Babies R Us Being Reborn With New Flagship Store

The licensing and brand management firm that controls the Toys R Us brand is bringing back another member of the R Us family. It plans to open a Babies R Us flagship store at American Dream mall in New Jersey this summer.

The news comes as the survival of one of Babies R Us’ competitors, Buy Buy Baby, is in question, as parent company Bed Bath & BeyondBBBY
hints bankruptcy could be in its future.

WHP Global, which acquired a controlling stake in the Toys R Us brand names and intellectual properties after the bankruptcy and liquidation of the giant toy retailer, today said it plans to return the brand, which has licensed stores in other countries, to United States shoppers.

The first reborn Babies R Us store in this country will be located in the same New Jersey mall where WHP Global relaunched the Toys R Us brand in this country, with its flagship Toys R Us store.

Yehuda Shmidman, Chairman of WHP Global, said the relaunch of Babies R Us will mirror the strategy he used to bring back the Toys R Us. brand.

“When we acquired the Toys R Us and Babies R Us brands just a few years ago the mission was clear. It was to bring back Toys R Us and Babies R Us to America,” Shmidman said.

The first step, he said will be the opening of a 10,000 square-foot Babies R Us flagship at American Dream, near the Toys R Us flagship, followed by the announcement of a national retail partner, similar to the partnership Toys R Us has with Macy’s.

WHP Global initially partnered with Macy’s to sell toys on the Macy’s website, under the Toys R Us brand name. Last year Macy’s and Toys R Us opened Toys R Us branded toy shops in all Macy’s department stores in time for the holiday season.

WHP Global is not yet saying anything about who the Babies R Us retail partner will be. The company plans to both have a digital presence and an expanded retail presence through a partnership, Shmidman said.

The Toys R Us and Macy’s partnership has proceeded ahead of schedule and “exceeded all expectations,” Shmidman said. Macy’s executives have commented over the past year that the Toys R Us partnership is driving additional visitors to its website and stores.

WHP Global is expected to announce the Babies R Us partner after the Babies R Us flagship store opens at American Dream this summer.

The biggest asset WHP could have with the Babies R Us relaunch in this country could be the opportunity to revive the Babies R Us gift registry. Before the bankruptcy, the Babies gift registry gave Toys R Us access to parents-to-be and new parents around the country and was an important tool in winning new customers, both for Babies R Us and Toys R Us.

Toys R Us founder Charles Lazarus “was a genius, way ahead of his time,” Shmidman said. “The idea of having a toy store is one thing. The idea of building a brand around Toys R Us and then having a natural progression from parents who are raising kids from newborn in Babies R Us and then the progression to Toys R Us is so brilliant,” he said.

Toys R Us and Babies R Us are cemented “as permanent brands in all of our memories”, and Babies R Us is a trusted brand millennials, who grew up as Toys R Us kids, will turn to, Shmidman said.

WHP Global has partnered with actress Gina Rodriguez, who is preparing for the birth of her first child, and who has 4.7 million Instagram followers, to promote the return of Babies R Us.

The Babies R Us store at American Dream will have interactive experiences such as a stroller test track, a photo-op station where parents can announce their baby, and a wishing tree, where family and friends can share well wishes.

The store will also have features from the old Babies R Us store models, including a baby registry lounge, and a learning center for events and educational workshops.

It will give American Dream, which has the only flagship Toys R Us store in the country, another one-of-a-kind offering.

“We are excited to add the first Babies R Us flagship,” American Dream President and CEO Don Ghermezian said in a statement. “Families with young children and expecting parents will be thrilled to have access to this incredible destination for all their baby related needs,” Ghermezian said.

Babies R Us stores operate in more than 20 countries outside of the United States, with over 100 stores. The brand is also sold online in those countries.

In this country, the Babiesrus.com website homepage has a Babies R Us “arriving soon” message, and redirects visitors to the Toys R Us website.