鈥淏usiness is good,鈥� said Melanie Teed-Murch, president of Toys 鈥淩鈥� Us and Babies 鈥淩鈥� Us Canada.

She was being interviewed in the Langley Toys 鈥淩鈥� Us store, a few weeks after a deal was completed to keep the Canadian chain of toy stores in business despite the shutdown of the U.S. parent company of the same name.

鈥淭hey (Toys 鈥淩鈥� Us in the U.S) closed their door on June 29 and it is no more,鈥� she said.

Since then, Teed-Murch said, some former shoppers of the American stores have been coming north.

鈥淲e have lots of U.S. customers writing to us and crossing borders (to shop).鈥�

On June 1, Toys 鈥淩鈥� Us (Canada) Ltd. closed a deal with Fairfax Financial Holdings Ltd. to buy the chain, which operates over 80 stores and employs more than 4,000 people.

鈥淲e鈥檙e Canadian owned and operated,鈥� Teed-Murch said.

鈥淲e鈥檙e here to play and we鈥檙e here to stay.鈥�

Among Canadian customers, there has been some confusion about the fate of the two chains, Teed-Murch said, stressing the Canadian stores are doing well.

鈥淭he financial situation is bright,鈥� she said.

鈥�(The fact that) we鈥檒l be reinvesting in our stores is what Canadian customers need to know.鈥�

The Langley store happens to be the first new-concept store opened by Toys 鈥淩鈥� Us Canada, a 鈥渃ustomer centric鈥漧ayout that will be applied to 40 other stores in coming weeks, Teed-Murch said.

The format includes dedicated play areas, interactive stations for kids and mobile pay, part of an 鈥渙mnichannel strategy鈥� to connect to customers wherever, whenever and however they want through the chain鈥檚 online webstore, mobile and store shopping experience.

鈥淚t鈥檚 onwards and upwards,鈥� Teed-Murch says.

In announcing the deal with Fairfax Financial, the Canadian chain said it remained committed to its philanthropic initiatives, such as the Starlight Dashes across Canada where seriously ill children from the Starlight Children鈥檚 Foundation get three minutes to race around the store and fill their carts with toys.

When Toys 鈥淩鈥� Us in the States announced it was looking to sell off its Canadian subsidiary as part of its bankruptcy proceeding, Toys 鈥淩鈥� Us Canada issued a statement that its business was managed in Canada, operated autonomously from the U.S. operations, and had a 鈥渟trong cash and liquidity position.鈥�

All customer programs like Baby Registry, 鈥淩鈥滳lub loyalty and wish list continued to operate.

Gift cards purchased in Canada can be redeemed anytime online and in any store location across the country.

dan.ferguson@langleytimes.com
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