Toys R Us is poised for a dramatic comeback with a plan to open a new store in Cheltenham.

The move to premises within WH Smith in Cheltenham's High Street will mark a five-year absence of the brand for shoppers in the county after the retailer shuttered its store in St Ann Way, Gloucester, store in line with a move into administration.

Last autumn, Toys R Us and sister brand, Babies R Us, announced a UK comeback in the form of digital ecommerce operations which were launched ahead of Christmas 2022, the company's new website marking the brand's appetite for a slice of the fast-growing ecommerce sector.

Toys R Us's previous bricks-and-mortar approach was cited broadly as the reason for the retailer's collapse. Toys R Us was a toy, baby and clothing retail store founded in 1957 by Charles P. Lazarus in Rockville, Maryland.

At its peak, it operated 739 US-based stores and more than 750 stores elsewhere. DIfficulties began in the early 200s: in 2000, Toys R Us partnered with Amazon in a 10-year contract, paying the eCommerce company $50m a year plus a percentage of their sales so that it could be the exclusive seller of toys and baby products on Amazon.

The online analyst Failory said: "Although many people might wonder if Amazon killed Toys R Us, the first major competition it experienced was from affordable "big box" stores, such as Walmart, Kmart, Target, Costco, and others. This competition gradually started to eat away at Toys R Us's sales, and the company began racking up billions of dollars of debt, trying to maintain its stores and operations."

However, Toys R Us signed an agreement with WH Smith in October 2022 which would deliver a physical presence, alongside its new online offer, in WH Smith outlets across the UK.

And with nine locations being tipped for the return, Cheltenham is among them. 

A planning application for the new signage has now been lodged with Cheltenham Borough Council.