Amazon is apparently interested in several of bankrupt Toys ‘R’ Us’ stores, because their locations and stores would fit Amazon’s own retail formulas.
Amazon expands physical store network
Bloomberg writes that Amazon’s interest was triggered when Toys ‘R’ Us announced it would shut down its American stores. Insiders apparently confirmed that the Seattle-based retail giant is in talks to acquire several of the bankrupt toy company’s 700 stores. These could prove interesting for supermarket chain Whole Foods’ expansion, but Amazon is also working to grow its physical book store chain. Another option is that it is looking for new locations to introduce its high-tech convenience store chain Amazon Go. The new locations could also become a hybrid distribution center for rapid customer deliveries.
It is not clear how many stores Amazon is willing to acquire, because both Toys ‘R’ Us and Amazon refuse to comment. It is equally not clear whether the talks are progressing. Amazon is probably not in a hurry to get things done, because it already tried to acquire stores when RadioShack went bankrupt in 2015 and that did not actually result in a deal.
