Toys R Us is coming back to Lombard. The retailer will open a 7,500-square-foot store at Yorktown Center in early October, eight years after the chain's Illinois locations closed.

The store will occupy space on the lower level of the JCPenney wing inside the mall, first reported by the Daily Herald on Wednesday, Sept. 23.

The Lombard location is one of 120 new standalone Toys R Us stores opening nationwide this fall. Combined with 40 existing locations, the chain expects to have 160 stores operating by the holiday season, according to a company press release.

Josh Dean, general manager of Yorktown Center, said the mall's leasing team pursued the deal after hearing about the expansion.

"We think that Yorktown is a perfect location for Toys R Us," Dean told the Daily Herald. "It attracts the ideal cross-section of families and toy aficionados."

Dean said nostalgia was a leading reason the mall wanted Toys R Us as a tenant. He described the store as a long-term addition that could drive foot traffic to the mall, which is owned by Pacific Retail Capital Partners.

The expansion is a partnership between WHP Global, which acquired the Toys R Us brand in 2021, and Go! Retail Group, a family-owned company based in Austin, Texas. Go! Retail already operates 36 Toys R Us stores in 22 states, according to Inc. magazine.

Toys R Us filed for bankruptcy in 2017 and liquidated all U.S. stores. Illinois locations closed in 2018. Last year, the brand reopened a 13,000-square-foot standalone store at Chicago Premium Outlets in Aurora, according to Patch.

The new stores will carry brands including LEGO, Barbie, Hot Wheels and Pokémon. Select locations will also feature candy shops and cafés, according to the company.

The Lombard store will not include a Creator Studio, a content-creation space Toys R Us is debuting at select locations. Three suburban Illinois stores will get Creator Studios on Thursday, Oct. 1: Gurnee Mills, Chicago Premium Outlets in Aurora and White Oaks Mall in Springfield, according to Patch.

The timing aligns with a strong toy market. U.S. toy sales grew 17% in the first half of 2026, the strongest first-half showing in six years, according to the New York Post citing consumer data firm Circana. Adults now account for 55% of all toy sales.

The Yorktown Center store is expected to open at the beginning of October. No specific date or grand opening event has been announced.