Wayne, N.J. — Toys“R”Us will roll out dedicated tablet shops to all 600-plus U.S. locations this fall as part of a store-wide department shift.
The new tablet sections, to be located in the front left corner of the stores, will be 32 feet long and feature 25 live display models.
During a holiday preview event this morning, executive VP and chief merchandising officer Richard Barry said the expanded tablet presentation was prompted by double-digit sales growth among children ages 11 and younger, and “to counter headwinds in the consumer electronics and entertainment businesses.”
“They’re very popular with young kids,” he said.
The shops will divide the assortment into family and children’s models, making the department “easy to navigate,” while the 25-SKU assortment will give the No. 1 toy specialty chain “the most authoritative selection,” Barry said.
Featured models will include the Meep X2 by Oregon Scientific; the 10-inch Kurio 10s from TechnoSource; the XO Tablet from Sakar, originally developed by the MIT Media Lab for the One Laptop Per Child project; and Toys“R”Us’ private-label Tabeo E2.
The latter was upgraded from last year’s introductory model with an 8-inch screen, dual-core processor, quad-core GPU, dual-facing cameras, 8GB of onboard memory, Bluetooth capability, and 30 preloaded educational, gaming and arts-and-crafts apps.
Barry said the tablet shops will roll out in late fall and will be accompanied by a “dynamic online component.”
