Toys 'R' Us Buying FAO Schwarz

Chain plans to open 80 temporary stores in time for holiday shopping season

(NEWSER) - Toys R Us is getting ready to go on the offensive in the battle for holiday sales, the Washington Post reports. The company—which snapped up the KB Toys and FAO Schwarz brands earlier this year—plans to open 80 temporary "Holiday Express" stores in malls across the country, and will open toy shops in 260 of its Babies R Us locations. More»

(NEWSER) - Bronx cops discovered that cute Build-a-Bears that children are supposed to fill with stuffing were packed instead with some $33 million worth of heroin, reports the New York Daily News. The brown teddy bears held glassine envelopes of brands of heroin with names like "Barack Obama," "Swine Flu," and "Crime 360." It's a "huge shock," said a neighbor in the building where the operation was shipping out the drug-filled cuddlies. "My daughter has one of those bears." More»

Rivals match Wal-Mart price cuts as retailers target cash-strapped shoppers

(NEWSER) - Toy retailers have commenced a fierce price war as a particularly tough holiday season bears down upon them, the Wall Street Journal reports. Wal-Mart cut prices to $10 on key toys including Barbie and Hot Wheels last week, a move quickly mirrored by rivals KB Toys and Target. Toys 'R' Us, meanwhile, plans to focus on choice instead of cheapness. More»

Consumers will pay for testing toys

(NEWSER) - Toyland is about to become a more expensive place, as price hikes of 10% or more kick in to pay for heightened vigilance by toy makers following the recall of millions of lead-tainted and otherwise unsafe playthings imported from China. The added costs, which won't kick in until after Christmas, will pay for independent lab testing which American manufacturers and retailers are scrambling to put in place. More»