Kay Bee Toys
 The logo used from 1997-2009
| |
Formerly |
Kay-Bee Toy & Hobby |
|---|---|
| Public | |
| Industry | Toy store |
| Fate | Bankruptcy liquidation |
| Predecessor | The Original KB Toys (1922-2009) |
| Successor | Toys R Us |
| Founded |
1922 (as Kaufman Brothers candy wholesaler) 2018 (revival) |
| Founders |
Harry and Joseph Kaufman (original) Ellia Kassoff (revival) |
| Defunct | February 9, 2009 (original) |
| Headquarters | Pittsfield, Massachusetts, U.S. |
Number of locations |
461 (2008) |
Area served |
United States |
| Products | Children toys and games |
| Owner |
Melville Corporation (1981-1996) Consolidated Stores Corporation (1996-2000) Bain Capital (2000-2005) Printence Capital Management (2005-2009) Toys "R" Us (2009-2018) Strategic Marks, LLC. (2018-present) |
Number of employees |
10,850 (2008) |
| Website | Archive of kbtoys.com |
K·B Toys (also known as Kay Bee Toys) is an upcoming American chain of mall-based retail toy stores in the United States owned by Bain Capital. Founded in 1922, it operated, at its height, 1,200 stores across all 50 states, District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, and went out of business on February 9, 2009. International retailer Toys "R" Us acquired the remains of K·B Toys, consisting mainly of its website, trademarks, and intellectual property rights. Strategic Marks, a company that buys and revives defunct brands, purchased the brand and intends to open new stores under the name beginning in November 2018.
Brothers Donald and Richard Kaufman originally opened a wholesale candy store, Kaufman Brothers, in Pittsfield, Massachusetts in 1922. During the 1940s, the brothers acquired a wholesale toy company from a candy client who owed them money for outstanding debts. In 1948, the brothers ended their involvement in the candy business to focus entirely on the toy business, which was thriving by that time. In 1973, the company ended its toy wholesaling to become a toy retailer known as Kay-Bee Toy & Hobby. The company had 26 stores at the time. In 1977, the company name changed to Kay-Bee Toy and Hobby Shops Inc. In 1981, the Melville Corporation purchased the company and renamed it Kay-Bee Toy Stores. Richard Kaufman retired that year from his position as company president. At the time, the company had 210 stores.
In 1982, Kay-Bee acquired Circus World's 330 stores, as well as Toy World's 52 stores. Kay-Bee subsequently acquired K&K Toys' 133 stores in 1991. During 1993 and 1994, as part of a major restructuring plan, Kay-Bee closed approximately 250 stores that had underperformed. The company became a direct competitor to Toys "R" Us in 1994, when it expanded its mall locations and began opening stores known as KB Toy Works. In 1996, Kay-Bee had sales of $1.1 billion, and was sold that year to Consolidated Stores Corporation at a cost of $300 million. Company sales reached $1.6 billion in 1998, the same year that its merchandise website was launched. The store logo was also changed to "KB" that year.
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