KB Toys

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K·B Toys
Former type Private
Toy Store
Industry Retail
Fate Liquidation
Founded 1922
Defunct 2009
Headquarters Pittsfield, Massachusetts, U.S.
Products Toys, electronics, board games, dolls, and video games
Website http://www.KBToys.com, Forwards to http://www.Toys.com, a subsidiary of http://www.ToysRUs.com

K·B Toys (previously known as Kay Bee Toys) was a chain of mall-based retail toy stores in the United States. It was founded in 1922 by the Kaufman brothers. K·B operated 605 stores in 44 U.S. states, Puerto Rico as well as Guam. It was privately held in Pittsfield, Massachusetts. K·B Toys was owned by Melville Corporation (which was responsible for its CVS/Pharmacy chain), but that company sold it to Consolidated Stores in 1996. It was also the second-oldest operating toy retailer in North America (behind FAO Schwarz) before its demise.

Following the company's second bankruptcy in five years, the chain began going-out-of-business sales in December 2008. The store closing sales were concluded on February 9, 2009.[1] International retailer Toys "R" Us announced on September 4, 2009 that it had acquired the remains of K·B Toys, consisting mainly of its website, trademarks, and intellectual property rights.[2]

Operations

At the time of its liquidation, K·B Toys operated three distinct store formats: K·B Toys, K·B Toy Works (the result of a merger between KB Toys and The Toy Works), and K·B Toys Outlet (aka Toy Liquidators). K·B Toys stores were mostly found in the company's traditional base of shopping malls, where many of its stores were located for years. K·B Toy Works stores were typically found in outdoor strip malls. K·B Toys Outlet and Toy Liquidators stores, as the name implies, were usually found in outlet centers/malls. At their largest, K·B operated over 1300 stores and were found in all 50 states.

Liquidation

K·B closed 156 stores on November 8, 2007 to leave the chain with 1144 stores. On February 9, 2009, K·B closed the remaining stores following the second bankruptcy filing in four years. In addition, K·B Toys' website was closed down.

The K·B Toys brand and related intangible assets were sold by Streambank LLC to Toys "R" Us on September 4, 2009, for a reported $2.1 million. Because K·B Toys' 460 stores had been closed and liquidated, the sale applies mainly to the company's logo, website, and trademarks/intellectual properties. Toys "R" Us remains unsure of how the K·B name will fit into its future business plan.[2] So far, Toys "R" Us uses the K·B Toys name on self-manufactured toys under the name "KB Classics" with the K·B Toys logo.

Slogans

  • "America's Toy Store"
  • "Hot We Got, at KB"
  • "The Toy Store in the Mall"

References

  1. ↑ Brickley, Peg (December 11, 2008). "K·B Toys Faces Liquidation". Wall Street Journal. Dow Jones & Company. Retrieved 2010-01-09. 
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Pereira, Joseph; John Kell (September 4, 2009). "Toys 'R' Us Buys KB Toys' Brand". Wall Street Journal. Dow Jones & Company. Retrieved 2010-01-09. 

External links

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