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TOP-TOY A/S history
TOP-TOY A/S company history timeline
In 1967, however, the company joined with a number of other, dedicated toy makers, including Lardy, Clairbois, and Berchet, to form an export cooperative, Superjouet.
The pair took over the company's toy department in 1968 and became responsible for its development.
Founded in 1968 in Estella, in the north of Spain, Unice had become a leading manufacturer of play balls--backed by its patented method for applying illustrations to the ball surface--as well as balloons.
Interstate undertook an aggressive but ill-fated expansion, overextending itself, and the 1973-74 recession aggravated its problems.
1974: Interstate is forced to declare bankruptcy; at the time there are 51 Toys "R" Us outlets.
By 1978, the company had developed a new brand name, Smoby.
By 1980 Toys "R" Us had earned a solid reputation as a retailer of great efficiency, with 101 stores around the country.
Since its reorganization three years earlier, sales had more than doubled to nearly $750 million in fiscal 1981, a year in which many toy sellers suffered, especially during the holiday season.
Now known as Smoby, the company went public in 1983, listing on the Lyon Stock Exchange.
In 1983 the company surpassed the $1 billion milestone, with sales of $1.3 billion.
1984: First international stores open in Canada and Singapore.
By the spring of 1985 there were ten Kids "R" Us units in New York and New Jersey with an additional 15 to be opened by year's end, while five Toys "R" Us stores opened in the United Kingdom.
By January 1986 Toys "R" Us had 233 toy stores in the United States, 13 international stores, 23 Kids "R" Us outlets, and four traditional department stores.
During the 1986 Christmas season, the company's sales far exceeded many analysts' grim forecasts.
A new phase in Smoby's growth began in 1987 when the company acquired new plastics technology in the form of rotational molding.
Sales for fiscal 1987, the first year in which Kids "R" Us earned a profit, surpassed $3 billion.
Company sales hit the $4 billion mark in fiscal 1988, and by the fall of the following year Toys "R" Us joined McDonald's Company (Japan) Ltd. to open several toy stores in Japan.
In the spring of 1990 the company recalled 38,000 "Press N Roll" toy boats with small parts that, if broken off, could choke a child.
By the end of 1990 the company had a new $40 million distribution center in Rialto, California, that held 45 percent more merchandise than the company's other warehouses, but took up one-third less land.
Chirot, Françoise, "Chez Smoby, le Père Noël est une femme," Le Monde, December 20, 1991.
United States officials, however, persuaded Japanese officials to speed up their approval process on applications for large retail stores, and the first Toys "R" Us opened in Ami Town on the outskirts of Tokyo in 1991.
The death of Jean-Pierre Breuil in 1992 placed Dany Breuil in the company's CEO spot.
Overseas Growth and Debut of Babies "R" Us: 1992-97
As part of that strategy, Smoby decided to pursue growth through external expansion, starting with the acquisition of fellow Superjouet partner Lardy in 1993.
In 1995 the company's sales once again soared to $9.4 billion (helped in part by the introduction of educational and entertaining computer software), yet earnings were heavily slashed ($148 million) due to restructuring costs and grand plans for the near future.
With the opening of a number of brand-new Babies "R" Us outlets in time for the 1997 holiday season, the store count neared the 100-unit mark.
At the same time that the company reported lackluster earnings for the fiscal year ending in January 1998, it also announced a management shuffle.
The purchase of Pico helped pushed Smoby's sales past the FFr1 billion mark ($150 million) in 1998, making Smoby the toy-making leader in France.
In 1998 the company joined the online retailing boom with the launch of the toysrus.com web site, and the firm also produced its first mail-order catalog.
By then, Smoby had made its first moves into the South American market, which was boosted in 1999 with a production and distribution agreement with Brazilian toy producer Gulliver to bring Smoby's toys into that country.
"A fini de jouer: Dany Breuil," Nouvel Economiste, November 9, 2001.
Smoby's next acquisition came at the beginning of 2001, when it once again turned to Spain, acquiring Unice.
By early 2001, 165 Toys "R" Us stores had been converted, and initial results showed an increase in sales.
"Jean-Christophe Breuil: la force de la famille," La Voix de Jura, October 3, 2002.
By the end of 2002, Smoby had reorganized its holdings, absorbing Monneret and converting its Lardy brand into a new Smoby Baby brand.
Four of the new stores opened in late 2002.
Henriet, Monique, "Décès de Jean Breuil: Le monde du jouet en deuil," La Voix de Jura, April 30, 2003.
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TOP-TOY A/S competitors
| Company name | Founded date | Revenue | Employee size | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| de GRISOGONO | 1993 | $109.9M | 100 | - |
| Seno Formal Wear | - | $1.6M | 45 | - |
| CLASSIC TUXEDOS | - | $230,000 | 7 | - |
| BATTERIES & BANDS | 1982 | $5.4M | 150 | - |
| Al's Formal Wear | 1952 | $44.0M | 750 | - |
| GPM Investments | 2002 | $2.0B | 7,500 | 1,947 |
| Mary WildBirdCenter | 1985 | $4.8M | 7 | - |
| Ortho Mattress | 1957 | $42.0M | 92 | - |
| Ritz Camera | 1918 | $39.0M | 2,000 | - |
| Cos Bar | 1976 | $480,000 | 6 | 15 |
TOP-TOY A/S history FAQs
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