Toys R Us is opening 120 new U.S. stores with its retail partner Go! Retail Group, in a major expansion timed to capitalize on the peak holiday toy shopping season.

The expansion comes at a time when the U.S. toy industry is enjoying healthy sales gains after some tough years.

Toy sales for the first half of this year were the strongest they’ve been in six year, according to research firm Circana, LLC, with total dollar sales up 17%. Average selling price was up 4%.

The store expansion means Toys R Us will have 160 standalone U.S. stores open during the holiday season this year. It continues the growth trajectory the new owners of the Toys R Us brand have been on since taking over the iconic toy brand that went bankrupt in 2017 and liquidated its stores in 2018.

After its bankruptcy and liquidation, Toys R Us was acquired in 2021 by WHP Global, a brand management........

© Forbes