Claims extracted
20
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
20%
4 of 20 hedged
("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
not political
takes no side on a contested political question
Publisher signals
66/100
New York Post's corrections and
hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.
Outlets on this story
2
Other
Same framing elsewhere
1
articles that frame the event the way this one does
Here’s some good news for adults who “didn’t wanna grow up,” as the old ad jingle had it.
asserted
jingle → ’ → it
Toys “R” Us is kicking off its biggest expansion in nearly a decade, opening 120 stores amid surging demand from adult customers, the company said Thursday.
asserted
company → kick → customers
The retailer — whose 2017 bankruptcy devastated the toy industry — inked one-year leases across the country as toy sales notched their biggest spike since 2020, according to Circana, which tracks consumer data.
uncertain
which → devastate → data
The new locales include Woodbury Commons and the Westchester in White Plains, NY, and the Mall at Short Hills in Millburn, NJ.
asserted
locales → include → Millburn
Toy sales in the US grew 17% in the first half of the year – the strongest first-half performance in six years – largely fueled by adults who are snatching up trading cards and collectibles, according to Circana.
uncertain
who → grow → Circana
Adults now account for 55% of all toy sales, the researcher found.
asserted
researcher → account → sales
Mall operators like having toy stores on premises, “so shoppers don’t feel like they have to leave the mall and go to Walmart or Target,” observed former Toys “R” Us chief executive Gerald Storch.
asserted
Storch → like → Walmart
The new stores will offer some of the biggest brands, including LEGO, Barbie, Hot Wheels, Pokémon and KPop Demon Hunters – and some will have cafes and candy shops, according to the company.
uncertain
some → offer → company
New York-based Toys “R” Us is owned by WHP Global, the brand licensing firm that also owns Marc Jacobs, Vera Wang and Lands’ End.
asserted
that → base → Jacobs
The brick-and-mortar strategy is being led by Go! Retail Group, which operates pop-up stores and quietly began the Toys “R” Us expansion last year.
asserted
which → lead → expansion
The expansion push started last month when Go! Retail began opening 3,500- to 7,500-square-foot stores, said a spokesperson for Toys “R” Us.
asserted
spokesperson → start → Us
The number of stores is set to reach 160 in the coming weeks – a fraction of the 750 outlets Toys “R” Us had when it filed for bankruptcy and closed all of its US stores in 2017.
asserted
it → set → 2017
Its iconic Times Square store featured a ferris wheel and 20-foot-tall animatronic T-Rex –generating sales of $75 to $100 million a year before closing in 2015, according to Storch.
uncertain
store → feature → Storch
Founded by Charles Lazarus in 1948 as a baby furniture store – which eventually became Babies “R” Us – the company went belly up due to a $5 billion pile of debt.
asserted
company → found → debt
Private equity firms Bain Capital, KKR and Vornado bought the chain in a $6.6 billion leveraged buyout in 2005.
asserted
Capital → buy → 2005
Its demise crippled the industry, which depended on Toys “R” Us to drive sales and launch new products.
asserted
which → cripple → products
Many toy company owners were bitter about the filing, which saddled them with millions in unpaid bills.
asserted
which → saddle → bills
“The toy industry is incredibly strong,” said former Toys “R” Us veteran Jamie Uitdenhowen, now WHP Global executive vice president.
asserted
Uitdenhowen → say → ?
The industry has “a growing consumer base that extends well beyond kids,” he added.
“’Kidults’ have become an important part of the category,” said Uitdenhowen, using the newfangled word for grownups with tastes typically associated with younger people.
asserted
Uitdenhowen → have → people
WHP controls the global license for Toys “R” Us, which includes 1,680 stores in 37 countries and some $2 billion in annual sales.
asserted
which → control → sales