Algonquin Toys R Us store to remain open amid national store closures

ALGONQUIN – The Algonquin Toys R Us and Babies R Us stores will remain open while 182 other stores under the Toys R Us umbrella are slated to close in the next couple of months, a company spokesman said.

Babies R Us stores in Vernon Hills, Schaumburg, Niles, Naperville, Bricktown and Burbank are among the Illinois stores expected to close, Toys R Us spokesman Joseph Contrino said.

Toys R Us stores in Highland Park and Matteson also are expected to close.

The company that once dominated toy sales in the U.S. has been operating under bankruptcy protection since the fall, when it filed for Chapter 11 under the weight of $5 billion in debt.

The store closings will begin in February, and the majority of locations – including Babies R Us stores – identified for closure will go dark by mid-April. At some other locations, the retailer is combining its Toys R Us and Babies R Us stores. The bankruptcy court still must sign off on the closings.

Toys R Us, based in Wayne, New Jersey, wouldn’t say how many jobs will be cut. It said some employees will be moved to other stores, and those who cannot be will receive severance.

Toys R Us operates about 900 stores in the U.S., including Babies R Us, and the stores closing make up 20 percent of the locations. Toys R Us closed its 30,000-square-foot Crystal Lake location in January 2015.

• The Associated Press contributed to this story.