Toys “R” Us is racing to open 120 new stores by Thanksgiving, but some of the toymakers it needs to stock its shelves aren’t eager to play along, the New York Post reports.
Go! Retail Group, which runs the stores under license from brand owner WHP Global, is asking vendors for up to 180 days to pay after goods are delivered. The industry norm is 30 to 90 days. Many suppliers still remember the 2017 bankruptcy and 2018 liquidation, which caused millions in losses across the toy industry.
“They should be the ones financing the business, not their vendors,” Jay Foreman, CEO of Basic Fun, maker of Tonka Trucks and Care Bears, tells the Post. Go! Retail CEO Gideon Schlessinger says the company hasn’t seen any hesitation from suppliers.
The expansion, announced in September, would bring Toys “R” Us to 160 standalone U.S. stores, most of them temporary mall locations. The brand is counting on adult shoppers, who now account for 55% of toy sales, according to Newsweek. U.S. toy sales grew 17% in the first half of 2026, the biggest jump in six years.
Toys “R” Us is racing to open 120 new stores by Thanksgiving, but some of the toymakers it needs to stock its shelves aren’t eager to play along, the New York Post reports.
Go! Retail Group, which runs the stores under license from brand owner WHP Global, is asking vendors for up to 180 days to pay after goods are delivered. The industry norm is 30 to 90 days. Many suppliers still remember the 2017 bankruptcy and 2018 liquidation, which caused millions in losses across the toy industry.
“They should be the ones financing the business, not their vendors,” Jay Foreman, CEO of Basic Fun, maker of Tonka Trucks and Care Bears, tells the Post. Go! Retail CEO Gideon Schlessinger says the company hasn’t seen any hesitation from suppliers.
The expansion, announced in September, would bring Toys “R” Us to 160 standalone U.S. stores, most of them temporary mall locations. The brand is counting on adult shoppers, who now account for 55% of toy sales, according to Newsweek. U.S. toy sales grew 17% in the first half of 2026, the biggest jump in six years.