‘For Sale’ sign appears at Kitchener’s Toys “R” Us

Kitchener’s only Toys “R” Us store is listed for sale, just weeks before the busy holiday shopping season. CTV’s Ashley Bacon reports.

A toy store in Kitchener faces an uncertain future.

A large ‘For Sale’ sign has been placed in front of the Toys “R” Us location on Fairway Road South.

As of Wednesday, shoppers were still able to go inside and browse through the aisles, but it’s unclear how long the doors will stay open.

“We’re just doing some Christmas shopping,” Colin Nicks said. “Just because this is where we’ve always come.”

Toys “R” Us stores across the country have been dealing with financial hardships as the company struggles to attract customers.

“They can’t compete with Amazon in terms of the number of available items that they sell,” Ebrahim Mazaheri, an assistant marketing professor at Wilfrid Laurier University, said. “They can’t compete with Walmart or Costco in terms of price – and Dollarama, of course, in terms of price. They’re kind of in the middle.”

In 2017, Toys “R” Us Canada initiated bankruptcy proceedings after filing for creditor protection in the United States.

The toy store continued to operate through the years, but not without challenges. Earlier this year, the company closed several stores in Ontario to “optimize” its business, including locations in London, Thornhill, Mississauga, Sudbury and Stoney Creek.

Many of its stores are still open, including the one in Kitchener. But if that location disappears, the next closest store is in Guelph.

“As a traditional big box retail store, you used to do business the same [way] for many, many years,” Mazaheri explained. “It’s very hard to change overnight. That’s why these companies usually realize it when it’s too late.”

Several Toys “R” Us locations are listed for sale on Urban Reform Realty, including the Kitchener store and ones in Kingston, Ottawa, Whitby, Barrie and St. Catharines.

Local shoppers said they are also seeing a decline inside the store.

“There’s not as much merchandise on the floor,” Reine Deroo said. “I can really tell that. So, it’s really hard to find things.”

Nicks said he has shopped at the Kitchener location for years, and its potential closure is a sour note ahead of the holidays.

“I’ve grown up with this specific location my whole life,” he said. “I remember my dad and my mom would take me and my brother here quite often, just to even look around and explore or find new things, not just necessarily to buy stuff. As someone who’s grown up in the area and who has sentimental value attached to this place, it is a little heartbreaking just to know that one day it won’t be here.”

Toys “R” Us has not made a formal announcement about the future of the Kitchener store. CTV News reached out to the company, but did not received a response by our deadline.