{"id":836324,"date":"2025-08-29T09:02:15","date_gmt":"2025-08-29T07:02:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/?p=836324"},"modified":"2025-08-29T09:02:21","modified_gmt":"2025-08-29T07:02:21","slug":"these-shopping-malls-in-south-africa-are-getting-a-major-dual-retail-store-for-the-first-time","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/business\/836324\/these-shopping-malls-in-south-africa-are-getting-a-major-dual-retail-store-for-the-first-time\/","title":{"rendered":"These shopping malls in South Africa are getting a major dual retail store for the first time"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

After securing a landmark deal to acquire one of its biggest competitors, Toys R Us and Babies R Us South Africa says it will be moving into high-traffic strip malls across the country for the first time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This will give consumers easy access to things like baby formula and last-minute gifts without having to go to large shopping malls, where the brand has historically been most present.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Competition Commission approved a deal where Toys R Us SA will acquire competitor ToyZone, which will add 13 stores to the group’s 61 outlets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Toys R Us and Babies R Us brands in South Africa are privately owned by Michmir Investments, which operates locally through Amic Trading under licence from Toys R Us Global.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Under the deal, ToyZone stores will be converted into dual Toys R Us and Babies R Us outlets, with the latter being a particularly lucrative opportunity for the group.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It will also give the group access to strip malls where ToyZones have been operating.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This includes malls like Centurion Lifestyle Centre, Woodlands Boulevard, Cedar Square, Retail Crossing on the West Rand, the East Rand Value Mall and more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to Phumla Mnganga, Chairperson of Toys R Us South Africa, the integration of Toys R Us and Babies R Us into ToyZone locations not only strengthens the group’s footprint but also “cements our position as the go-to retailer for families at every stage of childhood.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She added that by expanding the network and combining operational capabilities, the group can serve customers more efficiently and innovatively.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of the conditions of the deal’s approval is that the group cannot retrench employees for a period of two years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mnganga said that the group is committed to preserving local employment as 94 Toy Zone operational employees will be retained and integrated into the Toys\u202fR\u202fUs family. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Following the acquisition of ToyZone, a few major toy retail brands stand out. Remaining competitors in the market include Hamleys and Toy Kingdom, which operate physical stores, and a host of online stores.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Toys are big business<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Toys R Us SA said that the South African toy market is showing strong momentum, valued at over R9 billion in 2024. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is expected to grow to R16 billion by 2033, representing a CAGR of 6.4% between 2025 and 2023.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The e\u2011commerce segment of the South African toys market is also on a growth trajectory, having generated roughly R1.2 billion in online sales in 2024, with monthly revenues reaching R124 million in July 2025.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This reflects rapid consumer adoption and healthy month\u2011on\u2011month growth, the group said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to analysts, South Africa accounted for about 41.9% of the entire toys and games market in Africa in 2025, highlighting its leading regional position.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The 0 to 8\u2011year demographic remains dominant, with infant\/toddler and doll segments projected to represent over 30\u202f% of total market value through 2027.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“These figures underscore a vibrant and expanding market driven by both in-store and online consumer demand, especially for educational and developmental toys,” it said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is in stark contrast to the Toys R Us global operation, which has come under severe strain over the past few years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The global group went bankrupt in 2018 before emerging as a new entity in 2019. This reformed group was acquired by WHP Global in 2021, relaunched, and then shut down again due to the retail collapse during COVID-19.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, the South African operations were not affected by this, instead showing strong growth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mnganga said that the acquisition will cement Toys R Us SA’s leading position in the market and invest in its future growth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Retaining Toy Zone\u2019s experienced team ensures continuity of service, while the added scale gives us the ability to better stock the right products, offer compelling promotions, and deliver an exceptional shopping experience both in-store and online,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Toys R Us has outlined its expansion strategy after sealing a deal to buy out one of its biggest competitors\u2014landing in major shopping malls with its dual-retail model for the first time.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":836326,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9872],"tags":[23494,23493],"class_list":["post-836324","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-business","tag-toy-zone","tag-toys-r-us"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/836324","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=836324"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/836324\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":836331,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/836324\/revisions\/836331"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/836326"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=836324"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=836324"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=836324"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}