SLIDELL (AP) – Toys R Us, squeezed by Amazon.com and huge chains like Walmart, will close 180 stores, or about 20 percent of its U.S. locations, within months. The Toys R Us in Slidell, at 137 Northshore Blvd., is on the list.
The largest number of store closings will be in California, with 27 locations to close.
Hobbled by $5 billion in debt, the company that once dominated toy sales in the U.S. filed for bankruptcy protection in September.
Chairman and CEO Dave Brandon said in a letter Wednesday that tough decisions are required to save Toys R Us. T
oys R Us operates about 900 stores in the U.S.
The store closings will begin in February and the majority of the targeted locations will go dark by mid-April. At some other locations, the retailer is combining its Toys R Us and Babies R Us stores.
-By The Associated Press
