Toys ‘R’ Us to open four new stores in Australia

Global toy retailer, Toys ‘R’ Us, will open four new stores across Victoria, Queensland and New South Wales between September and November.

The four new stores will be located in Robina (Queensland), which will open on September 16 ; Rutherford (NSW), which will open on October 7 ; South Morang (Victoria), which will open on October 14 ; and North Lakes (Queensland). The retailer’s store in North Lakes will be its 15th store to open over a three-year period.

Dianne Guerreiro, managing director of Toys ‘R’ Us Australia, said they believe the expansion will have a beneficial impact on the local communities.

“We are committed to giving our customers access to the latest and most exciting toy and baby products in Australia, and with each new location, we can make sure we’re reaching even more toy fans across the country,” Guerreiro said.

According to Guerreiro, they will be recruiting 60 to 80 new staff in each store.

Toys ‘R’ Us currently has 39 stores across Australia, employing 2,300 staff members, which rises to 3,000 during the busy Christmas trading period.

In May, the toy retailer combined its Japan, Greater China and Southeast Asia businesses as part of a joint venture with Hong Kong-based Fung Retailing Limited.

Toys ‘R’ Us Asia Ltd, which currently operates 223 stores in China and the Southeast Asian markets, entered into an agreement with Fung Retailing Limited to consolidate Toys ‘R’ US Japan, which operates 160 stores in the country, into Toys ‘R’ Us Asia.

The unified business will now be owned by about 85 per cent by Toys ‘R’ Us, with the remaining percentage held by Fung Retailing.

Andre Javes, president of Toys ‘R’ Us Asia Pacific, said they have seen growth in expenditure on children’s products in recent years, driven primarily by Asia’s economic growth, rising middle class and rapid urbanisation.