TOYS ‘R US
F. Scott Fitzgerald once said: “There are no second acts in America.” He was wrong. Babies R Us is making a comeback. The brand, now owned by WHP, has opened a flagship store in the American Dream Mall – the same mall where WHP relaunched sister company, Toys R Us.
My predicition: WHP will follow the same game plan that it used with Toys R Us. Start with a flagship store, get some brand awareness, and then work a store within a store deal with another retailer.
BUYBUY BABY
“Dream On Me Industries” has purchased eleven Buybuy Baby stores out of bankruptcy. “Dream On Me Industries” manufactures cribs and strollers, which it sells through Amazon, Walmart, Target, and other mass merchandisers.
The consensus is that they will likely open all or some of the eleven stores. After all, they have already invested $17.2 million ($15.5 million for the company’s non-physical assets and $1.17 million for the eleven stores.)
After spending that much money, it would make sense to resurrect the stores. Except for two caveats:
- How will their current customers (Walmart, et al.) feel about it?
- They have never operated a retail store.
The more retail outlets, the better. So best wishes for their success.
DOLLAR GENERAL
If you are a veteran, disabled, a woman, Gay, or a Lesbian owned manufacturer, Dollar General is interested in speaking with you about purchasing your products. The company wants to overcome existing barriers for what Dollar General calls Historically Marginalized Communities.
TRU was started by toy people and fancy accountants and lawyers put it in Chapter 10.
Richard? Did you call that a “game plan” ? That seems to indicate their juvenile plan enjoyed a degree of success for toys. I haven’t seen it. Babies R Us deserves to have a shot at continued success. Consumers need this business. But the idea of only capitalizing on the name just won’t cut it.