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It looks like Toys R Us will be making another comeback this year as CNBC is reporting that WHP Global has acquired Tru Kids, the parent company of Toys R Us, Babies R Us, and Geoffrey the Giraffe brands. It’s actually been three years since Toys R Us closed but they are planning to open stores again ahead of the holiday season. I’m not really counting the two pop-up stores that opened in Texas and New Jersey in 2019 which also closed down in January due to COVID-19. It was reported that that the new stores will be in various formats including flagships, pop-ups, airport locations and mini stores inside other retailers. There’s no word yet on how many locations will be opening at the start.

Hopefully the new owners will be able to pick up the piece of what Toys R Us used to be. If you’re new to The Brick Fan, many of you don’t know that I used to work at TRU right when this site was in its infant stages and I used to stock the LEGO aisle at my store. I eventually got transferred to Babies R Us and I stayed there until everything closed back in 2018 here in the US. There are still many TRU stores open around the world which still have LEGO exclusives, mainly in the Asian countries. Hopefully TRU and LEGO can continue their partnership once stores are running smoothly.

A few hours ago, LEGO published their annual results from 2020 and it was concluded that they had very strong growth last year. Some of the main takeaways are below:

• Consumer sales grew 21 percent for the full year vs 2019.
• Revenue grew 13 percent to DKK 43.7 billion compared with 2019.
• Operating profit grew 19 percent to DKK 12.9 billion. Net profit grew 19 percent to DKK 9.9 billion. Profit grew strongly while the Group continued significant strategic investments in future growth initiatives.
• Free cash flow was DKK 11.5 billion.
• Grew global market share

Some of the top themes in no particular order were LEGO City, LEGO Technic, LEGO Star Wars, LEGO Friends and LEGO Classic. In addition, LEGO Super Mario was one of the company’s most successful theme launches.

BILLUND, March 10, 2021: The LEGO Group today reported earnings for the full year 2020. Revenue for the year grew 13 percent versus 2019 to DKK 43.7 billion and consumer sales grew 21 percent over the same period. Operating profit was DKK 12.9 billion, an increase of 19 percent compared with 2019. The brand’s global market share grew globally and in its 12 largest countries.

Niels B Christiansen, CEO, said: “We are very pleased with these results. They show the timeless relevance of the LEGO brick and learning through play. This performance is also a testament to the passion, creativity and resilience of our people. Despite the challenges of the pandemic, they worked tirelessly to keep the world playing.”

Consumer