Toys 'R' Us Stores Getting Greener

Toys “R” Us announced on Tuesday that it plans to open 21 new locations and remodel 23 existing stores by the end of the year – and each store will feature a variety of green building elements.

To cut down on energy consumption, many of the new stores will feature LED outdoor signs, high-efficiency automatic hand dryers, daylight harvesting systems and state-of the-art energy management systems that monitor environmental conditions and adjust temperature and lighting levels. Some stores will boast white, reflective roofs that reduce the amount of heat absorbed by the building and therefore, reduce the energy needed to cool the store.

Toys “R” Us will install low-flow toilets and urinals and automatic faucets and flush valves to conserve water and plans to recycle all cardboard used in its operations.

To improve indoor air quality, the stores will use paints and floor adhesives with a low amount of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and will include a vestibule entry system to reduce the amount of outside contaminants tracked into the store.

Of the 21 new stores across 13 states, 11 will be “R” Superstores, which feature full-sized Toys “R” Us and Babies “R” Us stores under one roof; ten will be side-by-side locations, where the two stores are built next to each other. All 23 remodeled stores will be renovated to the side-by-side format.