Toys R Us to open in Melbourne after closing in Australia five years ago: Clayton store opening

Children’s retail giant Toys R Us have announced a grand return to Australia – five years after it went bust down under leaving 700 people without jobs.

The retailer, which once had 44 stores across the country, as announced it will open up a megastore in Clayton in Melbourne’s south east.

Toys R Us has been operating from the Victorian town since it was re-launched as an online-only store in 2019 after being bought by Hobby Warehouse. 

In 2021 the once popular destination-shopping retailer was bought by a brand called ‘Funtastic’ which changed its name to Toy R Us shortly after take over. 

The shopping precinct will include a café, kids’ activities and a robot-run warehouse which is able to be observed by the public

The 3000-square-metre warehouse style store will include Babies R Us, according to the retailer’s announcement.

On Monday the company announced it would be raising $8million in capital to get the new warehouse off the ground.

The ‘minimum subscription’ accepted by the retailer, for anyone interested in buying into the project, is $5million according to the release.

A costing breakdown reveals the store will cost just $3million to get running, the rest of the money will be set towards other prjects like a massive overhaul of the company’s computer systems.

The planned warehouse style store will be ‘experiential’ according to the release and include Babies R Us goods

The shopping precinct would include a cafe, kids’ activities and a robot-run warehouse which is able to be observed by the public.

The company is also raising $3million in capital to open stores on High Street in the UK, according to announcements. 

The ASX Entitlement offer is open until July 6.