New TRU locations?

[M-bot]

I was reading this article about the abandoned Masters stores:

https://www.commercialrealestate.com.au/news/ten-masters-stores-to-reopen-as-shopping-malls-in-time-for-christmas/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=cpc&utm_content=link-newsfeed&utm_campaign=c-all-alwayson

It mentions TRU as a possible co-tenant at at least some of those locations - it says ten, but only mentions 5 - South Morang in Vic, Penrith and Rutherford in NSW, and Tingalpa and North Lakes in QLD.

A cursory glance at the TRU website indicates that South Morang and Rutherford branches are "coming soon", but the others are not mentioned. Penrith of course already has a TRU, so I'd guess they wouldn't get a second.

Potentially more retailers available for TF purchases by Christmas.

[DELTAprime]

Ohhh, I wonder if they will move into the Masters store in Rockhampton, it would mean my closest TRU would be about an hour and 20 minutes away instead of 6 hours.

[TAAUBlaster]

Ohhh, I wonder if they will move into the Masters store in Rockhampton, it would mean my closest TRU would be about an hour and 20 minutes away instead of 6 hours.

I wouldn't hold your breath. :( It's way too big of a site for a TRU here for starters. Unless they're going to divide it into a couple of smaller spaces. I heard that Bunnings were looking to buy it, and sell their current warehouse. Don't know how true that is though (came from one of the guys doing a heap of glazing there.)

[M-bot]

I wouldn't hold your breath. :( It's way too big of a site for a TRU here for starters. Unless they're going to divide it into a couple of smaller spaces. I heard that Bunnings were looking to buy it, and sell their current warehouse. Don't know how true that is though (came from one of the guys doing a heap of glazing there.)

I think the idea was to break the large Masters spaces up into several shops, like a mini-shopping centre, TRU being one of several tenants.

[UltraMarginal]

It's an interesting idea, there are Masters Stores all over the country jut sitting there gathering spiders. TRU Chatswood closed a year or so ago and now it's 45 minutes to my nearest and I live in Sydney. I can't think of a Masters store that was any closer...

[Jellico]

I read it as Try being one of several stores that could be used in the mix at a Masters location. Some might see one. Some might not.

Honestly I can't see Tingalpa or North Lakes working. TrUs up here seem to need massive catchment areas to be viable. One is pinned between the sea on one side and Garden City on the other. North Lakes is sitting on Aspley's jugular to the north. They would love that.

[DELTAprime]

I think the idea was to break the large Masters spaces up into several shops, like a mini-shopping centre, TRU being one of several tenants.

Yeah someone bought the Masters store in Rockhampton and is making it into a small shopping centre.

[TAAUBlaster]

I think the idea was to break the large Masters spaces up into several shops, like a mini-shopping centre, TRU being one of several tenants.


Yeah someone bought the Masters store in Rockhampton and is making it into a small shopping centre.

Makes sense. Shows how much I know then :o

[Sinnertwin]

Do we really need more TRU stores though?
They closed down for a reason.

[reillyd]

Do we really need more TRU stores though?
They closed down for a reason.

Yeah, we really do. Unless you have one in your city (mine is an hour drive away, and then an hour back) you can't get store exclusives

[vorox4251]

theres a closedd down masters in mornington, heres hoping

[ZoonMaster5000]

We don't have any so 1 or 2 would be nice down here

[Jellico]

I've got one 10 minutes away and I still can't get store exclusives.



Really toy stores are up against cheaper department stores for the mainstream stuff and the internet for the exotics. That leaves a thin band of the slightly unusual for them to make their money with.

Seeing stores filled with Transformers collectables might look great but arguably it means that it is shelf warming and the store should be selling something else.

[SMHFConvoy]

There was an article from the beginning of the year that the disused Masters sites could be turned into home centres.

[griffin]

This was posted in the sightings section last week....


Not a sighting per say but something to watch for.

http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/business/property/ten-masters-stores-to-reopen-as-shopping-malls-in-time-for-christmas-20170815-gxwekg.html

The Home Consortium is going to reopen some old Masters as malls. The interesting bit is that they are including Toys R Us.

The two OLD locations are North Lakes and Tingalpa.

[M-bot]

This was posted in the sightings section last week....

Not being a frequent per user of the QLD sightings thread, I missed that. I did do a brief bit of searching of threads to see if there was a better place to put the original post before starting a new thread and couldn't find anything.

Sorry for the double up.:o

[griffin]

No sorry... I didn't mean it was missed and having a go at anyone. I just wanted to mention that someone else had posted up a different news article and it might not have been seen in that location.

[CaminusPrime]

So on this topic, rutherford will be opening up and kotara will be getting an overhaul so its closing for about a year or so

[SuspectimusPrime]

I wonder if these store openings will be affect by news from their US HQ: http://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/wall-street-journal/toys-r-us-may-file-for-bankruptcy/news-story/6ddbafdef89c91b762dadda5fee99a0d
Have not come across any other mentions to the Australian subsidiary.

@Mods: Feel free to make this a separate thread if it's worth it.

[griffin]

After recently opening a couple of new stores this year, it seems that the Australian branch of ToysRUs is seeing further expansion, while the American company is under bankruptcy protection*... with the collapse of the Masters hardware chain being a catalyst, as some of these new stores are opening in converted Masters stores (as a mini-shopping centre). As such, they are probably smaller stores (like TRU Express in America), and are likely to be a little out of the way (not inside an existing shopping centre).

Victoria had a new store open today at South Morang (https://www.toysrus.com.au/stores/VIC/SouthMorang/) (north east of Melbourne).

Meanwhile, NSW is getting another new store at Marsden Park (https://www.toysrus.com.au/stores/NSW/MarsdenParkOpeningSoon) (near Blacktown and Penrith) in November. Plus, the Kotara store (https://www.toysrus.com.au/stores/NSW/KotaraReopening2018/) (Newcastle) is currently closed during renovations of the shopping centre, and should reopen late 2018.

But it looks like Queensland is continuing to lead the charge of expansion, with another two stores next month, after just recently getting two new stores in the last year in Robina (last month) and the Sunshine Coast (last year, or maybe it was the year before).
The two new stores will be at North Lakes (north of Brisbane, near Redcliffe), and Toowoomba. The North Lakes store will open in November, and the Toowoomba store will open in December, to cash in on the Christmas period.
When those two come on line, that will be a doubling of the QLD stores (to eight) in just a couple of years.


*The American ToysRUs chain was actually also doing well financially in the last year despite strong competition hitting it hard in the last 10 years, with a US$400million profit in the last financial year... showing that they had managed to adapt and grow again. It was just burdened by the outstanding debt (from the purchase of the company about a decade ago) that was due for repayment soon that prompted the bankruptcy protection.

[MV75]

Best thing about the north lakes one is it's close to ikea which means $1 hot dogs. :)

[G1Optimal]

Just saw a poster a Blacktown Westpoint Bus Interchage saying Toys R Us Marsden Park will be open Sat 25th November

[MV75]

Woah, I forgot about this and looked it up, the north lakes one seems to be slated for tomorrow. I'm there for sure. :)

https://www.toysrus.com.au/stores/QLD/NorthLakes/

[MV75]

Well, what an opening. The car park was already at about 90% when we arrived just on 9am, holy moly, if only masters saw that kind of turn out they'd still be open. I laughed my butt off. 97.3 fm was there too, maybe that's how they announced it opening, I still couldn't get over how many people were there, I must have missed some sort of announcement it was opening. I actually did as per my post above, it was quite accidental I saw it was open today.

Get inside the main "mall", they have a switch back about 100 meters long up/down packed. Took about 40 minutes before we actually got in. The store itself is well sized, probably 75-80% the size of the Aspley one. Sadly they had no newer titan returns like blitzwing, dammit. They had loads of broadsides instead. But, they did have quite a lot of shufflers, got one. :)

Seems it's the only store there so far, lots of other fit outs were still under construction.

[griffin]

The Toowoomba store opens on the 16th (Saturday) at 9am... which will probably have some sort of fanfare.

[PROVOST]

I have a friend who lives in Toowoomba who will be psyched to have a TRU near him! :)