First new Toys R Us since its bankruptcy to open in New Jersey

The first new Toys R Us retail store since the chain announced it was closing all its U.S. locations will officially open in New Jersey on Saturday, CNBC reported.

The new store at Westfield Garden State Plaza in Paramus, N.J., had its soft opening Wednesday but will have a grand opening with events, giveaways and characters this weekend. A second location is expected to open Dec. 1 in Simon Property Group’s Galleria Mall in Houston, according to a release from the mall. 

Officials describe the smaller stores as a “highly experiential small-format retail space” that will differ significantly from the previous Toys R Us stores, USA Today reported.

“These stores are fundamentally different from the Toys R Us stores that you’ll remember from the past,” Tru Kids CEO Richard Barry told USA Today last month. “They are smaller, very immersive, experimental as well.”

Tru Kids partnered with Target to relaunch Toys R Us’s website and also teamed up with the software retailer b8ta, which will track foot traffic in the new stores, according to CNBC. 

The brand announced in July it would open two “reimagined” stores before the holiday season. Toys R Us also opened two “immersive toy wonderlands” called Toys R Us Adventure last month, according to USA Today.

Last year, Toys R Us announced the closing of all its U.S. stores, affecting 33,000 jobs, after facing almost $8 billion in debt. Barry told USA Today that former employees could apply for jobs at the new stores first.