Did Toys R Us Have the Right Brick & Mortar Strategy?

On this MarketScale Industry Update, Voice of B2B Daniel Litwin sits down with Melissa Gonzalez, host of MarketScale’s Retail Refined and founder of The Lionesque Group, to give analysis on Toys R Us’ final wave of closings. After being brought under the Bain Capital umbrella and filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, and then reviving its store operations with a smaller and more experiential footprint, Toys R Us is shuttering its final two US store locations.

When Toys R Us brought its stores back post-bankruptcy, it opened a New Jersey location and a Texas location, scaling back their big box approach to be smaller and more focused on letting kids interact with their toys before buying. As Gonzalez explains, this strategy was working well for the retailer until the pandemic hit.

Toys R Us claims the closures are due to COVID, telling the AP they “made the strategic decision to pivot our store strategy to new locations and platforms that have better traffic.”

Gonzalez helps give some context on whether or not the closures were completely COVID-related, if this reveals any more fundamental flaws in their strategy, and how experiential retail fits into big box retailers’ strategies as the pandemic continues.

Follow us on social media for the latest updates in B2B!

Twitter – @MarketScale
Facebook – facebook.com/marketscale
LinkedIn – linkedin.com/company/marketscale

Follow us on social media for the latest updates in B2B!

Image

Latest

data center infrastructure
AI Is Forcing a Rethink of Data Center Infrastructure at Every Level
December 29, 2025

The data center industry is being redefined by AI’s demand for faster, denser, and more scalable infrastructure. According to McKinsey, average rack power densities have more than doubled in just two years. It went from approximately 8 kW to 17 kW, and is expected to hit 30 kW by 2027. Global data center power demand is projected…

Read More
Emergency department
How Predictive AI Is Helping Hospitals Anticipate Admissions and Optimize Emergency Department Throughput
December 24, 2025

Emergency departments across the U.S. are under unprecedented strain, with overcrowding, staffing shortages, and inpatient bed constraints converging into a throughput crisis. The American Hospital Association reports that hospital capacity and workforce growth have lagged, intensifying delays from arrival to disposition. At the same time, advances in artificial intelligence are moving from experimental to operational—raising…

Read More
Mission
Why Is the Mission of Benchmark So Important
December 23, 2025

As pharmaceutical innovation accelerates, the margin for error narrows, making quality assurance not just a regulatory necessity but a public good. Benchmark’s mission sits at the intersection of progress and protection—helping manufacturers stay aligned with FDA standards so life-saving therapies reach patients faster and safer. By keeping cleanrooms compliant and companies out of trouble, Benchmark…

Read More
Benchmark
What Is It Like for You to Be Part of the Benchmark Products Teams Now
December 23, 2025

Being part of the Benchmark Products team today means working at the intersection of precision manufacturing and deeply human collaboration, especially in the high-stakes world of cleanroom and sterility assurance solutions. As the organization grows, employees describe a culture that still feels familial—one where clear communication, personal accountability, and genuine care for customers drive…

Read More