Smyths is an Irish multinational chain provider of children's toys, games and entertainment products with over 297 stores throughout western and central Europe. The business is owned by the Smyth family.[2]
 The current logo, in use since 2006 | |
 A Smyths shop in Newport, Wales, United Kingdom | |
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Retail |
| Predecessor | Toys "R" Us (Switzerland, Germany and Austria) |
| Founded | 23 December 1986 Claremorris, County Mayo, Ireland |
| Founders |
|
| Headquarters | , Ireland |
Number of locations | 297 stores |
Area served | |
| Products | Toys Video games |
| Revenue | c €2 billion |
| Owner | Smyth family [1] |
Number of employees | 3,386 (Smyths Toys UK Ltd) |
| Website | smythstoys |
The company is headquartered in Galway, Ireland with other offices in Belfast and London.
The group's turnover reached €1.465 billion in pandemic-hit 2020 with the majority of sales coming from the UK market while in 2023 the group turnover exceeded €2 billion.[3]
History
editSmyths started out as a family newsagent in Claremorris, County Mayo before branching out into toys in 1986.[4]
The company is run by three brothers, Tony, Padraig and Thomas Smyth. A fourth brother and director, Liam, died in July 2023.[5] Smyths is the UK and Ireland's largest toy retailer.[6]
Expansion to central Europe
editOn 24 April 2018, Smyths acquired Toys "R" Us stores in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland.[7] In 2019, all the remaining stores in those countries were rebranded to Smyths.[8]
In July 2022, Smyths acquired French toy chain PicWicToys in France out of receivership, taking over 41 stores, 2 warehouses and a head office.[9][10]
Stores and subsidiaries
edit| Country | Number of stores |
|---|---|
| England, Wales and Scotland | 120 |
| Northern Ireland | 7 |
| Republic of Ireland | 21 |
| Germany | 72 |
| France | 45 |
| Austria | 17 |
| Switzerland | 11 |
| Netherlands | 4 |
| Totals | 297 |
In total as of November 2024, Smyths operates over 297 stores across 7 countries: 21 stores in Ireland, 7 in Northern Ireland, 120 in England, Wales and Scotland, 72 in Germany, 16 in Austria,[11] 10 in Switzerland[12], 45 in France and 4 in the Netherlands.[13][14][15]
References
edit- ^ "Meet the Smyths, the Mayo family turning toy retailing into child's play". The Irish Times.
- ^ Kehoe, Ian (19 November 2023). "The march of Smyths Toys: Rewinding the week that was". The Currency. Retrieved 21 December 2023.
- ^ "Toy giant Smyths sees group turnover hit €1.46bn". The Irish Times. Retrieved 31 October 2022.
- ^ "Smyths Toys Unlimited Company | Irish Legal & Business Services Company & Director Check". Solocheck. Retrieved 6 June 2017.
- ^ "Liam Smyth obituary: Founder of Smyths Toys and proud Mayo man". The Irish Times. Retrieved 31 December 2023.
- ^ "Toy mega store for Rayleigh Weir", Essex Echo, 13 September 2008
- ^ "Smyths Toys to buy Toys R Us in Germany, Austria and Switzerland". Irish Times. 21 April 2018. Retrieved 23 April 2018.
- ^ Kurth, Luke (12 January 2019). "ToysRUs wird zu Smyth Toys: Die ersten Filialen tragen neue Namen". Stone Wars (in German). Retrieved 27 June 2019.
- ^ "Smyths Toys acquires PicWic Toys". 6 July 2022.
- ^ "Smyths acquires PicWic Toys as it expands into France". independent. 15 July 2022. Retrieved 17 November 2022.
- ^ "Marktsuche".
- ^ "Marktsuche".
- ^ Deegan, Gordon (17 September 2018). "Smyths Toys' UK sales top half-billion mark for first time". Irish Independent. Retrieved 27 June 2019.
- ^ "SMYTHS TOYS UK LIMITED - Overview". Companies House. Retrieved 27 June 2019.
- ^ Anita (19 January 2023). "Breaking News: Smyths confirms store expansion in The Netherlands". Toy World Magazine | The business magazine with a passion for toys. Retrieved 11 November 2024.