TRU tries to build a year-round kid connection with its Geoffrey stores

Toys 'R' Us may not be winning the price war with big-box competitors like Wal-Mart and Target, but the chain is fighting back by testing a number of experimental store concepts designed to forge a stronger year-round connection with consumers. 'We've owned the ritual of buying toys for birthdays and Christmas for decades,' says Joel Anderson, TRU's VP of new ventures. But the goal now is to expand that stronghold by keying into other important kid milestones. To date, the chain's most promising attempt at reaching this objective is the Geoffrey store concept, which brings together every TRU brand (including Imaginarium, Kids 'R' Us and Babies 'R' Us) under one roof and mixes in fun, interactive extras.