Toys “R” Us Kids were left heartbroken after the brand announced last week that they would be closing their doors for good, and now parents getting ready to welcome their bundles of joy are scrambling after the announcement that Babies “R” Us is getting the ax, too.
Following the announcement that Babies “R” Us will be closing alongside Toys “R” Us, parents have to deal with more strain added to the stress that comes with shopping and planning for a baby as they wonder what will happen to their gift registries and gift cards.
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According to a company spokesperson, who spoke with PEOPLE, all customer and loyalty programs, such as the Rewards “R” Us program and Geoffrey’s Birthday List, are currently continuing as normal, but within the following weeks, those programs will come to an end. The spokesperson also added that it is up to the consumer to transfer their registry.
The news comes just after it was announced that, after 70 years in business, Toy “R” Us would shut down or sell off the remainder of its 735 stores in the United States. It also comes six months after Toys “R” Us filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, in an effort to shed $5 billion it had accumulated in debt and reinvest the $400 million it was spending a year to pay that off, into its stores.
In January, the company announced that it would be closing around 180 stores in the United States, without about half of those being Babies “R” Us stores. That number accounted for roughly 20% of its U.S. presence.
“The reinvention of our brands requires that we make tough decisions about our priorities and focus. To that end and following a top-to-bottom assessment of our business, we have decided to close a number of our U.S. stores. We also intend to convert a number of locations into co-branded Toys ‘R Us and Babies ‘R’ Us stores. The actions we are taking are necessary to give us the best chance to emerge from our bankruptcy proceedings as a more viable and competitive company that will provide the level of service and experience you should expect from a market leader,” Toys “R” Us CEO Dave Brandon said.
Shoppers who still have gift cards for Toys “R” Us and Babies “R” Us have been given 30 days to use them. Shoppers can also expect liquidation sales over the next few months.
