Dead Retail Brands Walking has become a common sight these days as all those retailers that went belly up come back to life, usually online but occasionally with a physical store or two, all under new ownership. This kind of thing goes way back: Montgomery Ward, which closed its last stores 20 years ago, has lived on virtually ever since, proving that a good retail brand is hard to kill.
One of the latest to try has been Toys”R”Us which went bankrupt in 2018 but returned last year with a new owner, a new shopping-mall boutique format and a new business model. Well, at least when it came to the stores, it was the same old outcome. Its two locations have now both closed and while the online business remains — it’s essentially an Amazon piggyback — it proves this model is no sure thing. Maybe blame the pandemic but maybe there are other factors in play. Whatever it is, believing that a well-known brand is enough to be in the retail business is just plan Stupid.
Some more thoughts on all of this in my new Forbes.com piece: https://www.forbes.com/sites/warrenshoulberg/2021/02/01/toysrus-stores-are-goneagain/?sh=44e9c70324bf
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