Big-Name Retailers Eye Vacant Toys R' Us Stores In Pennsylvania

Toys R’ Us as a retailer is no more. But those big stores still linger in 28 Pennsylvania communities.

Now the question is: who will fill all those empty spaces left behind by the once-iconic toy chain?

According to a report in The Wall Street Journal, there are indications that Hobby Lobby is a big player in the game. Burlington Stores Inc. and TJX Co., which owns stores like TJ Maxx, Marshalls and HomeGoods, are also among the retailers expected to take over those empty stores.

Conor Flynn, CEO of Kimco Realty Corporation, said at a consumer conference in June that many of the larger big-box storefronts will be taken up by Hobby Lobby, according to the Journal. Kimco has interests in about 475 shopping centers.

According to the Journal, Flynn said off-price retailers, fitness centers and specialty grocers are likely to go after the Toys R’ Us stores that are about 35,000 square feet each.

The smaller stores, that are 20,000-25,000 square feet, are more suited for retailers like TJ Maxx and Marshalls, Flynn said, per the Journal.

Now-vacant Toys R' Us stores are located in several suburban Philadelphia communities, including Langhorne, Horsham, King of Prussia, North Wales, Bensalem and more.

In 2018, the number of announced U.S. store closures stands at 4,146, according to Fung Global, which tracks store opening and closures in the U.S.

The number of announced store openings in the U.S. is 2,042.

In the latest store closure news, Sears said it would close 10 more stores with liquidation sales expected to begin as early as July 13, according to Fung Global.

Photo by Autumn Johnson/Patch