Warwick Toys ‘R’ Us Transforming Into BJ’s of The Future

BJ's Wholesale Club recently announced the first wave of state-of-the-art locations openings and one is coming to Warwick, Rhode Island.

For anyone who has shopped at a BJ's, the new clubs will offer even more than you are used to. Locations in Florida, Michigan and New York are going to expand upon the fashion, tech, toy and seasonal departments while also adding more local product to the stores.

But it's the Warwick store that is really taking things to another level.

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That's because Warwick will serve as an "innovation lab" for the brand. Basically, that means shoppers in Warwick will be offered products before other stores to test them out as well as new displays and convenience initiatives.

In a press release from the company, BJ's executive vice president of strategy and development Bill Werner said, "We continue to accelerate our expansion and we're excited to open these new locations."

As a current resident of Warwick, I am excited, too. Because this new, amazing-sounding location is pretty close to my home.

At the tail end of last summer, I noticed paving and construction work begin at the old Toys 'R' Us at Rhode Island Mall. Curious, I dug a little deeper to find out what might be coming and learned that permits were filed by BJ's with the city's planning board.

Since then I have watched work progress and eagerly await a much-closer-to-home club location in which to shop. Though the company did not reveal the location of their state-of-the-art Warwick location in their press release, signs point to this being the building it opens in later this year.

While it's nice to see something taking space left behind when Toys 'R' Us closed its doors, it's still sad that the store from our childhood is gone for good. Keep scrolling to see some of the best 80s toys you may once have bought at a Toys 'R' Us.