WHSmith has revealed the locations of the next 17 Toys 'R' Us shops to open across the UK.

Toys 'R' Us opened its first UK stores in more than six years in 2023 as part of a retail partnership with WHSmith.

The toy retailer returned to the UK high street for the first time since closing all its UK stores in 2018 after filing for bankruptcy in 2017.

There were more than 100 Toys 'R' Us stores in the UK at the time and the closures resulted in the loss of more than 2,000 jobs.

Full list of new Toys 'R' Us stores opening in the UK

Nine Toys 'R' Us 'shop-in-shops' have been opened within WHSmith branches in the UK since June last year:

  • York (Monks Cross)
  • Canterbury (St George Street)
  • Chelmsford (High Street)
  • Cheltenham (High Street)
  • Cwmbran (The Mall)
  • Oxford (Cornmarket Street)
  • Poole (Towngate Shopping Centre)
  • Reading (Broad Street)
  • Solihull (Mell Square)

But now WHSmith has revealed plans to open a further 30 Toys 'R' Us shops by the end of August 2024.

The locations of the first 17 shop-in-shops to be opened as part of the planned 30 has also been unveiled as part of the latest announcement.

The locations of the next 17 Toys 'R' Us shop-in-shops to open within WHSmith branches in the UK are:

  • Hereford, Herefordshire
  • Fosse Park, Leicester
  • Leamington Spa, Warwickshire
  • Guildford, Surrey
  • Sutton, Surrey
  • Shrewsbury, Shropshire
  • Salisbury, Wiltshire
  • Victoria shopping centre, Nottingham
  • Maidstone, Kent
  • Woking, Surrey
  • Hastings, East Sussex
  • Thurrock, Essex
  • Newton Abbott, Devon
  • Halifax, West Yorkshire
  • Lancaster, Lancashire
  • George Street, Richmond, London
  • Taunton, Somerset

These 17 stores are set to be opened over the next two months as the group looks to bring back a brand “known and loved since the mid-80s”.

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High street managing director at WHSmith, Sean Toal, said: “I have seen first-hand how positively our customers have responded to the new ranges.

“Many tell me it feels like a back to the future moment – a brand they had known and loved since the mid-80s which is back to deliver the magic to a whole new generation of families.”

He added: “From Hereford to Hastings, today we’ve unveiled the first 17 locations for the new Toys R Us stores in WHSmith.

“Not only is this an exceptionally exciting time for our colleagues and customers, but we’re also proud to be bucking the trend by continuing to invest in the UK high street.”