Toys ”R” Us to Close Three Québec Stores,Signaling Retail Shift
Montréal,québec - Three Toys “R” Us locations in québec will be closing their doors,marking a further contraction of the once-dominant toy retailer and highlighting a essential shift in how consumers purchase playthings. The closures, announced Tuesday, reflect the company’s inability to adapt to evolving market pressures and the growing dominance of direct-to-consumer sales from major toy brands.
The demise of thes brick-and-mortar stores impacts Québec families who valued the immersive shopping experience Toys “R” Us offered, but it’s also a symptom of broader retail trends. Consumers are increasingly bypassing conventional retailers to buy directly from manufacturers like Pokémon, Barbie, and Lego, a change accelerated by logistical innovations pioneered by companies like amazon. this shift has made it challenging for toys “R” Us to compete on price and convenience, ultimately contributing to its struggles.
Gaëtan Namouric,founder and strategist at Perrier Jablonski,described the situation as “a dinosaur” in an interview with À vos affaires. “We thoght we were going to find something considerable in terms of square footage,” Namouric stated,indicating the firm anticipated a different outcome.He explained that the appeal now lies with specific brands, diminishing the need for a general toy store intermediary. “The destination is Pokémon, it’s Barbie, it’s Lego. That’s what people are going after, and we don’t really need Toys R Us for that anymore,” he added.
Namouric further emphasized that the American company failed to adjust its pricing to the current economic climate. “What Amazon revolutionized in terms of logistics, they couldn’t do. We have to pay rent, we have to pay salaries. Everything has gone up, but prices haven’t been able to keep pace,” he clarified on LCN.
The loss of these stores also represents a loss of a cherished childhood experience, according to Namouric. “When you’re a child, you remember how incredible it is to be surrounded by toys. That’s not at all what you experience on Amazon,” he concluded. The closures underscore the challenges facing traditional retailers in the age of e-commerce and the evolving preferences of today’s consumers.
