Remember when physical retail was supposedly dying?
We were all going to shop online forever, stores would disappear and our relationship with retail would basically consist of clicking “Buy now” while sitting on the sofa.
Well… Toys“R”Us apparently has other plans.
The company has announced 120 new standalone stores across the US for the 2026 holiday season, bringing its total to 160.
That’s a pretty serious comeback.
But from a licensing perspective, the number of stores might not even be the most interesting part.
A Toy Store That Isn’t Just a Toy Store
Alongside products from LEGO, Barbie, Hot Wheels, Pokémon and KPop Demon Hunters, selected Toys“R”Us locations will introduce Creator Studios.
These spaces are designed for influencers, creators and toy brands to create content, reveal products, organise launches and host events.
So now you can go into a toy store, discover a product, watch something being filmed, share it online and potentially become part of the marketing yourself.
Sneaky.
And rather clever.
Physical vs Digital? Why Choose?
For years, physical and digital have often been treated as competitors.
But perhaps that was the wrong conversation.
What Toys“R”Us is doing points towards something much more interesting: physical experiences that continue digitally.
And for licensing, the possibilities are huge.
A licensed product doesn’t have to stop at the product itself. Packaging, hangtags or labels can become gateways to exclusive content, promotions, games, competitions, product information or authentication experiences.
One small scan can take the consumer somewhere completely different.
The shelf suddenly has a second life.
The Product Can Be the Beginning
This is something we particularly like at CUSERVI.
Our Smart Holograms with dynamic QR codes combine physical authentication with a digital connection. Brands can change the destination behind the QR without changing the physical hologram and understand how, when and where consumers are interacting with their products.
In other words, the hologram can protect the product and open the door to whatever comes next.
No Creator Studio required.
Maybe Retail Isn’t Coming Back. Maybe It’s Changing
The interesting thing about the Toys“R”Us expansion isn’t simply that physical stores are returning.
It’s that the role of those stores is evolving.
Retail can be a shop, a media channel, an experience, a content generator and a connection point between brands and fans.
And perhaps that’s the real opportunity for licensing.
The physical product doesn’t have to be the end of the experience. It can be the beginning.
