Amazon mulls taking over Toys R Us
In this article (4)
Bloomberg reports the bankrupt toy retailer is in talks with the e-commerce giant over the future of an unspecified number of stores which could be converted to Amazon’s growing portfolio of offline retail spaces. The company recently acquired grocery chain Whole Foods, which has 450 sites, and has been opening physical book stores in selected US markets.
Toys R Us US is closing down more than 700 stores, many of which have moderate- to large-sized footprints suited to bulky goods or grocery retailing.
Bloomberg’s sources said Amazon is not interested in the Toys R Us brand but sees opportunities to use physical stores to deliver online purchases faster. It may possibly use the sites to demonstrate its Alexa voice-activated technology.
Amazon has previously negotiated taking over Radio Shack stores after that chain collapse, but no deal was reached.
Questions & Answers
Q.What is Amazon's primary interest in the Toys R Us stores?
What is Amazon's primary interest in the Toys R Us stores?
Amazon is reportedly not interested in the Toys R Us brand itself. Instead, it sees an opportunity to use physical stores to facilitate faster delivery of online purchases and potentially demonstrate its Alexa technology.
Q.How many Toys R Us stores might be involved in these discussions?
How many Toys R Us stores might be involved in these discussions?
The article states that Amazon is in talks regarding an unspecified number of Toys R Us stores. There is no precise figure mentioned for the potential acquisition.
Q.What kind of stores is Amazon looking for?
What kind of stores is Amazon looking for?
Amazon is considering Toys R Us stores that have moderate to large-sized footprints. These are well-suited for bulky goods or grocery retailing, aligning with Amazon's existing offline retail portfolio.
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