Toys R Us On Katy Freeway The Only Houston Area Closure

HOUSTON, TX — Toys R Us plans to close 182 stores nationwide to emerge from bankruptcy protection. According to company officials, closures will begin in early February and continue through mid-April. The closures still need court approval.

The only location affected in the Greater Houston area is the Katy store, located at 9730 Katy Freeway. Of the eight total stores to close in Texas, six of them are in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex. The other is in El Paso.

The company said a number of its existing locations will be co-branded as Toys R Us and Babies R Us stores, according to a CNBC report. The company, based in Wayne, New Jersey, filed for bankruptcy protection about four months ago. They have 880 stores in the U.S., which means they'll be shutting down roughly 20 percent of its American stores, according to court documents filed in a Virginia bankruptcy court.

David Brandon, chairman and CEO of the toy retailer, said the brand is reinventing itself, and that requires some "tough decisions about our priorities and focus."

"The reinvention of our brands requires that we make tough decisions about our priorities and focus," Brandon said in a letter posted on the company's website.

Going-out-of-business sales will begin in February.

California leads the nation with 27 stores planned to be closed. New York will close 15 stores and New Jersey will shut down 12 of them. In neighboring states, Oklahoma will close three stores while Arkansas and Louisiana will each close one.

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