Escape in Debt, Toys' R & # 39; Us closes its last stores in the United States | Economy

Toys' R & # 39; It is based in Wayne, in the state of New Jersey (east). His staff in the United States accounted for more than half of the 65,000 people he employed worldwide. More than 30,000 employees will be out of work with the closure of the country's last store.

"It was the best job I've ever had, I was surrounded by kids, I'll never have a job like Toys R Us", Patty Van Fossan, 54, of Boardroom, Ohio, a group of workers who protested in New York for the damages that they believe they are entitled to.

With sales of about $ 11.5 billion in 2016, Toys "R" Us has lagged behind US retail giants such as Wal-Mart and Target.

In the toy sector, where Toys was the world's number one, with a market share of more than 23%, the difficulties are particularly severe for physical stores. Its sales declined by a quarter between 2011 and 2016, according to Euromonitor.

The toy chain declared bankruptcy in September 2017, a claim that equates to a bankruptcy in Brazil. This mechanism allows the company to continue operating while negotiating with creditors.

The bankruptcy petition allowed the stores to continue working. But with weak sales, the company announced in January of this year that it would close 180 units. In March, the company took this number to more than 700 stores.