Toys R Us is making a comeback in the UK with the first stores coming in the first half of 2023.
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Once a staple figure of the retail scene, every visit to the out-of-town shopping centre was a chance to nag mum and dad until they'd finally let you have a look around Toys R Us just to shut you up.
While the retailer is still operating online, there's really nothing quite like being able to walk through the place yourself.
They were such fun places to be that 50 Cent even hired it out for his son a few years ago, letting him have whatever he wanted and even getting a personal tour from Geoffrey the Giraffe.
However, the business was in all sorts of trouble as it declared bankruptcy in 2017, and by April 2018 they'd completely shut in the UK, with their remaining US locations closing their doors last year.
Then again, you can't keep a good toyshop down, as Toys R Us has since reopened a number of locations in America and is making a comeback over here too.
Sadly this deal won't bring back the childhood wonderland that was the classic Toys R Us stores where you could run down aisles full of toys as fast as your little feet could carry you - and imagine what it must be like if they were all yours.
No, the days of those warehouses of wonder are likely still long gone as Toys R Us is coming back in partnership with WHSmith, meaning they'll be operating in WHSmith stores.
It's a 'store-in-store' type deal, meaning you'll have to go into WHSmith to get to Toys R Us, and at the start of the launch there will only be nine Toys R Us areas opening in trial locations.
After a trial period Toys R Us and WHSmith will work out where to go next with a possible rollout of more stores across more locations.
According to Toyworld the deal for the first nine stores in the trial period isn't expected to 'generate material levels of revenue', meaning the agreement might be based on more than just how many toys they sell.
This deal appears to confirm the announcement from earlier this year that Toys R Us would be making a UK comeback 'in the next few months'.
Let's just hope things go a bit better this time and poor old Geoffrey the Giraffe doesn't end up having to pack his bags again - it just wouldn't be fair on the guy.
Featured Image Credit: ATStockFoto / Alamy Stock Photo Valentino Visentini / Alamy Stock Photo
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