Toys R Us Reports Improved Sales in US

Toys R Us said that a key sales measure increased 1.8 percent for the month of December in the U.S.

The retailer, which owns the Toys R Us and Babies R Us chains, said that its revenue from stores open for at least a year improved domestically but fell 1.1 percent in international markets, with strength in Australia, China and Southeast Asia offset by weakness in Japan, Canada and Europe.

The metric is considered a key indicator of financial performance, as it strips away the impact of recently opened or closed sites.

For the five-week period that ended Jan. 4 — including the key year-end shopping period — learning, season and core toy categories sold well, Toys R Us said.

The privately held company, based in Wayne, N.J., sells its goods in 879 stores in North America and 715 internationally. It also operates the FAO Schwarz brand and its flagship store in New York.