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-   -   The Toys R Us thread (update: no longer DEAD) (https://forum.dvdtalk.com/store-forum/641395-toys-r-us-thread-update-no-longer-dead.html)

DJariya 09-18-17 02:59 PM

The Toys R Us thread (update: no longer DEAD)
 
https://www.cnbc.com/2017/09/18/toys...ource=facebook


Toys R Us could file for bankruptcy as soon as this week, according to sources familiar with the matter.

The sources noted that the bankruptcy plans are not definite, and both its plans to file and its timing could change.

A bankruptcy would help simplify a capital structure made complex by its trio of financial owners. Toys R Us was acquired by private equity firms Kohlberg Kravis Roberts and Bain Capital Partners and real estate investment trust Vornado Realty Trust in 2005 in a deal valued at $6.6 billion.

The three owners either declined to comment or did not immediately have a comment. The debt restructuring would help provide Toys R Us the financial flexibility to invest in its business as it repositions itself to combat a changing retail landscape.

Addressing the retailer's debt load prior to the crucial holiday season could give its major vendors such as Mattel and Hasbro clarity into the company's long-term viability to help ensure the toymakers continue to stock its shelves throughout the holiday.

Toys R Us has hired restructuring lawyers at Kirkland & Ellis to help address looming $400 million in debt due in 2018, CNBC had previously reported, noting that bankruptcy was one potential outcome.

Kirkland declined to comment.

PhantomStranger 09-18-17 03:03 PM

re: The Toys R Us thread (update: no longer DEAD)
 
They almost certainly will file bankruptcy. Their bonds have dropped in value a great deal over the past month.

Unless some other company swoops in that wants the brand for themselves, I don't think the chain will be around in 3 years.

kenbuzz 09-18-17 03:04 PM

re: The Toys R Us thread (update: no longer DEAD)
 
I think you mean TrU

DVD Josh 09-18-17 03:05 PM

re: The Toys R Us thread (update: no longer DEAD)
 
They should just eBay all the SNES units getting shipped to them.

DJariya 09-19-17 11:57 AM

re: The Toys R Us thread (update: no longer DEAD)
 
It's official. Chapter 11.

https://www.cnbc.com/2017/09/18/toys...ankruptcy.html

They have almost 5 billion in debt.

fujishig 09-19-17 02:32 PM

re: The Toys R Us thread (update: no longer DEAD)
 

Originally Posted by DVD Josh (Post 13159215)
They should just eBay all the SNES units getting shipped to them.

I thought that was one of the employee perks?

Cardsfan111 09-19-17 03:58 PM

re: The Toys R Us thread (update: no longer DEAD)
 
This news makes me sad when I think of memories as a kid, wondering up and down the aisles at the store in my local mall. But I haven't been in one in years and don't recall ever buying much there because their prices seemed so much higher than other retailers.

PhantomStranger 09-20-17 12:40 PM

re: The Toys R Us thread (update: no longer DEAD)
 
Toys R Us as it was in 1987:

http://www.retro-daze.org/site/article/id/267

thetao 09-20-17 06:59 PM

re: The Toys R Us thread (update: no longer DEAD)
 
Ahh, while I also admit to not setting foot in one in many years, what I miss most is the "stocked to the ceiling" look and the clearance aisle of toys from years past. When the store looks like a Wal-Mart or Target and carries the same stock as a Wal-Mart or Target, what's the point of visiting a TrU?

Mike86 09-20-17 07:10 PM

re: The Toys R Us thread (update: no longer DEAD)
 
I went to a Toys R Us earlier this year for the first time in ages. Aside from new toys the store honestly felt largely the same as it did when I was a kid. I was always more a fan of KB Toys to be honest but when my brother and I were younger and my parents took us on vacation going to Toys R Us was like an event (we never had one where I live).

ben12 10-30-17 02:23 PM

re: The Toys R Us thread (update: no longer DEAD)
 
I went in one yesterday to look for some arts and crafts supplies (they didn't have what I was looking for), and it was full of screaming children all running (or riding bikes) up and down the aisles. Total pandemonium. I barely escaped with my life.

Don't even ask me what Babies R Us looked like next door! *shudder*

PhantomStranger 10-30-17 02:28 PM

re: The Toys R Us thread (update: no longer DEAD)
 
This bankruptcy is having a major effect on the toy companies and their bottom lines.

Troy Stiffler 10-30-17 03:01 PM

re: The Toys R Us thread (update: no longer DEAD)
 

Originally Posted by PhantomStranger (Post 13194114)
This bankruptcy is having a major effect on the toy companies and their bottom lines.

$5B is serious. Lots of invoices are going to go unpaid. Sucks for Mattel and whatnot ... right down to the commercial real estate companies, unpaid payroll taxes, etc. It'd be interesting to see a list of their debts (though I don't know if that's ever made public).

I've been seeing Amazon casualties here-and-there (in example, local hardware shops). People just aren't buying at retail stores. Toys R Us couldn't lean up enough to stay alive.

I hope they can restructure under Chapter 11, get their debtors paid, and stay alive. But it's going to be an uphill battle to make the numbers work. I can't imagine how much has to be done to work on that much debt.

First thing I could think of ... downsize the stores to KB Toys' size and consolidate excess inventory to Amazon. Don't hang onto the past identity just for vanity (I've seen that happen a lot ... including the aforementioned hardware shops).

TheNightFlier 10-31-17 09:41 AM

re: The Toys R Us thread (update: no longer DEAD)
 

Originally Posted by Troy Stiffler (Post 13194153)
$5B is serious. Lots of invoices are going to go unpaid. Sucks for Mattel and whatnot ... right down to the commercial real estate companies, unpaid payroll taxes, etc. It'd be interesting to see a list of their debts (though I don't know if that's ever made public).

I've been seeing Amazon casualties here-and-there (in example, local hardware shops). People just aren't buying at retail stores. Toys R Us couldn't lean up enough to stay alive.

I hope they can restructure under Chapter 11, get their debtors paid, and stay alive. But it's going to be an uphill battle to make the numbers work. I can't imagine how much has to be done to work on that much debt.

First thing I could think of ... downsize the stores to KB Toys' size and consolidate excess inventory to Amazon. Don't hang onto the past identity just for vanity (I've seen that happen a lot ... including the aforementioned hardware shops).

My friends and I were talking about the same exact thing last night. We have Tanger Outlet Stores near us where Toys R Us has a smaller downsized outlet store that is about the size of a KB Toys. I never understood why Toys R Us never downsized from their massive stores. The utility costs alone had to be a negative factor on budget.

mattysemo247 10-31-17 01:16 PM

re: The Toys R Us thread (update: no longer DEAD)
 
There is a Toys R Us shop in our local outdoor outlet mall and it's really the perfect size. I could see them down scaling to that size and still making it work. They just need to cut out some of the crap that they carry today and stick to stuff that sells.

Viper187 11-11-17 01:42 PM

re: The Toys R Us thread (update: no longer DEAD)
 
Restructure? Seriously? Fuck off and die already. I'm so tired of these shit businesses filing bankruptcy over and over and staying open. If it's not profitable anymore, it needs to fucking die. That goes for Perkins and Gander fucking Mountain too. I'm still pissed we have Kmart stores here. Circuit City stores all disappeared when it went bankrupt though.

PhantomStranger 11-11-17 02:05 PM

re: The Toys R Us thread (update: no longer DEAD)
 

Originally Posted by Viper187 (Post 13203665)
Restructure? Seriously? Fuck off and die already. I'm so tired of these shit businesses filing bankruptcy over and over and staying open. If it's not profitable anymore, it needs to fucking die. That goes for Perkins and Gander fucking Mountain too. I'm still pissed we have Kmart stores here. Circuit City stores all disappeared when it went bankrupt though.

Chains are using the bankruptcy laws mostly to renegotiate their long-term leases. Better performing locations can stay in business if they suddenly cut their rent in half.

It's how chains like KMart and others have hung around far longer than anyone thought possible.

mattysemo247 01-24-18 08:53 AM

re: The Toys R Us thread (update: no longer DEAD)
 
180+ Stores are closing starting next month

https://www.usatoday.com/story/money...st/1060761001/

bunkaroo 01-24-18 01:08 PM

re: The Toys R Us thread (update: no longer DEAD)
 
This chain should die off. Their pricing is a joke. Was in there this weekend with gift cards for the GF's kids - everything I saw seemed to be marked up 15-40% from other stores.

fujishig 01-24-18 02:04 PM

re: The Toys R Us thread (update: no longer DEAD)
 

Originally Posted by bunkaroo (Post 13253768)
This chain should die off. Their pricing is a joke. Was in there this weekend with gift cards for the GF's kids - everything I saw seemed to be marked up 15-40% from other stores.

I am curious what you were buying and what you were comparing prices to (sale prices online?) They do have some markup, especially on their exclusives or hot items like lego, but they often do the old KB tactic of marking things up so their sales won't bring the prices too low. They carry a larger variety of toys than the other B&m stores and even Amazon, and as the last remaining dedicated toy store their death would have the toy companies be even more at the mercy of those stores.

Noonan 01-24-18 02:10 PM

re: The Toys R Us thread (update: no longer DEAD)
 
Sad day. Going to Toys to pick out a new NES game after my birthday was something I massively looked forward to as a kid. And Toys was my first job at 14.

bunkaroo 01-24-18 03:25 PM

re: The Toys R Us thread (update: no longer DEAD)
 

Originally Posted by fujishig (Post 13253830)
I am curious what you were buying and what you were comparing prices to (sale prices online?) They do have some markup, especially on their exclusives or hot items like lego, but they often do the old KB tactic of marking things up so their sales won't bring the prices too low. They carry a larger variety of toys than the other B&m stores and even Amazon, and as the last remaining dedicated toy store their death would have the toy companies be even more at the mercy of those stores.

LEGO's, Nerf guns, Pokemon card box sets...they were all way higher than what I saw at Target or Amazon.

Hailey G 01-24-18 03:39 PM

re: The Toys R Us thread (update: no longer DEAD)
 
+Action figures, Barbie dolls, board games, etc. I've had the same experience as you with TRU's prices generally being significantly higher than the same product from their competitors

Let's talk about the hot product from this Christmas. Fingerlings. TRU was selling them in store at 17.99. Everywhere else had them at the regular retail price of 14.99

TheBang 01-24-18 03:43 PM

re: The Toys R Us thread (update: no longer DEAD)
 

Originally Posted by bunkaroo (Post 13253904)
LEGO's, Nerf guns, Pokemon card box sets...they were all way higher than what I saw at Target or Amazon.

They'll price match local competitors, and online competitors, including Amazon.

fujishig 01-24-18 03:49 PM

re: The Toys R Us thread (update: no longer DEAD)
 

Originally Posted by Obi-Wan Jabroni (Post 13253917)
+Action figures, Barbie dolls, board games, etc. I've had the same experience as you with TRU's prices generally being significantly higher than the same product from their competitors

Let's talk about the hot product from this Christmas. Fingerlings. TRU was selling them in store at 17.99. Everywhere else had them at the regular retail price of 14.99

I'm fairly sure if you wanted to buy Fingerlings from amazon before Xmas the price was likely more than 30 bucks.

You may say oh, that's Marketplace sellers. But amazon has just recently started putting variable demand based pricing on toys. Say a Marvel Legends set has six characters, you'll see the most popular one sell out first, then you'll see it get relisted, from amazon, for higher than the rest, then higher. So it's not like Amazon is a paragon of keeping prices at retail.

They do blow out Lego and Nerf guns, though, it's pretty amazing the kinds of discounts they have.


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