Circus World (store)

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Circus World was a toy store chain originally owned and operated by Rite-Aid and purchased by the Greenman Brothers in 1985. The Greenman Brothers owned the Playland chain of toy stores at the time, and converted them to Circus World stores. By the end of 1985, they managed to increase sales substantially through renovating stores and improving operations.

Despite the apparent turnaround and record sales, the operational improvements envisioned by Bernard Greenman did not come quickly enough, and in 1987 Circus World had lost three million dollars for the fiscal year. In 1988, same-store sales had become stagnant, and the company lost another three million dollars.

Although the chain would become profitable again by 1990, it had failed to differentiate itself from competitor Kay-Bee Toys, and Greenman management decided to sell the chain. In August of that year, Kay-Bee's parent company Melville Corporation purchased Circus World. At the time of acquisition, there were 330 Circus World stores in operation.

Shortly after the purchase, most Circus World stores were converted to Kay Bee Toys (later renamed KB Toys).