The Entertainer,” another popular toy store chain located in the shopping centre because “people have been wanting it back for so long.”
35-year-old mum, Libby Mcgee, remembered when Toys R Us “was a big a deal.” She added: “Going to Toys R Us was an experience for kids, so I’m glad my son gets to experience that.”
When asked if the new generation of kids still care about toys, she responded: “I still think there’s a lot of kids that play with toys. That’s probably why they’re coming back.”
Fans of the toy retailer, like Jun Cartier, took to Nottinghamshire Live’s Facebook page to show their love for the store saying: “It never should have left Nottingham.” Others joked about the size of the store, with Meryl Whittington saying that it won’t be big enough “unless it takes over the whole market.”
Jac Gosling wrote: "Yes, finally coming back to Nottingham Vic Centre. We need to bring back Woolworths as well."
The company, most popular in the 80s, went bust in February 2018. As a result, all 100 of their stores were closed, with 2,000 jobs lost. In October 2022, plans for a return to retail in the UK were announced before the signing of a long-term license agreement with WHSmith.
The books and stationary retailer announced their partnership with Toys R Us last June. Since then, the UK high street has welcomed back nine shop-in-shops, with 30 more to come over the summer to bring in a new generation of “Toys R Us kids.”
The next three to launch on May 25 will be in Hereford, Warwickshire and Leicester.
