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Toys ‘R’ Us Plans Bankruptcy Filing Amid Debt Struggle

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Re: Toys ‘R’ Us Plans Bankruptcy Filing Amid Debt Struggle

#131

The CEO of Toys 'R' Us as of 2015 is Dave Brandon. He was the former CEO of Dominoes Pizza. After he left Dominoes in 2009 is when they started the "We used to suck, we don't anymore, please come try us again!" advertising campaign. After Dominoes, Dave Brandon was the athletic director at the University of Michigan. During his time as AD, he managed to alienate the majority of the fan base, hire a coach who got wors…

[deleted]

Re: Toys ‘R’ Us Plans Bankruptcy Filing Amid Debt Struggle

#132
post #110

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>Toy stores are a _great_ example of opportunity for brick and mortar. Just like book stores, they operate in a space where curation, discovery and the physical experience adds real value. Not anymore. Customers just use them as a free showroom and then buy it cheaper off Amazon.

If a toy store can't figure out how to take advantage "but MOMMMMMM I want it NOWWWWWWWWWW!" then little kids are far more mature than they were a few decades ago. :)

You want that toy? Here, watch a YouTube video of someone else playing with it until Amazon delivers it tomorrow.

Re: Toys ‘R’ Us Plans Bankruptcy Filing Amid Debt Struggle

#133

Though this may have something to do with Amazon (and retail generally trending online), it does appear that the big culprit here were Bain Capital (and its partners) who took it private in 2005 via leverage buyout and ladened Toys r Us balance sheet with untenable debt from thereon. Apparently, they were paying $500M in interests alone per year vs. reinvesting capital in growth of their offline stores or online reta…

Same thing happened to iHeartMedia (formerly ClearChannel). Bain Capital took it private via the leveraged buyout and now the company is burdened with $18B debt and is likely to declare bankruptcy soon.

Re: Toys ‘R’ Us Plans Bankruptcy Filing Amid Debt Struggle

#134
"Ratings agencies have rushed to cut their credit ratings on Toys “R” Us to reflect the sinking market sentiment...[S&P] had the retailer rated B- just two weeks ago, and Moody’s Investors Service still has a B3 rating and stable outlook for the name."

Ratings agencies once again showing how efficient they are at actually rating debt. B3 and stable outlook for a company that has actually field for bankruptcy, you gotta be kidding me.

Re: Toys ‘R’ Us Plans Bankruptcy Filing Amid Debt Struggle

#135
post #109

The CEO of Toys 'R' Us as of 2015 is Dave Brandon. He was the former CEO of Dominoes Pizza. After he left Dominoes in 2009 is when they started the "We used to suck, we don't anymore, please come try us again!" advertising campaign. After Dominoes, Dave Brandon was the athletic director at the University of Michigan. During his time as AD, he managed to alienate the majority of the fan base, hire a coach who got wors…

Are there non-cynical explanations of how someone with such a terrible track record gets hired? Maybe a dearth of alternative CEOs? Or is the reality as bad as it appears?

Because even a shitty company-destroying CEO has experience being a CEO.

Not trying to be cynical.

Re: Toys ‘R’ Us Plans Bankruptcy Filing Amid Debt Struggle

#136

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Most kids are just as happy playing with the wrapping paper as with the toy inside. That is to say: your son will be just as happy with something you two might find or make together.

Star Wars action figure? No way. Lets get some paper towel tubes, markers, and glitter and make our own!

The original post was about a 9-month-old. No baby that age cares in the slightest about Star Wars, but they love boxes.

Re: Toys ‘R’ Us Plans Bankruptcy Filing Amid Debt Struggle

#137
post #116

The CEO of Toys 'R' Us as of 2015 is Dave Brandon. He was the former CEO of Dominoes Pizza. After he left Dominoes in 2009 is when they started the "We used to suck, we don't anymore, please come try us again!" advertising campaign. After Dominoes, Dave Brandon was the athletic director at the University of Michigan. During his time as AD, he managed to alienate the majority of the fan base, hire a coach who got wors…

It's high time people realize something about these positions. Being at the top of a gigantic mature hierarchy in a complex world is more a function of legacy than utility. John D Rockefeller or Thomas Edison were the single BRAIN that shaped and directed where their orgs went. Today's leaders in govt or in the private sector or more like a single neuron most of whose time is engaged in constant power struggles for s…

Leadership is a thing. It really matters. An effective leader can be a force multiplier for everyone in the organization that reports to them, directly or indirectly. An ineffective leader can literally bankrupt an organization.

Re: Toys ‘R’ Us Plans Bankruptcy Filing Amid Debt Struggle

#138
post #66

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Toy stores are a _great_ example of opportunity for brick and mortar. Just like book stores, they operate in a space where curation, discovery and the physical experience adds real value. The town I grew up in has a great independent toy store, and I make it a point to shop there every time we're in town. Every time I find something unique that I would have never looked for on Amazon, and often I'm hooked by the tact…

>Every time I find something unique that I would have never looked for on Amazon, and often I'm hooked by the tactile act of playing with something that couldn't be fully replicated online. You're absolutely right. The result usually is though that the kid finds a toy they like then puts in on their Birthday/Christmas wishlist from where the Santa buys from Amazon. I like to think I never do this, but if the price is…

Perhaps the end game is that customers will pay $10/family to enter the bricks and mortar store) - not unreasonable, if it has entertainment value/ a cool vibe.

Then the $10 is rebated off anything they buy in-store.

Re: Toys ‘R’ Us Plans Bankruptcy Filing Amid Debt Struggle

#139
post #66

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Toy stores are a _great_ example of opportunity for brick and mortar. Just like book stores, they operate in a space where curation, discovery and the physical experience adds real value. The town I grew up in has a great independent toy store, and I make it a point to shop there every time we're in town. Every time I find something unique that I would have never looked for on Amazon, and often I'm hooked by the tact…

>Every time I find something unique that I would have never looked for on Amazon, and often I'm hooked by the tactile act of playing with something that couldn't be fully replicated online. You're absolutely right. The result usually is though that the kid finds a toy they like then puts in on their Birthday/Christmas wishlist from where the Santa buys from Amazon. I like to think I never do this, but if the price is…

In many European countries, the prices of books are fixed [1]. Sometimes it's arranged by law, sometimes by publishers. Toy publishers could try to achieve the same.

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fixed_book_price_agreement

Re: Toys ‘R’ Us Plans Bankruptcy Filing Amid Debt Struggle

#140
post #130

> With speculation of a bankruptcy mounting, shares of Toys “R” Us’s vendors tumbled on Monday. Mattel Inc., the maker of Barbie and Fisher-Price, fell 6.2 percent -- its worst decline in seven weeks. Shares of Hasbro, the company behind Monopoly, Nerf and Transformers, dropped 1.7 percent. Does Toys R Us owe money to Mattel? Or are people thinking that if they go away or significantly reorganize people will just buy…

According to this article, Toys "R" Us accounts for about 10% of Mattel's revenue. That seems pretty significant: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-orbital-atk-northrop-grum...

If Toys R Us is responsible for about 10% of all toy sales by revenue that wouldn't be terribly meaningful, but yeah, if they sell proportionally more Mattel toys, whereas other retailers might sell comparable toys from other brands more, that could certainly account for it. Thanks.
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