Toys “r” Us Heading to the Malls
Toys “R” Us Heading to the Malls
It looks at though the big toy store is back at it again. And by back at it, I mean back to the malls. After a successful 2009 holiday season with their 90 plus “pop-up stores”, Toys “R” Us is heading back with a vengeance. For this holiday season, the toy store will be opening 600 temporary stores through out the Unites States. Most of these temporary stores will be located in the vacant malls that have become all too common place over the last few years. Toys “R” Us is setting their sights high this year and is banking on another booming year.
Toys “R” Us took a risk last year by locating into the mall scene but this venture proved to be very profitable for the mega toy chain. Where so many other stores have failed, like their one time competitor KB Toys, Toys “R” Us managed to grow their market share. Why the shift to mall shopping? Toys “R” Us listened to what their customers wanted. Customers were looking for convenience and this is what they were given. On page 45 of the text, the book reads “products that are convenient to buy in a variety of stores increase the chances of consumers finding them and buying them.” Toys “R” Us have now made their products more readily available. Instead of hunting down the freestanding stores, all you have to do is go the mall. As the book continues on to read, consumers are not willing to “engage in extensive search”. With 600 additional stores to choose from, the toy venue will be well covered for the 2010 season.
By effectively promoting their pop-up stores, Toys “R” Us has managed to turn some of the stores into permanent fixtures. Of the ninety pops up last year, thirty of them were converted to permanent stores. The book reads on page 44 that “marketing communications play a critical role in informing consumers