Iconic Toys R Us chain will return to Charlotte through a new Macy’s partnership

The iconic Toys R Us toy store is moving back into two Charlotte malls just four years after closing all of its local shops.

Toys R Us said Monday it will be opening at 400 Macy’s stores nationwide starting this month. All Toys R Us stores will open by Oct. 15, Macy’s said in a news release.

Macy’s has two Charlotte stores, at SouthPark mall at 4400 Sharon Road and Northlake Mall at 6801 Northlake Mall Drive. Macy’s spokeswoman Stephanie Jimenez did not specify when Charlotte-area Toys R Us stores will open other than to say by the fall.

Macy’s has five other North Carolina stores in Durham, Fayetteville, Greensboro and Raleigh, as well as one in South Carolina at Columbia Mall.

Macy’s and Toys R Us is the latest store-in-store concept, as retailers continue to do battle with e-commerce.

Last month in Charlotte, Belk and Conn’s joined the growing list. Others include Sephora at Kohl’s and Lowe’s + Petco.

Toys R Macy’s

The Toys R Us in-store shops will range from 1,000-square-feet to 10,000-square-feet at flagship locations in 11 U.S. cities, with the closest being Atlanta, according to Macy’s.

Children can play with toys at demonstration tables and get photos with the store’s famous Geoffrey The Giraffe at the new locations. Toys R Us is planning family-friendly activities and giveaways Oct. 15-23 just before the holiday shopping season kicks off.

Toys R Us had six stores in Charlotte, Pineville, Concord and Gastonia when the company filed for bankruptcy in September 2017. The company began closing all of its 735 U.S. stores in 2018.

Last year, Macy’s partnered with Toys R Us in offering toys for sale online at macys.com/toysrus. The partnership brought “tremendous growth” to the department store’s toy sales, Nata Dvir, Macy’s chief merchandising officer, said in a statement.

Macy’s reported toy sales were 15 times higher in the first quarter this year compared to the same time last year before the Toys R Us partnership.

Toys R Us generates more than $2 billion in global retail sales annually through 900 branded stores and e-commerce businesses in over 25 countries, according to the toy company. In March 2021, brand management firm WHP Global acquired the Toys R Us brand.

This story was originally published July 19, 2022 at 5:55 AM.