Toys"R"Us® Announces Plans to Open 600 Toys"R"Us Express Stores in Malls and Shopping Centers, Doubling the Number of Toys"R"Us Locations Nationwide for 2010 Christmas Season

WAYNE, N.J., Sept. 9 /PRNewswire/ -- Toys"R"Us® today announced plans to operate approximately 600 Toys"R"Us Express stores in malls and shopping centers nationwide during the 2010 Christmas season, in addition to its 587 full-size Toys"R"Us stores in the United States.  The major expansion of the Toys"R"Us Express initiative will double the number of Toys"R"Us locations available for holiday shopping needs as the company asserts its authority position by making itself even more convenient for customers.  This sizeable rollout of pop-up stores represents an additional 2.4 million square feet of toy-selling space for the holiday season.

"By doubling the number of Toys"R"Us locations nationwide, now more than ever we will be available when and where customers want to shop with us this holiday season," said Jerry Storch, Chairman and CEO, Toys"R"Us, Inc.  "We are pleased that this significant expansion of our Toys"R"Us Express initiative also creates thousands of new jobs beyond our usual seasonal workforce build."

Last year, the company operated its first pop-up stores with nearly 90 Toys"R"Us Express locations across the country, many of which have remained open through 2010.  This year, Toys"R"Us will open more than six times the amount of these approximately 4,000-square-foot locations.  New Toys"R"Us Express locations began opening in June in malls and shopping centers nationwide, and will continue to open through early November.  Approximately 300 of these locations have already opened, spanning the country from Federal Way, WA to Saugus, MA.  Similar to last year, the company will look for opportunities to keep select stores open following the holiday season.  

Toys"R"Us Shops at Babies"R"Us® Stores Nationwide

In addition to the 600 Toys"R"Us Express locations, the company's more than 260 Babies"R"Us® stores nationwide will again offer a wider selection of toys for the holiday season.  When searching for toys featuring kids' favorite characters from Toy Story 3, Cars, Sesame Street and Thomas the Tank Engine, parents will find a wide assortment of infant and preschool items from Fisher-Price®, V-Tech®, Playskool®, LeapFrog® and Crayola® while shopping Babies"R"Us.  The toy shop within the store will feature Toys"R"Us signage so shoppers can easily locate the must-have gifts of the holiday season.  

Toys"R"Us Express Openings Create 10,000 Jobs Nationwide for 2010 Holiday Season

With the opening of 600 Toys"R"Us Express locations this year, Toys"R"Us is hiring approximately 10,000 associates nationwide to staff these stores to help parents and holiday gift-givers find the right toys for the children in their lives.  Employees are being hired for these stores in advance of, and in addition to, the company's traditional holiday workforce expansion for its full-size stores.  At Toys"R"Us Express locations, customers will find the enhanced service and expertise they expect from Toys"R"Us as THE toy authority.

Positions are still available in Toys"R"Us Express stores for supervisors and sales associates.  Those interested in applying for a position at a Toys"R"Us Express store near them should visit Ruscareers.com.

Express Store Initiative Leads to Eight Permanent Outlet Stores

Over the summer, Toys"R"Us Express stores at Sands Shopping Center in Oceanside, NY; Citadel Outlets in Commerce, CA; Woodbury Common Premium Outlet in Central Valley, NY and Great Mall of the Bay Area in Milpitas, CA that remained open following the 2009 holiday season were converted to permanent Toys"R"Us Outlet locations.  Additionally, the company has opened permanent outlet stores in Gurnee Mills in Gurnee, IL; Philadelphia Premium Outlets in Limerick, PA; and Orlando Premium Outlets in Orlando, FL. An eighth outlet location in Jersey Gardens in Elizabeth, NJ will open later this fall.  

The approximately 5,000-square-foot Toys"R"Us Outlets feature a wide selection of value-oriented products unique to these locations, as well as an edited assortment of the items available in full-size Toys"R"Us stores.

Toys"R"Us Express and Outlet Store Products and Services

On-the-go parents, grandparents and last-minute shoppers looking to purchase everything on little ones' wish lists in one quick trip will find a convenient selection of playthings and perennial favorites at the Toys"R"Us Express and Outlet stores, including dolls, action figures and educational toys to fit every budget.  Gift cards, among the most popular items purchased at the Toys"R"Us Express stores last year, are available with great new designs.

Customers can get a jumpstart on the holiday shopping season by signing up for the new Toys"R"Us Christmas Savers Club at any Toys"R"Us store, including the Express and Outlet locations.  This program allows shoppers to set aside money with the added benefit of earning a bonus, simply for saving early. Those who sign up for the Christmas Savers Club between now and October 16, 2010 will receive a three percent bonus based on the total funds they save. Customers can save up to $2,500 per card, which means the most aggressive savers can earn up to $75 on top of the money they load on their cards.  To maximize the amount of time to save for holiday purchases, the bonus will be added to shoppers' cards on October 31, 2010, just in time for the kickoff of the holiday shopping season. To learn more about the Christmas Savers Club program, shoppers can visit Toysrus.com/ChristmasSaversClub.

In addition, customers shopping in the Toys"R"Us Express and Outlet locations will have the ability to register for Rewards"R"Us®, the company's customer loyalty program.  

Furthermore, gift-givers can rest assured that even though Toys"R"Us Express pop-up stores may close in January, returns and exchanges can be made easily after the holiday season in any of the company's 848 Toys"R"Us and Babies"R"Us stores across the country.

About Toys"R"Us, Inc.

Toys"R"Us, Inc. is the world's leading dedicated toy and juvenile products retailer, offering a differentiated shopping experience through its family of brands. It currently sells merchandise in more than 1,560 stores, including 848 Toys"R"Us and Babies"R"Us stores in the United States, and more than 510 international stores and 200 licensed stores in 33 countries and jurisdictions. In addition, it exclusively operates the legendary FAO Schwarz brand and sells extraordinary toys in the brand's flagship store on Fifth Avenue in New York City. With its strong portfolio of e-commerce sites including Toysrus.com, Babiesrus.com, eToys.com, FAO.com and babyuniverse.com, it provides shoppers with a broad online selection of distinctive toy and baby products. Headquartered in Wayne, NJ, Toys"R"Us, Inc. employs approximately 70,000 associates worldwide. The company is committed to serving its communities as a caring and reputable neighbor through programs dedicated to keeping kids safe and helping them in times of need.

SOURCE Toys"R"Us