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Toys R Us To Open New Stores, Close Underperforming Stores
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 Toys R Us Inc. said on Wednesday it plans to close many of its underperforming international and kid's clothing stores this year while opening stores geared to babies and other better-positioned stores overseas.The Paramus, N.J.-based company, the world's largest speciality toy retailer operating 1,548 stores as of Jan. 29, said it would close about 20 of its 205 Kids R Us children's clothing stores, according to its annual report filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. ``The company is reevaluating all aspects of this segment of the business'' and is trying to ``reposition its business by focusing on store layouts, visual presentations and merchandise assortments that are more appealing to consumers,'' Toys R Us said. Last year, eight underperforming children's clothing stores were closed while one new store was opened. Meanwhile, the toy retailer said it would close 15 underperforming international stores this year as part of its strategic restructuring initiatives to reposition its worldwide business while opening about 30 stores elsewhere, including 10 franchise stores. Toys R Us, which has stores or franchise operations in 26 countries outside the United States, opened 41 new toy stores in 1999 while it closed 31 stores, according to the filing. Another area of planned expansion for the retailer is its Babies ``R'' Us stores which target the newborn to preschool market selling plush toys, high chairs, strollers, car seats and cribs, among other items. ``As part of the company's long-range growth plan for this successful concept, approximately 20 new Babies ''R`` Us stores are planned to open in 2000,'' the company said in the filing. It opened 19 baby stores last year and operated 131 of the stores in the United States as of Jan. 29. As for its U.S. Toys R Us stores, the company said it would focus on refining its new concept of tailoring existing stores to appeal better to consumers ``rather than on opening new stores,'' the filing said. Toys R Us registered $11.9 billion in total sales and $334 million in net earnings before charges in its 1999 fiscal year. That's compared to the $11.2 billion in total sales and $376 million in net earnings before charges for the 1998 fiscal year. [Updated 4/27/2000]
  
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