Housewares are appearing on the shelves of Toys “‘R” Us stores bearing labels from the Rooms + Spaces banner. That chain got its start last year when the toy seller’s parent, Putman Investments, acquired a collection of properties vacated in the bankruptcy of Bed Bath & Beyond. In the past year, according to the Canadian Press, its footprint has shrunk from 24 standalone stores to just two, but Toys “R” Us outlets are carrying its merchandise in categories ranging from bedding to stemware.
Grant Packard, associate professor of marketing at York University’s Schulich School of Business, said housewares are “a category that’s really struggled to become a destination of all things.”
