The last 2 Toys ‘R’ Us stores in the US have closed down after the COVID-19 pandemic hit sales

• The last 2 Toys ‘R’ Us stores in the US have closed.
• Tru Kids, the brand’s owner, will continue to invest in online sales, CNBC reported.
• Toys ‘R’ Us opened new stores in Texas and New Jersey in 2019. 
• Visit Business Insider’s homepage for more stories.

The last two Toys ‘R’ Us stores in the US have reportedly closed, bringing to an end a two-year effort to re-establish the onetime behemoth’s retail footprint. 

The Toys ‘R’ Us brand, purchased in 2019 by Tru Kids, will reportedly continue as an online retailer. The brand is active on Twitter, YouTube, and other social channels, but its retail effort was hindered by the rise of COVID-19, according to CNBC. 

“Consumer demand in the toy category and for Toys ‘R’ Us remains strong and we will continue to invest in the channels where the customer wants to experience our brand,” a Tru Kids spokesperson told CNBC.

The final stores were in Texas and New Jersey, Bloomberg reported on Friday. 

After its first store opened in 1957, Toys ‘R’ Us grew into a national chain of more than 700 US locations. In the 1980s and 1990s, the company’s ads saturated children’s TV, saying, “I don’t wanna grow up, I’m a Toys ‘R’ Us kid.” 

It filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in September 2017.

At the time, the company placed some blame on Amazon, Walmart, and Target, saying online retailers had created a “perfect storm” that drove Toys ‘R’ Us into bankruptcy. 

The following March, it told employees it would be closing all retail locations in the US. Its UK arm also announced plans to liquidate its business, closing about 100 stores. 

Read more: A ‘tsunami’ of retail bankruptcies is about to sweep the US and drown courts in Chapter 11 filings, lawyer says

In February 2019, newly formed Tru Kids said it planned to revive the brand. In July 2019, the company opened new locations in Houston, Texas, and Paramus, New Jersey. 

The Houston store closed on January 15, and the New Jersey store closed on Tuesday, The Associated Press reported.

In 2020, the renewed company relaunched its website in partnership with Amazon.

Tru Kids didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment on Saturday.