Starting next month, Toys R Us will close 180 stores, but locations in the Quad Cities are not on the list. Stiff competition from Amazon and Walmart have squeezed Toys R Us, which once dominated toy sales in the US. The retailer filed for bankruptcy in September and is $5 billion in debt.
The company operates a Toys R Us and Babies R Us store on Brady Street in Davenport, plus a Toys R Us near South Park Mall in Moline. In Iowa, stores in Des Moines and Clive are on the closure list. And in Illinois, the company will close eight in the Chicago area.
The store closings will begin in February, with majority shutting their doors by mid-April. At other locations, the retailer plans to combine its Toys R Us and Babies R Us stores.
Today, Chair and CEO Dave Brandon said tough decisions are required to save Toys R Us. The 180 stores to be closed make up 20% of the company's 900 US locations.
