Toys R Us finds new home at Navy exchanges in Japan and Italy

The once-dominant toy retailer that closed hundreds of U.S. stores after declaring bankruptcy, recently set up shop inside five Navy exchanges worldwide. Installation commander Capt. Jonathan Hopkins, second from right, helps open the new Toys R Us location inside the exchange at Yokosuka Naval Base, Japan, on Oct. 17, 2026. (Quinton Lee/U.S. Navy) YOKOSUKA NAVAL BASE, Japan — Toys R Us, the once-dominant toy retailer that closed hundreds of U.S. stores after declaring bankruptcy, recently set up shop inside five Navy exchanges, including three on U.S. military installations in Japan. Toys R US-branded sections opened Oct. 17 inside stores at Yokosuka and Sasebo naval bases, Naval Air Facility Atsugi and Naval Air Station Sigonella, Italy, Navy Exchange Service Command spokeswoman Kristine Sturkie said by email Friday.

The sections have no dedicated Toys R Us employees or cashiers. Customers select toys from branded displays and pay at the exchanges’ registers. Another section opened last month at Naval Base San Diego, according to a Sept. 24 Toys R US news release. The additions bring the number of Navy exchanges carrying Toys R Us merchandise to 13 since the partnership began in 2024. “Since 2024, NEXCOM has opened Toys R Us shops within NEX stores during October to coincide with the Saturday closest to Geoffrey the Giraffe’s birthday — Oct. 17,” Sturkie wrote.