Remember when a visit to the toy store meant you were entering a place of pure magic? Every time you stepped through the doors you were transported to a realm of wonder and excitement.
This sense of enchantment is what Toys ”R” Us Canada is stocking at its new Toybox concept store in Guelph’s Stone Road Mall.
It’s everything your inner child would hope it to be.
The recently opened Toys “R” Us Canada Toybox, a first-of-its-kind 10,000 square foot dreamland, is a must-visit for Guelph families. With a carefully curated selection of toys, interactive experiences for kids, convenient shopping features, events for families, and personalized service, guests of all ages are in store for an unforgettable retail experience.
“The Toys “R” Us Canada Toybox experience is a curated assortment of toys for kids of all ages to interact and play with in-store, with the limitless shopping ability of our full store-line of products through clienteling,” says Melanie Teed-Murch, president of Toys “R” Us and Babies ”R” Us Canada.
“Parents will find a joyful experience where kids can just come to be kids without any stress.”
The Toybox concept store sets a new standard for a retail landscape that has been subjugated by online shopping. It offers a fun environment where kids are encouraged to touch and play with the toys, inspect them, and decide if their interactions are ones that they trust to take home.
And for parents? They can witness their child’s reactions to the toys, ask trained staff important questions about the products and seek advice on how to pair the best toy to their child’s style of play.
All without the pressure to buy.
A toy store that’s all about convenience and play
Toys “R” Us Canada Toybox offers a refreshing, simplified shopping experience, says Teed-Murch. Toys are organized throughout the store by play patterns (‘building’, for example) and age group, and not by brand.
The smaller, more streamlined stores are organized by low shelves stocked with a thoughtful assortment of the most popular toys with the option to conveniently order anything from Toys “R” Us Canada’s full catalogue through product advisors anywhere in-store – a service available at all 82 Toys ”R” Us locations across Canada.
It’s all about play and community
Setting the new Toybox concept apart for customers is the wide assortment of demonstration tables where children can try the toys.
“There are so many stations with the product out of the box,” Teed-Murch says. “In the Guelph store, there are currently 18 demonstration tables in 10,000 square feet for kids to play with.”
“We want kids and parents to come in and play, try the products, and see what’s right for them.”
Aside from a curated, personalized and interactive experience, the company is taking a community-minded approach to Guelph’s Toybox location by adding multi-use rooms for birthday parties. Future plans also include using community rooms to offer programs on child safety and lactation education for young families.
The Toys “R” Us Canada Toybox is about creating enjoyable experiences the internet can’t match and not about pushing brands.
Looking to the future
There is no question that the new Toys “R” Us Canada Toybox concept store is bringing an experiential renaissance to the toy business that is powered by modern conveniences and relentless customer service.
Where will Toys “R” Us Canada go from here?
“We will continue to follow the lead of the people we’re here to serve: our customer,” says Teed-Murch. “We will listen to what they need and what they want, and figure out how to make their lives simpler.”
“We are thrilled to have this new experience among our other 82 stores in Canada. We are going to be here for the long haul. We are Canadian and we are open.”
For the Toys “R” Us Canada Toybox experience visit the Stone Road Mall at 435 Stone Road West in Guelph, Ontario.