When the toy fight city closes its doors, customers mourn the loss of a brand that reminds them of their childhood.
On the other hand, retailers see an opportunity.
Companies, including Target, Wal-Mart and Party City, have failed to cede more land to online giant Amazon.
Now, before the key holiday season comes, they will be more focused on making their store a vibrant shopping experience.
This means creating play areas for children, providing demos of new toys, and holding activities such as scavenger hunting in stores.
Retailers are trying to grab a chunk of the Toy R Us remaining nearly $3 billion, or 12% of the U. S. S.
According to the NPD Group, the toy market
Market research group.
Last month, Party City opened 50 toy City pop-
6-featured shopsby-8-
LEGO dinosaurs and other interactive displays.
Wal-Mart says 30% of holiday toys are new.
Wal-Mart will also offer more than 40% toys.
Compared to a year ago.
In November and December, the company's toy area will be renamed the best toy store in the United States.
Starting at the end of October, Target will put in additional space in 500 stores near the former Toys R & D city store for larger toys such as electric cars, playrooms and musical instruments, and add nearly 200
100 Target stores will see new layouts and fixtures in the toy area.
The company is also expanding the number of children's events.
Recently, it hosted a Lego Minecraft event featuring a treasure hunt.
Meanwhile, it is reported that Amazon plans to distribute toy catalogues in its whole-food store.
The company declined to comment on the catalogue, but analysts said Amazon could expand its toy market share from 15% to 20% this year.
Toy sellers have long been taking advantage of the plight of toy manufacturers, but when the chain filed for bankruptcy protection in the fall of 2017 and accelerated the pace at which the chain declared bankruptcy, they stepped up their efforts to clean up their business in the third quarter.
Earlier this year, Toys fighting city had more than $800. S. stores.
It closed the last 200 stores at the end of June.
With reports of retailers closing down, shoppers have been nostalgic, and some analysts believe that this compassion has helped drive up toy sales in the first half of this year. U. S.
Toy sales rose 7% from January to June to $7.
9 billion, according to the NPD.
Toy sales rose 1% last year to $20.
From 7 billion in 2016.
"I believe that the strong growth in the toy industry so far this year has at least been supported in part by sympathy for the loss of stores like Toys R & R," Juli Lennett, NPD toys senior vice president and industry consultant said in a statement.
"I think this brings an emotional response that leads to the overall purchase of more toys by parents.
30-year-old Jessica McEwan says she is a huge fan of toy fight city and has stocked up many toys when the store closes.
Although she said she plans to move toy shopping to Wal-Mart, Target and Amazon, she still misses her previous shopping experienceto.
"This is a blank space," she lamented . "
"This is a place dedicated to toys and babies.