VAUGHAN, Ont. — MGA Entertainment, maker of toy brands Bratz and Num Nums, confirmed it has made an offer for the 82 Toys “R” Us locations in Canada, the CBC reports. Toys “R” Us Canada had responded to last week’s announcement of its parent’s liquidation saying it “operates autonomously from U.S. operations” and its stores would “remain open for business in the normal course.” It moved to quash supplier anxiety, stressing that the Canadian business has sufficient funds to honour its commitments “without disruption”.
Retail analyst Bruce Winder told the CBC that while the Canadian operation was better run than its U.S. counterpart, the best that California-based MGA could hope to do is “prolonging the inevitable … Realistically, Toys ‘R’ Us is a broken retailer.” Bargain offerings from retail giants like Amazon and Walmart, and specialty and educational toy merchants like Mastermind, leave it little ground, he said.
