Zhu Zhu Pets Save Toys’R’US

When Vornado Realty Trust and two other investors bought Toys”R”Us a few years back, many of us thought that the deal was simply a real estate play to get the retailer’s many prime real estate locations. But the chain is another category killer that Walmart hasn’t brought down.

This Star Tribune article explains how it’s the last specialty toy chain out there, surviving when KB Toys and other peers couldn’t.

Toys’R’Us In Crazy Holiday Push

Toys”R”Us is pulling out all the stops this holiday season in efforts to compete with the likes of Walmart and others that have encroached on its territory for a while. The chain’s solution? A pop-up and store-within-a-store strategy.

Not satisfied that shoppers will gravitate toward the 586 stores across the US that it operates, Toys is opening about 350 pop-up locations in high-profile malls over the holidays.

Walmart To Crush Kmart Next Year?

A recent Time magazine article says a new Walmart program called Project Impact seeks to beat down its competitors. We didn’t know that was anything too new, but apparently the company is shifting to a higher gear in its efforts.

Says retail consultant Burt Flickinger III: “They’ve got Kmart ready to take a standing eight-count next year.” He also predicts the new measure will give Toys “R” Us and Rite Aid some serious problems.

Prediction: Wal-Mart Will Win Toys Battle

If last month’s brutal sales figures are any indicator, consumers are going to be looking for deals this holiday season. Major deals.

We know Wal-Mart will have full aisles as the season approaches, so can anyone else compete? According to this WSJ article, some retailers will try in the toy department. KB Toys, Toys “R” Us and Target are bringing it on.

Can Toys ‘R’ Us Compete?

We were just wondering about Toys “R” Us the other day, when we randomly came across this article.

The toy chain is apparently in a push to open 70,000-sf superstores around the country to combat the toy departments of Wal-Mart and other discounters. These concepts combine both the Toys and Babies “R” Us concepts.