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posted by Fnord666 on Tuesday September 19 2017, @08:58PM   Printer-friendly
from the bankruptcy-r-us dept.

Toys 'R' Us has filed for bankruptcy protection in the US and Canada as it attempts to restructure its debts.

The firm was once a dominant player in the US toy market, but has struggled against larger rivals such as Amazon.

The move casts a shadow over the future of the company's nearly 1,600 stores and 64,000 employees.

The firm's European operations are not part of the bankruptcy proceedings and Toys R Us says it does not expect any immediate impact on its UK stores.

Toys R Us's operations in Australia, about 255 licensed stores and a joint venture partnership in Asia are also not included in the bankruptcy move.

[...] The bankruptcy filing is more evidence that traditional retailers are struggling in the US, as online retailers continue to capture market share.

Amazon marches on, or we're just at 'Peak Toy'?


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  • (Score: 2) by Grishnakh on Wednesday September 20 2017, @04:43PM

    by Grishnakh (2831) on Wednesday September 20 2017, @04:43PM (#570695)

    > Retail in general is heading for the dustbin of history.
    I'm not sure that's true.

    It is, unless something pretty big changes. It's not true of ALL retail, but generally speaking, any retail that tries to compete against Walmart and Amazon for mass-market stuff is doomed. The only retail that's going to survive are places that offer things that Walmart and Amazon cannot:

    - clothing stores: you can try stuff on instead of dealing with shipping back and forth, you can browse through stuff, including the clearance rack, etc. Shoes are impossible to determine if they fit unless you try them on; even if the size is correct, they can be very uncomfortable as people's feet vary a lot. Very high-end shops might have salespeople who help you pick out items.

    - food: Walmart doesn't have much high-end stuff, and their stores are huge so they're more likely to be far away, so a smaller local store may be more convenient. Amazon can't sell you frozen stuff for obvious reasons, unless you live close to their warehouse.

    - tourist souvenir shops

    - restaurants/coffee shops/etc. (This might not qualify as "retail")

    - specialty/boutique shops: a shop full of fancy, expensive stationery and greeting cards offers an experience you won't get on Amazon. A high-end audio store may have brands not available on Amazon, and offers consulting services (salespeople), listening rooms, etc.

    So basically, for any mass-produced products where price is one of the main factors, and you don't need some salesman to help you pick it, you don't need any extra personal services like installation, alterations, etc., retail is going the way of the do-do.

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