National chain once had 103 stores after billionaire Doug Putman bought and expanded the Canadian operations, but only 40 remain open

A toy empire that has dominated Canada’s retail landscape for decades appears to be shrinking, with a new analysis showing Toys “R” Us now operates fewer than half of the locations it ran just four years ago — and even more are up for sale.

The national chain, a landmark for generations of children, once had a sprawling footprint of 103 stores across the country after billionaire Doug Putman bought and expanded the Canadian operations. But dozens of locations have closed this year alone, leaving just 40 stores remaining, with 12 of them looking for new owners, according to research by the Edmonton Journal and Financial Post.

Putman did not respond to re

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