Toys R Us announces new locations as brand returns

Toys R Us has been absent from the UK since 2018

The locations of 17 WH Smith stores which will host Toys R Us concessions have been announced.

A total of 39 Toys R Us shops will open inside the stationer’s stores by the end of August, the retailers said – nine of which are already open.

Toys R Us went bust in February 2018, closing all of its 100 shops with the loss of more than 2,000 jobs.

Plans for the relaunch were announced in October 2022, prior to an exclusive deal being struck with WH Smith to open the concessions in the UK.

Three Toys R Us outlets - in Hereford, Leamington Spa in Warwickshire, and Fosse Park in Leicester - will open on 25 May.

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 Toys R Us shops will be located inside existing WH Smith stores

The next 17 Toys R Us shops due to open inside WH Smith stores are as follows:

• Hereford, Herefordshire

• Leamington Spa, Warwickshire

• Shrewsbury, Shropshire

• Fosse Park, Leicester

• Guildford, Surrey

• Sutton, south London

• Salisbury, Wiltshire

• Victoria shopping centre, Nottingham

• Maidstone, Kent

• Woking, Surrey

• Hastings, East Sussex

• Thurrock, Essex

• Newton Abbot, Devon

• Halifax, West Yorkshire

• Lancaster, Lancashire

• George Street, Richmond, London

• Taunton, Somerset