Toys 'R' Us and Babies 'R' Us to open 2 new stores in Calgary

A Toys 'R' Us sign is seen in Montreal on September 19, 2017. The iconic store brand, which was revived in Canada by Putman Investments in 2021, will be opening 11 new stores in Canada by the summer. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Paul Chiasson

Children and their families will have some new places to play this summer after Toys 'R' Us Canada opens two new stores in Calgary.

The new locations are part of the expansion plan by Putman Investments, the company that acquired the majority of Canada's Bed Bath & Beyond stores, which closed last month.

Officials say the new stores "will have an elevated in-store experience" and offer a new home and décor shopping experience for customers called rooms + spaces.

Calgary's new stores will be located at Brentwood Village Shopping Centre (3630 Brentwood Rd. N.W.) and Township Shopping Centre (80 Longview Common S.E.).

Officials say the company is adapting its practices to meet customer demand.

"For example, Toys 'R' Us increased its book assortment in 2022 and now, with our 10,000-square-foot book sections, we are Canada's big-on-books toy store," said Nick Muriella, Toys 'R' Us Canada's vice-president of merchandising and supply chain, in a statement.

"With rooms + spaces now part of Doug Putman's portfolio of retail brands, there will be even more opportunity to partner with our vendors to bring new and unexpected brands and products into our stores."

Each of the new locations will be looking to hire 30 to 40 associates in time for their scheduled opening dates this summer.

Bed Bath & Beyond went out of business in Canada in late April and decided to wind down its U.S. locations at the same time.

On May 4, Putman Investments announced it would be taking over the empty stores.

"It just felt like a great opportunity for us. I think we believe in what they were doing, I think we believe that there's a space in Canada for a retailer like that," Putman told CTV News Toronto at the time.

"We just think it was not managed correctly, and so with a few changes and tweaks, I think we could make this into a very successful retailer."

Putman purchased the Toys 'R' Us and Babies 'R' Us Canada locations in 2021 after those stores also filed for bankruptcy in 2017 and closed all U.S. locations the following year.

Toys 'R' Us Canada is also opening two stores in Edmonton, which will be devoted Babies 'R' Us locations.

Seven other stores are opening in other Canadian centres over the same timeframe.