By Paul Ziobro and Lillian Rizzo
This article is being republished as part of our daily
reproduction of WSJ.com articles that also appeared in the U.S.
print edition of The Wall Street Journal (March 16, 2018).
The liquidation of Toys "R" Us Inc. has sent the toy industry
reeling, leaving Mattel Inc., Hasbro Inc. and other manufacturers
without a large chain devoted to selling games and dolls and
forcing them to scramble to secure other outlets to carry their
items.
Toys "R" Us, which had more than $11 billion in revenue in its
last fiscal year, is one of the retail chains that were once seen
by vendors as "category killers" and have emerged as crucial checks
on the power of Amazon.com Inc. Stores like Best Buy Co. and Barnes
& Noble Co. provide electronics manufacturers and book
publishers with vast networks of physical showrooms.
The likely death of Toys "R" Us, which early Thursday filed
plans to liquidate its U.S. operations and other businesses, means
the $27 billion U.S. toy industry will no longer have a national
partner to showcase its wares year-round, test experimental
products and find the next Shopkins or ZhuZhu Pet.
It was a quick unraveling for Toys "R" Us since its September
chapter 11 bankruptcy filing. In a call with employees Wednesday,
Toys "R" Us Chief Executive David Brandon described a cascading
series of events, starting with what he described as a
"devastating" holiday season that led to plans to close more stores
and then to exit from the baby-products business to focus on
toys.
"The hole that we dug in the holiday season put us in a position
where our lender became justifiably nervous as the company was
continuing to consume cash," Mr. Brandon said.
Ultimately, the company is expected to liquidate its entire U.S.
operation, a decision that would affect 33,000 jobs. The company
also is liquidating operations in other countries, and plans to
sell its business in Canada, Central Europe and Asia.
Now, 70 years after Charles Lazarus opened what would become
America's main toy destination, its stores may disappear from U.S.
soil.
"This industry has been devastated," said Tom Murdough, founder
of Simplay3 Co., which makes plastic play sets and ridable
vehicles. "This is a major, major hit to the industry."
In five decades of selling toys, Mr. Murdough hasn't known a day
without Toys "R" Us. He founded and sold both Little Tikes Co. and
Step2 Co. in the past and he now is the CEO of Simplay3, which he
said gets between 20% and 30% of its sales through Toys "R" Us.
Toy makers don't anticipate recouping all of their sales this
year, or ever, if Toys "R" Us goes away permanently without a
replacement. UBS estimates that Hasbro would lose close to 3% of
its sales for the year if Toys "R" Us liquidates, while Mattel
stands to lose slightly more.
Hasbro CEO Brian Goldner said the maker of Nerf blasters and My
Little Pony dolls is looking for new places to take its inventory.
But that is more challenging earlier in the year compared with the
end, when retailers are trying to fill shelves with holiday
toys.
"There will be some disruption, more short term than long term,
and then we move forward with growth," Mr. Goldner said at an
investor conference this month.
The toy-industry growth rate could slump going forward, too.
Toys "R" Us was primarily responsible for uncovering what would
become the next big thing, since it took chances that other
retailers avoided. "There aren't going to be as many breakout hits,
not as many new items that can blossom," said BMO Capital Markets
analyst Gerrick Johnson. "Toys 'R' Us was a testing ground for a
lot of things."
Toy maker shares, including those of Mattel, Hasbro, Spin Master
Corp. and Jakks Pacific Inc. were trading down slightly at midday
Thursday.
Toy sales may be concentrated in the other two large retailers,
Target Corp. and Walmart Inc., in the near term. Those mass
retailers primarily sell the top-selling items instead of taking
risks, Mr. Johnson said. That means market shares could also build
among the larger toy companies, too. "Small companies won't have an
opportunity to shine," he said.
Some toy companies have expanded their presence in unexpected
places in recent years, so the blow isn't as bad as it might have
been when Toys "R" Us held a larger share of the market. Jeremy
Padawer, co-president of Wicked Cool Toys, the maker of Cabbage
Patch dolls and Pokémon toys, says that not only has Amazon.com
become a bigger part of its business, but sites like Zulily.com,
retailers like Hallmark and even grocers and drugstores have become
options to sell its toys.
Mr. Padawer said Wicked Cool is redoubling efforts to find new
retail outlets, even though he doesn't expect to be able to replace
all of its Toys "R" Us sales, which he estimates at 15% of the
business, over the next year.
"While painful, we recognize there is an immediate opportunity
to replace some of the business," Mr. Padawer said. "It will be a
mutual dance between buyers seeking market share and opportunistic
merchants."
Corrections & Amplifications Tom Murdough previously founded
and sold a company called Little Tikes Co. An earlier version of
this article incorrectly stated the name of the company was Little
Tykes. (March 15, 2018)
Write to Paul Ziobro at Paul.Ziobro@wsj.com and Lillian Rizzo at
Lillian.Rizzo@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
March 16, 2018 02:47 ET (06:47 GMT)
Copyright (c) 2018 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
Amazon.com (NASDAQ:AMZN)
Historical Stock Chart
From Mar 2024 to Apr 2024
Amazon.com (NASDAQ:AMZN)
Historical Stock Chart
From Apr 2023 to Apr 2024