A Toys”R”Us store is heading to Tanger Outlets Lancaster in time for the holiday shopping season, the shopping center announced, though no opening date has been set for the new location. The outlet mall, located in East Lampeter Township in Lancaster County, posted the news on its Facebook page, promising shoppers a dose of toy-aisle nostalgia alongside the center's usual lineup of apparel and footwear brands.
Tanger Outlets Lancaster posted on its Facebook page that Toys”R”Us is coming to the outlets just in time for the holidays, according to ABC27. The station reported that no specific opening date was given for the new store. PennLive reports the center sits at 311 Stanley K. Tanger Blvd., roughly 45 miles from Harrisburg, and is home to about 70 outlet stores and eateries spread across 377,000 square feet, including retailers like Nike, J. Crew, Crocs, Under Armour and Polo Ralph Lauren.
A Brand Rebuilding From the Ground Up
Toys”R”Us closed all of its U.S. stores in 2018 after a bankruptcy that forced the brand to abandon its standalone-store model in favor of smaller shops tucked inside other retailers such as Macy's, according to al.com. After closing all its physical stores in bankruptcy, the retailer is opening stores across the U.S. again, ABC27 notes. Today, Toys”R”Us store locations in the U.S. are operated by Go! Retail Group, while online shopping at toysrus.com runs under a separate partnership, according to Go! Retail Group, which says it has opened flagship stores and holiday shops in communities from coast to coast, with many more locations launching soon.
The comeback has picked up serious steam this year. On Sept. 17, Toys”R”Us announced plans to open 120 standalone stores across the country during the 2026 holiday season in partnership with Go! Retail Group, according to a release distributed via PR Newswire. That expansion is expected to push the brand's standalone U.S. footprint to 160 stores by the holidays, up from 40 existing locations, the release states. The new stores are set to carry toys and gifts from brands including LEGO, Barbie, Hot Wheels, Pokémon and KPop Demon Hunters, per the same release.
Pennsylvania's Piece of the Comeback
Pennsylvania is already seeing its share of new storefronts. A report published Sept. 21 found at least 21 confirmed Toys”R”Us locations statewide, including four in Montgomery County and one in Bucks County, according to Central Bucks News. That same report noted that Toys”R”Us had not released a complete list of the 120 planned new locations or announced opening dates for each store, which helps explain why Lancaster shoppers are still waiting for a firm date.
The pattern has played out elsewhere this year, too. A Toys”R”Us location opened at a Tanger outlet mall in Foley, Alabama, in June, with that center's Facebook post declaring Toys R Us is now open at Tanger Foley, and that Geoffrey and the gang are so excited to welcome everyone to Tanger Foley, Suite 400, per al.com's report. ABC27 also noted that Toys”R”Us opened 30 locations for the holiday shopping season the previous year, and al.com reported that in 2025 the company said it had launched eight flagship stores nationwide along with dozens of seasonal pop-up shops.
It remains to be seen exactly when Lancaster County shoppers will be able to walk into the new store, but between the outlet center's Facebook announcement and the brand's broader nationwide push, Geoffrey the Giraffe appears to be firmly back in business for the 2026 holiday season.
