Feasability Report

FEASIBILITY STUDY FOR TOYS “R” US

BY ROARKE LAHENE21/07/2007

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

This is a feasibility report regarding the company of Toys “R” Us (TRU) and the process of rebranding. The majority of this report looks at how possible ideas can and can’t be feasible in the big scheme of things.

The two ideas looked at are the logo and the look of TRU as a whole. Looked at also is a possible change of colour in the logo to give a fresh vibrant new look.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1.0 Introduction............................................4

2.0 Project Description.................................5

3.0 Background Information........................5

4.0 Possible Solutions...................................6

5.0 Evaluation of Solutions...........................7

6.0 Conclusion..............................................8

7.0 APPENdix...............................................9

8.0 Reference.............................................10

ROARKE LAHENE DOCUMENT.DOC PAGE 2 OF 12

1.0 INTRODUCTION

1.1 The feasibility study focuses on helping answer the essential question of "should we proceed with the proposed project idea?”. This report will analyze the concept of rebranding and how feasible it actually is.

1.2 In essence a feasibility report helps to give scope and focus on where a project is going and eventually where it will end up. It not only does this but it can also narrow design alternatives, provide quality decision making and can even increase the probability of success.


2.0 PROJECT DESCRIPTION

2.1 A rebranding project essentially looks at what a company has to offer and tries to make it better. It helps to give the company a fresh and vibrant feel while still keeping its original company image.

2.2 This project will essentially look at designing a new look for Toys “R” Us. Including its Babies “R” Us and “R” Zone sections.

3.0 BACKGROUND INFORMATION

3.1 In 1948, 25-year-old Charles Lazarus turned his dream of creating a child-oriented business into a reality. A visionary for his time, Lazarus started a baby furniture store, Children's Bargain Town, in Washington, D.C. to cater to the post-war baby boom era. Lazarus filled his store with cribs and baby furniture and ran it single-handedly, overseeing everything from keeping the books to delivering merchandise in customers' homes.

3.2 Although quite successful with his baby furniture venture, his customers were constantly inquiring about toys for both infants and older children. After months of listening to customer requests, Lazarus finally acquiesced and began selling toys. The first toy he added to the inventory was a cradle gym. When it proved a strong seller, he added tricycles, books and other toys. Charles learned early on in the toy business that, unlike furniture, toys broke or fell


out of fashion with children, prompting parents to return to the store again and again.

3.3 Almost ten years later, Charles adopted the supermarket model for his store, which allowed customers to examine and pick out products on their own and pay for them at a checkout stand. With the opening of his second store, he settled on the name Toys "R" Us with a backward "R." Although the name drew ire from parents and teachers alike for its grammatical incorrectness, Lazarus knew it was an attention-getter.

3.4 Charles believed that success meant focusing on the everyday shopper, such as a parent searching for the perfect birthday gift or a child hoping to spend his or her weekly allowance. In the pre-mall, pre-discount days, specialty retailing and off-price positioning were revolutionary concepts that Charles leveraged to his advantage. Through his ingenuity, Lazarus expanded his fledgling business into a toy conglomerate and saw his brainchild become a public company in 1978 with established community roots and a loyal customer base from coast to coast. With its iconic mascot Geoffrey the Giraffe introduced in February 1960 and the catchy jingle "I Don't Want to Grow Up, I'm a Toys "R" Us Kid," Toys "R" Us has become one of the most recognized and beloved brands in the world. Today, Toys "R" Us has a remarkable 586 store locations across the United States.

4.0 POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS

4.1 The Toys “R” Us logo is a well recognized and easily noticed one. Refer to Appendix A (Toys “R” Us


Logo). So there is a lot of expectation with a new logo, if one was to be designed. There is a sense of staleness with the logo as if it is not meant to be for this day and age.

4.2 Therefore a possible complete redesign of its logo could give TRU the edge it needs.

4.3 All companies have a particular look for their stores and a colour scheme which they try to keep as close to as possible.

4.4 TRU in particular has two main colour which can be seen nearly everywhere including in-store, the catalogue and the website.

4.5 The primary colour is a blue. They vary depending on what is being looked at but a blue is a constant throughout all TRU branding.

4.6 The secondary colour is a yellow. This doesn’t always appear in the products but it is usually the second most used colour.

4.7 I propose that a new set of colours be used. Although those colours are good, they do not capture the eye like some brighter more vibrant colours might.

5.0 EVALUATION OF SOLUTIONS

5.1 The logo is definitely the most important solution to rebranding TRU. In essence if this is done properly then nothing else should need to be done.

5.2 Designing a logo is which is hip and eye catching will really help to create an image in the heads of customers.ROARKE LAHENE DOCUMENT.DOC PAGE 6 OF 12

5.3 New colours I feel would really help TRU give itself a new look. The colours I have chosen are as follows.

5.4 A rich vibrant red which will stand out and cat the eye. This will replace the original blue. Refer to Appendix B (Colour Red)

5.5 A bright and powerful orange will replace the yellow as a secondary colour. Refer to Appendix C (Colour Orange)


6.0 CONCLUSION

6.1 In conclusion it can be seen that TRU requires the use of a new logo and a new look to help rebrand itself. These are the most feasible ideas after many have been anaylsed.


7.0 APPENDIX

APPENDIX A (TOYS “R” US LOGO)

APPENDIX B (COLOUR RED)

APPENDIX C (COLOUR ORANGE)


8.0 REFERENCE

Toys “R” Us Australia Home Page

Accessed: 14/07/2007

www.toysrus.com.au

History of Toys “R’ Us

Accessed: 14/07/2007

http://www9.toysrus.com/about/ourHistory.cfm


Documents

Feasability Report