Toys R Us … not dead yet

In this Jan. 24, 2018 file photo, a person walks near the entrance to a Toys R Us store, in Wayne, N.J. A group of investors is planning a potential comeback for Geoffrey the giraffe and his crew. Investors that control the assets of the company say they now see a better chance of a return on investment by potentially reviving the toy chain, rather than selling it off for parts. AP  

There may be a second act for Toys R Us, the retail wonderland for children that turned off the lights at hundreds of stores for what was thought to be the final time this summer.

After joining the parade of retailers that never recovered from the recession and radical changes in the way Americans shop for toys and everything else, a group of investors is planning a comeback for Geoffrey the giraffe and his crew.

The group, made up of secured lenders, said in a bankruptcy court filing Tuesday that it’s scrapping an auction for Toys R Us assets despite receiving a number of qualified bids.

The hedge fund group that held the auction now believes that it stands a better chance of a realizing a return on its investment by potentially reviving the toy chain, rather than selling it off for parts. The group will attempt to establish a “company that maintains existing global license agreements and can invest in and create new, domestic, retail operating businesses under the Toys “R” Us and Babies “R” Us names.”

The investors said they’ll work with potential partners to develop new ideas for stores in the US and other countries “that could bring back these iconic brands in a new and re-imagined way.”

Toys R Us suffocated under a staggering $5 billion debt load before liquidating its US business this year. A leveraged buyout hobbled the company and hundreds of stores were shuttered in June to the dismay of children and numerous generations of one-time children.

In addition to the debt it was saddled with by its private-equity owners, Toys R Us found itself in a battle to its seeming death with Amazon.com and other big toy sellers like Target and Walmart.

The current asset holders did not go into detail about how the company, which maintained its headquarters in Wayne, New Jersey, would thrive in such an environment. /ee