Seibertron.com Energon Pub Forums

Posted: **Mon Apr 23, 2018 2:40 pm**

Can we please get a Smyth's in The Netherlands? While we are at it how about a Target and a Walmart?

Posted: **Mon Apr 23, 2018 9:59 pm**

It seems like there is more and more good news for Toysrus and collectors worldwide. European divisions are being purchased by a beloved family toy store chain, the Asian division is getting Billion dollar offers, Grotusque is finally being found in US stores and now Toysrus Canada finally has a buyer.

There was to be an auction this month and the 19 $B holdings firm, Fairfax Financial, had made the inaugural bid of $300M, ensuring that the Canadian division would not be sold for less. As it turns out, no other bid was accepted so Fairfax Financial has become the owner. For those unaware, Fairfax is a Toronto based firm founded by Prem Watsa, who is often referred to as Canada's Warren Buffet. He is also the current CEO. Like Buffet's Berkshire Hathaway, many of their holdings are value based but they seem to be more concentrated on insurance, aquiring insurance companies based around the globe (the head office in Toronto only houses 30 of its 8,200 employees). They have a habit of buying companies on the verge of bankruptcy at a good but fair price, which is something they previously did with Blackberry and Carillion Canada (an infrastucture service company).

The Fairfax name itself is a portemanteu for "fair, friendly acquisitions" and this is evident in its bid for Toysrus Canada which was higher (and thus more fair) than what toy mogul Isaac Larian had previously bid. In the end, this is great news for fans who liked how things were so far in Canada. Toysrus being bought by a holdings firm (which is only seeking diversification in its portfolio) simply means that they see value in the company and thus everything points to business as usual as far as Canadian stores are concerned.

So hopefully that means Canadian fans can still expect to see shelves like this once in a while.

Posted: **Tue Apr 24, 2018 3:20 am**

You rubbing it in will again about what tru is like for Canadian tf fans? :-P

only time I saw shelves like that at the tru near me was when the first movie came out and animated launched. Still this is good news to those in Canada :-)

Posted: **Tue Apr 24, 2018 7:58 am**

I thought if the Canadian branch got bought it would also save 200 US stores?

Posted: **Tue Apr 24, 2018 6:49 pm**

Nickster563 wrote:I thought if the Canadian branch got bought it would also save 200 US stores?

IIRC, Toys R Us was originally trying to package 200 US stores in with the Canadian branch for purchase, but that didn't end up happening.

Posted: **Tue Apr 24, 2018 7:09 pm**

Nickster563 wrote:I thought if the Canadian branch got bought it would also save 200 US stores?

That was a deal TRU wanted to make but it didnt pan out. They recently wrote that ALL US stores will be closing forever (which I found quite dramatic). It was easier, legally and fiscally, to just sell the canadian equity to a holding firm, which is exactly what happened. I think Fairfaz got an incredible deal here, congrats on them using value investment techniques to be able to have enough available assets to do the purchase!

ZeroWolf wrote:You rubbing it in will again about what tru is like for Canadian tf fans? only time I saw shelves like that at the tru near me was when the first movie came out and animated launched. Still this is good news to those in Canada

Haha, not this time. And apparently the UK is not too shabby either with me hearing about how great Smyths Toys is.

But anyways, what I was trying to say, and maybe it didnt come out right, was that there was more at stake with TRU Canada. Most collectors here gave up on TRU US a looong time ago. It was no longer competitive (but it still had a good price match policy so I feel a guy like me could have still profited from visiting that store but whatever). So this news was sad but didnt surprise anyone really.

TRU Canada though (and TRU Hong Kong, among other international places) was a very different story. Unlike the US, this was the main place for anything toy related. More than Walmart. We have no Walgreens or targets or kmarts or those other regional superstores in the US that also order directly from hasbro. So TRU is a really big deal here and it totally takes advantage of its position as a market leader with amazing stock, like what I showed above. So, just to say, way more at stake. And with bids not geting aproved people worried. The states was long gone and had not seen the shelves stocked that well for a decade (at least) but with TRU Canada, it was still happening. And now, it can still happen, pfiew!

Posted: **Wed Apr 25, 2018 2:07 pm**

william-james88 wrote:
Nickster563 wrote:I thought if the Canadian branch got bought it would also save 200 US stores?

That was a deal TRU wanted to make but it didnt pan out. They recently wrote that ALL US stores will be closing forever (which I found quite dramatic). It was easier, legally and fiscally, to just sell the canadian equity to a holding firm, which is exactly what happened. I think Fairfaz got an incredible deal here, congrats on them using value investment techniques to be able to have enough available assets to do the purchase!

ZeroWolf wrote:You rubbing it in will again about what tru is like for Canadian tf fans? only time I saw shelves like that at the tru near me was when the first movie came out and animated launched. Still this is good news to those in Canada

Haha, not this time. And apparently the UK is not too shabby either with me hearing about how great Smyths Toys is.

But anyways, what I was trying to say, and maybe it didnt come out right, was that there was more at stake with TRU Canada. Most collectors here gave up on TRU US a looong time ago. It was no longer competitive (but it still had a good price match policy so I feel a guy like me could have still profited from visiting that store but whatever). So this news was sad but didnt surprise anyone really.

TRU Canada though (and TRU Hong Kong, among other international places) was a very different story. Unlike the US, this was the main place for anything toy related. More than Walmart. We have no Walgreens or targets or kmarts or those other regional superstores in the US that also order directly from hasbro. So TRU is a really big deal here and it totally takes advantage of its position as a market leader with amazing stock, like what I showed above. So, just to say, way more at stake. And with bids not geting aproved people worried. The states was long gone and had not seen the shelves stocked that well for a decade (at least) but with TRU Canada, it was still happening. And now, it can still happen, pfiew!

I agree, this is amazing news for us in the Great White North

Posted: **Wed Apr 25, 2018 4:27 pm**

So, that Save Toys"R"Us GoFundMe? I just got emails announcing that the money is being refunded. (One for the actual donation, one for the keep-GoFundMe-operating contribution.)

Guess the dude wasn't going to run off with the money after all.

Posted: **Wed Apr 25, 2018 11:59 pm**

For those on the "why is Seibertron.com posting so much news about Toys R Us", it's because Toys R Us is not just "another random retail chain going out of business". This is seriously hurting Hasbro and other toy companies right now, which directly affects the health of the very brand we are all here to celebrate.

Without further ado, here's bad news that hits home for the Transformers brand.

Toys 'R' Us liquidation kills Hasbro sales
http://money.cnn.com/2018/04/23/investing/hasbro-earnings-toys-r-us-mattel/index.html

Posted: **Thu Apr 26, 2018 11:16 pm**

come here, kids.
gather around, ol Poppop.
lemme tells u wee lil babes
tHe sEcRetAkS oF thE WORLD!
nay, the Secret tO The ENTIRE UNIVERSE!
gathr in really really close.
are u ready?

People...
mayhap the whole of the human species,
with very few exceptiobs...

are
complete
MORONS!

MORONS, IDIOTS & WACKADOOS!

Posted: **Fri Apr 27, 2018 9:20 pm**

Thank you for that incredibly insightful post Z3ROhour, was there something you wanted to add about TRU or are you just happy for the attention?

Posted: **Mon May 21, 2018 5:05 am**

Yes, it's back again folks. The Toys R Us saga continues, this time in Australia as the company's branch in that country enters voluntary administration. Last we heard, Australian Toys R Us stores would be continuing as normal despite the US branch shutting down, and up until now they've been chugging along, but it seems that's about to change.

According to the Financial Review, TRU Australia had been looking for a buyer, but the last bidder has recently withdrawn their offer and directors have chosen to enter voluntary administration by the firm McGrathNicol. This is how the Financial Review describes the Australian branch's dire financial straits:

[...] the Australian business has racked up losses of more than $100 million over the last seven years and could not continue as a stand alone entity.

Toys 'R' Us Australia lost $7.6 million in 2017 on sales of $276.4 million and had net liabilities of $6 million, according to its latest accounts.

For those Australian collectors wondering how this will affect purchasing from Toys R Us in the coming times, here's the rundown on what he have so far.

This is definitely sad news to hear, but we still want to hear your thoughts on it. How do you think this might affect the collecting climate in the future? Let us know on the Energon Pub Forums, and keep an eye on Seibertron.com for updates on this or any other Transformers-related news.

Posted: **Mon May 21, 2018 5:50 am**

How sad to see a giants last few breaths. So the question I now wonder is, what was done differently with the likes of the Canadian branch that allowed it to weather the same storm that took everything else. I would have thought that all the different branches would have faced the same problems.

Posted: **Mon May 21, 2018 6:11 am**

Wow never saw toysrus located inside mall smallest ToysRus i saw I’m surprised there was no good news for that part of country of toysrus to many drop outs wander what’s making them do so

Posted: **Mon May 21, 2018 6:11 am**

I live in America unfortunately & I only have 1 Walmart close by. And that store is the biggest joke that never restocks Transformers. So I know what it's like, makes you want to quit & say to hell with it. No stores around & online is nothing but a ridiculously over priced scalper hell. :-(

I still can't find 1 freakin Cyber Battalion Shockwave. It's friggin ridiculous!

Posted: **Mon May 21, 2018 6:32 am**

dragons wrote:Wow never saw toysrus located inside mall smallest ToysRus i saw I’m surprised there was no good news for that part of country of toysrus to many drop outs wander what’s making them do so

I've actually been to this particular Toys R Us! (I chose it for the picture as kind of a tribute to "my" TRU.) Surprisingly, it's just as big inside as any other Toys R Us stores I've been to, despite being technically inside a mall. Honestly, I'll be sad to see it go, if the whole branch does end up closing down fully...

Posted: **Mon May 21, 2018 7:38 am**

Domino effect...

Posted: **Mon May 21, 2018 10:09 am**

ZeroWolf wrote:So the question I now wonder is, what was done differently with the likes of the Canadian branch that allowed it to weather the same storm that took everything else.

Basically, different laws and internal inventory management.

Had the American division been able to leverage the Canadian, to load it up with unsustainable debt loads for short term profits it likely would have, but different regulations stopped that from happening. This ment the Canadian division ran itself as a leaner operation. The more the US side struggled, the more the Canadian side looked to protect itself.

Stores would operate with lower stock levels than American ones, depending on weekly restocks instead of fully stocked back rooms, as well as other means to keep operational costs lower. All in all, moves that kept it in the black and financially stronger. The financial protection the Canadian division entered last year was just protective, to ensure suppliers shorted by the American division couldn't place undue pressure, (demands for payment of US orders/short shipping Canadian stock for leverage) that would undermine the ability to operate independently.

Posted: **Mon May 21, 2018 10:13 am**

ZeroWolf wrote:How sad to see a giants last few breaths. So the question I now wonder is, what was done differently with the likes of the Canadian branch that allowed it to weather the same storm that took everything else. I would have thought that all the different branches would have faced the same problems.

Not quite sure how it is in Australia, but in Canada, Toys R' Us doesn't really have much in the way of competition. Walmart has only a small toy section, Real Canadian Superstore doesn't have much in the way of a toy section anymore. Other places you'd find toys are drug stores or comic/collectable stores. So Toys R' Us is still pretty busy. When I went down there last Thursday the poor cashier was run ragged with how busy it had been that day!

I don't think it's so much something they actively did, as much as it is the retail environment that they're part of that contributes to them sticking around up here. Of course, I could be way off.

Posted: **Mon May 21, 2018 11:18 am**

It was explained earlier what the Canadian side. It's managed better, it runs a better operation and there's no competition for them here in Canada.

We have TRU and Walmart, that's it and Walmart is horrible for stock.

Posted: **Mon May 21, 2018 4:07 pm**

What's disappointing is that while TRU AU has plenty of competition in terms of toys (Target, K-Mart, Big W, Myer and on a smaller scale, Toyworld), from a Transformers perspective K-Mart and Target have recently raised their prices to match TRU AU, which means they were all mostly on par.

TRU also has the better distribution with all stores Australia wide receiving their stock at the same time, while the others slowly trickle out around the country.

Plus there's the Takara Tomy stuff ...

Posted: **Mon May 21, 2018 6:30 pm**

Burn wrote:What's disappointing is that while TRU AU has plenty of competition in terms of toys (Target, K-Mart, Big W, Myer and on a smaller scale, Toyworld), from a Transformers perspective K-Mart and Target have recently raised their prices to match TRU AU, which means they were all mostly on par.

TRU also has the better distribution with all stores Australia wide receiving their stock at the same time, while the others slowly trickle out around the country.

Plus there's the Takara Tomy stuff ...

Pretty much this. Toys R Us AU, through absolutely no effort of their own, has somehow managed to end up on par with other retailers price-wise since the start of PotP (in the worst possible way, mind you). And since their management of actual stock is a bit better overall, they're kind of the most reliable option for new Transformers right now, unless you want to gamble on figures coming to a local branch of the lower-priced but less reliable Big W.

My nearby TRU doesn't have any Takara stuff, but I have seen it around in other ones. Ranging from Unite Warriors Superion to MP Road Rage and Star Saber, TRU AU can be a really good place to get Transformers! ...Or I guess, will have been a really good place to get Transformers.

Posted: **Mon May 21, 2018 7:36 pm**

Before I went to the airport my trip to the Gold Coast on Friday, I ducked into Big W to see what they had (hoping for Wave 2) ... nothing new.

Once I got back and left the airport I headed to TRU in the hope they had Wave 2, but at the very least, knowing they'd be the place to help me get POTP Rodimus Prime, and I knew they had 20% off that weekend.

And as expected, they helped me secure Rodimus Prime (with 20% off), no wave 2 but that's not surprising as they've been located more often at K-Mart.

As someone who lives in a regional area and can often wait four weeks or more before figures reach me (after being spotted in metropolitan areas), I could always rely on TRU to have stock, sure, they were always more expensive, but at least they could be relied upon and they had more sales than the major departments stores.

Posted: **Mon May 21, 2018 8:19 pm**

At the very least, TRU has recently been where I secure every new non-Deluxe figure, since the prices are basically the same across the board for all other size classes. I've only been metropolitan myself since February this year, but even just in those three months, of the seven Transformers I've bought over half have been from TRU. Battleslash boys? Only place I've ever seen 'em. Jazz and Dreadwing? There was a sale a while ago and they were $30, not ideal but still on par with the cheapest other stores. I'm planning to go out and look for Wave 2 in the next couple days, but honestly I'm probably only going to check TRU.

Hopefully, an emergency sale for TRU AU does end up happening, and the company doesn't collapse entirely. But if worst comes to worst, maybe it'll mean I can pick up some Studio Series at one of the famous Australian "Everything must go! Up to 20% off!" discounts.

Posted: **Fri Jun 01, 2018 1:03 pm**

It's now done deal and official. Toys R Us is now 100% CANADIAN:

http://email.toysrus.ca/H/v200000163bc5 ... faecf28314

June 1, 2018

To Our Valued Canadian Customers:

TOYS“R”US CANADA-WE ARE OFFICIALLY HERE TO PLAY AND HERE TO STAY!

Toys"R"Us (Canada) Ltd. announces the completion of the acquisition of its business by Fairfax Financial Holdings Limited. Toys R Us Canada is now a proudly Canadian-owned and operated business employing more than 4,000 Canadians and Canada’s only exclusive coast to coast business with over 80 locations dedicated to kids and babies across Canada.

As Canada’s leading toy and baby retailer, we are thrilled to be part of the Fairfax family and to now operate as a reinvigorated company that is 100% Canadian. I would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to our valued customers for their loyalty with us over the last several months. We are passionate about our business and want Canadians to know that we are champions of play with the newest trends and hottest toys in our stores. We believe that parenting is an adventure and Babies“R”Us Canada will be there along the journey to help parents.

Over the next few months, we will roll out exciting new innovations that have proven successful at our Langley, British Columbia and our South Barrie, Ontario stores including dedicated play areas, interactive stations for kids and mobile pay. Beginning this month, we are delighted to host 10 Starlight Dashes across Canada in which seriously ill children from the Starlight Children’s Foundation will have three minutes to race around the store and fill their carts with toys.

This summer, we will be moving full steam ahead across Canadian communities with the message that we’re here to play, here to stay! At Toys“R”Us we believe that moments of joy, endless possibilities of fun and the wonder of imagination all happen through play. We will be challenging kids, parents, grand-givers and kids at heart to embrace the power of play. Look for play events at your local store. All customer programs like Baby Registry, “R”Club™ loyalty and wish list are running just as customers know and love. Gift cards purchased in Canada can be redeemed anytime online and in any store location across the country.

Thank you for choosing to shop at Toys“R”Us Canada and Babies“R”Us Canada! We are excited about our future and look forward to inviting you back to see what’s new with us. Visit www.toysrus.ca and www.babiesrus.ca for exciting announcements and new events happening throughout the summer.

Melanie Teed-Murch, President
Toys“R”Us and Babies“R”Us Canada

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