Free goody bag giveaway as date confirmed for return of Toys R Us in Nottingham city centre

A date has been set for the much-anticipated return of Toys R Us to Nottingham. The entertainment giant, which closed 100 shops after it went bust in 2018, is making a resurgence on the UK high street as part of a partnership with WHSmith.

The toy shop will open at its branch in the Victoria Centre - one of the first 30 to do so in the country. In the latest announcement, WHSmith said the shop would open on Saturday, June 22.

The first 50 children to visit the store will receive a goody bag worth £20 as part of the "grand opening", the company said. Among the brands on sale will be LEGO, Barbie, Peppa Pig, Hot Wheels and Squishmallows.

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Children will be able to try the toys at a demonstration table, as well as get a photo with a life-size Geoffrey the Giraffe sculpture. Ian Sanders, WHSmith group commercial development director, said: “We’re really excited to be opening Toys “R” Us in Nottingham.

"WHSmith is known for being the Hub of the High Street by providing customers with a range of great products and services. Partnering with Toys R Us gives us a leading toys and games range in our stores and means customers have even more reasons to shop with us.

"We look forward to welcoming many more customers into our store.” Doors will open at 8.30am.

Shoppers in the city centre previously spoke of their anticipation of the store's return.

In October 2022, plans for a return to retail in the UK were announced before the signing of a long-term license agreement with WHSmith. The books and stationary retailer announced their partnership with Toys R Us last June. Since then, the UK high street has welcomed back several shop-in-shops.

A new online store was also launched in September 2022 and started selling more than 14,000 toys from more than 100 different suppliers. Toys R Us had shops at Riverside Retail Park, Victoria Centre and St Peter’s Retail Park in Mansfield.

Toys R Us was founded in 1957 by American businessman Charles P Lazarus. It expanded to become a worldwide chain of more than 1,500 stores, with its famous mascot Geoffrey the Giraffe - originally known as Dr G Raffe -introduced in 1969.