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Toys 'R' Us opens in-store food and kid-care shops

By Staff -- Gifts and Dec, 4/29/2009 7:34:00 AM

WAYNE, N.J.—Toys “R” Us today officially announced the roll out “R” Market shops featuring convenience-oriented food and child-care staples at more than 260 Toys “R” Us stores.

Tested in several Chicago and Tampa, Fla.-area TRU stores in the past few months, “R” Market features nearly 1,300 “essential and discretionary products from trusted brands.” The product assortment includes:

• Light snacks, breakfast roods and drinks, including chips, pretzels, cookies and crackers, fruit snacks, cereals and nutrition bars, plus a variety of “healthy munchies,” such as squeezable fruit and apple sauce. The selection also includes juice boxes, kid-sized nonperishable milks and other soda alternatives, and bulk packages of bottled water in regular and kid sizes.

• Paper goods, such as napkins, paper towels and toilet paper, often in “bulk packages at value prices.”

• Cleaning supplies and laundry detergents

• An expanded assortment of baby care essentials, such as diapers, wipes and changing products, as well as baby food, infant formula and snacks specifically for toddlers and preschoolers. In addition to name brands, the assortment includes TRU's private label diaper and baby formula brands.

• Health and beauty aids, an expanded collection of health and bath essentials that includes first aid and wellness products for kids.

• Sweet Treats, a dedicated candy section within “R” Market that includes a wall of theater candy boxes and novelty items, including marshmallow blasters, gumball machines, PEZ dispensers and similar candy toys, among other products.

• Together Time in the Kitchen, an area featuring an assortment of kid-friendly pizza kits and baking mixes.

• Kid-focused consumables, an assortment of “unique” fizz beverages and fruit juices featuring favorite characters, and Sesame Street organic munchies from the makers of Earth’s Best Organic.

• Making Bath Time Fun, an assortment of products such as motorized toothbrushes, bathtub crayons and paint.

“As part of our business strategy, we are continually focused on improving the shopping experience for customers in our stores. This includes looking for new ways to provide busy parents with the convenience of finding everything they need for their kids under one roof,” said Jerry Storch, chairman and CEO of Toys “R” Us, Inc. “The introduction of ‘R’ Market offers customers a uniquely edited presentation of differentiated, kid-focused products from well-known manufacturers, as well as newer brands.”

“R” Market will roll out to additional Toys “R” Us locations across the country as the year progresses, the timing for each market will vary.

A spokesperson for the retailer told Playthings the "R" Stores won't have an impact on the stores' space devoted to traditional toys.

"The percentage of square footage dedicated to the 'R' Markets will be in the single digits," said TRU's Jennifer Albano. "To make room for 'R' Market, we’re replacing unproductive business. This has included reducing our assortment of larger sized kids’ apparel to focus on babies and kids under age 4. In addition, the removal of the X [merchandiser] configuration in Toys 'R' Us stores increased the amount of square footage available for toys, allowing us to continue to expand our unbeatable selection of toys and electronics with the addition of new products, such as the recent introduction of Webkinz. We believe the unique kid-focused selection in 'R' Market provides a great complement to our toy assortment—and provides a one-stop shopping experience for parents."

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