Toys R Us is planning to open a new, year-round store at Oviedo Mall in time for the 2026 holiday shopping season, giving Central Florida families a permanent spot to shop the once-iconic toy chain again. An official opening date has not been announced, though mall officials have hinted at an early-October timeframe.
The Oviedo location will not be a seasonal pop-up but a true year-round store, according to FOX 35 Orlando. Josh Gunderson, Oviedo Mall's marketing and events director, called the return a meaningful moment for the community. “Getting to welcome Toys “R” Us to Oviedo Mall year-round feels incredibly special,” Gunderson said, per the station's report.
Part of a Sweeping National Expansion
The Oviedo store is one piece of a much larger comeback. Toys R Us is opening 120 new standalone stores nationwide this holiday season, a push that, per the same account, is expected to grow the chain's standalone footprint from 40 stores to 160 by the holidays. WHP Global and Go! Retail Group are behind the expansion of the brand's U.S. footprint, the station notes.
That expansion is being carried out in partnership with Go! Retail Group, according to a company news release. Select new stores will also feature Creator Studios, dedicated spaces where influencers, content creators and toy brands can film and host events, the release states. Some locations will additionally include candy shops and cafés, per the same release.
Beyond the Mall Floor: Airports and Macy's
Toys R Us is also growing well beyond traditional mall storefronts. The company opened a shop-in-shops location at Orlando International Airport in August, with a second airport shop planned for summer 2027, the Oviedo report notes. The chain additionally operates about 400 smaller shops tucked inside Macy's stores nationwide.
New stores, including the one planned for Oviedo, are expected to carry toys and collectibles from brands like Lego, Hot Wheels, Barbie and Pokémon, according to Fast Company. The lineup reflects a chain trying to reestablish itself as a one-stop destination for the toy aisle a decade after its near-disappearance from American malls.
A Comeback After Years of Decline
Toys R Us filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in 2017 and shuttered hundreds of U.S. stores the following year, a collapse that effectively erased the brand from most American shopping centers. The Oviedo opening, and the broader 120-store rollout, mark an attempt to rebuild that physical presence nearly a decade later.
Part of what's fueling the chain's bet on physical stores is a shift in who's actually buying toys. Toy sales among adult-only households grew 16% through June and now account for 55% of total toy industry receipts, according to market research group Circana, cited by NBC News. Sales among all adults grew 25% over the same period, not far behind teens at 33%, the outlet reports.
Similar Openings Taking Shape Elsewhere
Oviedo isn't alone in getting a new Toys R Us this fall. A location at Ohio Valley Mall in St. Clairsville, Ohio, is set to open in October, operated by Go Retail Group in roughly 2,000 square feet of the mall's center court, according to WTOV9.
A similar conversion is underway in North Carolina, where a Toys R Us is set to open at Independence Mall in Wilmington in early October, replacing a Go! Calendars, Toys & Games store as part of the same national partnership with Go! Retail Group, according to the StarNews. For Oviedo shoppers, the details of their own store's debut, including a firm opening date, remain unannounced for now.
