Is There A Chance Rockford’s Toys ‘R’ Us Will Be Saved?
I'm a proud Toys 'R' Us kid, and I refuse to give up hope that the toy store of my childhood will not be saved.
Maybe my optimism is getting the better of me, but news like this fills my toy-loving, parent-of-little-kids heart with hope.
According to CNNMoney, a billionaire toy executive named Isaac Larian recently placed a $675 million bid to buy Toys 'R' Us, which would save 274 US stores and over 7,000 jobs, and got REJECTED.
Apparently his bid was not enough, but don't worry, he's not giving up.
Larian recently told CNNMoney;
"We were about 10% below the winning bid for Toys "R" Us Canada. So that gives me hope for our US bid," he told CNNMoney Monday. "We have the financing we need. It's now a matter of determining how much more we're able to bid.
Here comes the reason why I have full faith that Larian will get the deal done; he's the head of the company behind Little Tikes and other big label toy brands, and their sales are hurting already, and will continue to hurt without Toys 'R' Us. Larian tells CNNMoney:
If Toys "R" Us doesn't exist, the whole toy industry will be hurt for a long time...
I'm an optimist. I think things are going to work out," he said. "The people handling the sale, I think they're genuinely trying to save the stores here in the US. It's going to be awkward if Toys "R" Us Canada is saved, if it is saved in central Europe and Asia, and but the market where it started goes into liquidation."
Please get this deal done, Mr. Larian. I still haven't figured out how to tell my 4-year-old that her favorite store to go dream and browse in could be no longer.
Oh, and one more thing, Mr. Larian; please make sure Rockford is one of the 274 stores you will save once you buy Toys R Us. That would be beyond great, thank you.