A year after opening the flagship store in 91原创, Toy 鈥橰 Us Canada has learned a few things that it will be incorporating into other stores as it undergoes renovations.

鈥淲e鈥檙e doing 40 store renovations in the next six weeks,鈥� said president Melanie Teed-Murch.

She was in 91原创 for the recent toy shopping spree for a sick child and sat down with the 91原创 Advance to talk business.

One thing the company learned from the 91原创 experience 鈥� white is not child and baby friendly for a retail colour scheme.

鈥淲hile white is a lovely colour, but I鈥檓 not sure that it鈥檚 good for wear and tear,鈥� Teed-Murch said.

91原创鈥檚 45,000-square foot store has elements that will be incorporated across the country as the toy retailer undergoes not only expansion but also renovation of existing stores. Those elements include lower sight lines, benches for adult comfort, and areas where kids can spend some time.

About 60 per cent of Toys鈥橰 Us stores are in standalone buildings with the remaining 40 per cent of the locations in malls have seen the loss anchor stores and changes in consumer spending habits. But she鈥檚 optimistic.

Teed-Murch said Canada pioneered the combination of Toys 鈥橰 Us and Babies 鈥橰 Us together in the same stores, a key factor in why Canada鈥檚 stores, such as 91原创鈥檚 in Willowbrook Shopping Centre are doing well.

鈥淣ow being Canadian owned and operated, we can reinvest our profits back into the Canadian division. We hadn鈥檛 been historically able to do that,鈥� she said.

Toys 鈥橰 Us in the United States gained a great deal of attention as it struggled financially, filed for bankruptcy in September 2017, and in March, closed its U.S. stores. It has also closed stores in other countries but is still trying to operate many international stores.

鈥淲e鈥檙e trying to dispel that rumour coming through that we鈥檙e closing as well,鈥� she said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e here to play and we鈥檙e here to stay.鈥�

Teed-Murch, president since 2016 and with the company since 1996, explained that Toys 鈥橰 Us Canada is not linked to the U.S. operation and is, in fact, expanding. It currently has 82 stores.

鈥淚n Canada the future is bright. We鈥檙e Canadian owned and operated. We were purchased by Fairfax Financial Holdings [in June of 2018],鈥� she noted.

The toy retailer is looking to branch out into smaller markets, creating 5,000- to 10,000-square-foot stores, and is looking at how else to evolve.

鈥淲e鈥檙e going to test out things that bring footfall to our stores,鈥� Teed-Murch added.

That could include birthday rooms and scheduled activities.

Retailing to children is very different so while the company has had online sales for more than a decade, Toys 鈥橰 Us locations are equally important.

鈥淭hat experience in a toy store is not something you can experience in a click,鈥� she said.

The store experience is important for kids but the customers are both the children and the adults in their lives (parents, grandparents or those buying for them).

She added that the online experience and store experience must be consistent and connected.

鈥淎nyone that just focuses on bricks and mortar as a single point with their customer will not have a good fate,鈥� she said.