Toys R Us returns to Yorktown Center

Shoppers looking for a familiar toy aisle at Yorktown Center can now find one on the lower level of the JCPenney wing. The Toys R Us store occupies about 7,500 square feet there, according to mall management and reporting from the Chicago Tribune.

The store is listed as open at 203 Yorktown Center, Space 158, with a phone number of 331-551-6114, according to the Go! Retail Group store locator that operates the locations. Hours run 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday, times that may vary on holidays.

Nearly a decade after Toys R Us closed most of its Illinois stores following a 2017 bankruptcy and 2018 liquidation, the brand is expanding again. The company plans to open 120 new stand-alone stores across the country this fall, bringing the total of such locations to about 160 by the holiday season, according to statements reported by the Tribune. The Yorktown store was among those set to open at the beginning of October.

Josh Dean, general manager of Yorktown Center, told the Tribune that the mall’s leasing team had been aggressive after hearing the chain was opening locations in the area. “We think that Yorktown is a perfect location for Toys R Us. It attracts the ideal cross-section of families and toy aficionados,” he said. Dean added that the nostalgia of the brand was one reason the mall wanted it as a tenant, noting a resurgence of older brands returning to the market.

The expansion is a partnership with Go! Retail Group. Gideon Schlessinger, CEO of Go! Retail Group, said in a news release quoted by the Tribune that with 160 stores open this season there is an opportunity to bring the experience to millions of customers. Jamie Uitdenhowen, executive vice president of Toys R Us at WHP Global, which bought the company in 2021, described it as a major moment for the brand as it expands its presence.

The new Lombard location is not among those receiving a Creator Studio, dedicated spaces where influencers, creators and toy brands can make content, unveil products and host events, according to the Tribune. An existing Toys R Us at Chicago Premium Outlets in Aurora was set to get one of those spaces.

Yorktown Center, at 203 Yorktown Center, is the 1.2-million-square-foot mall that has been adding retailers and outdoor space as part of a longer redevelopment. The Square, a new outdoor gathering space with a playscape and stage, opened this summer as Phase 1 of that work, according to mall announcements. The Toys R Us opening adds a specialty toy store to a mix that already includes department stores, restaurants and entertainment such as the AMC theater.

For neighbors, the practical difference is a dedicated toy store inside the mall for the first time in years. The store’s return policy, as listed by the operator, allows returns or exchanges within 30 days if unopened and in salable condition with a receipt, for a refund to the original form of payment. Inventory may differ from what is available on toysrus.com, which is run separately.

What comes next is the holiday season. The timing of the national expansion ahead of the holidays was noted by company officials in the releases covered by the Tribune. Locally, shoppers can check the store’s hours or call the listed number for any day-of changes.