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As Toys ‘R’ Us Canada seeks protection from creditors, its Hamilton store remains open, busy and stocked.
The toy retailer, owned by a numbered company that does business as Ancaster-based Putman Investments, announced Tuesday it had applied to an Ontario court for creditor protection, which allows a company to temporarily pause debt payments while it reorganizes or seeks a buyer for parts of the business.
The chain is facing lawsuits from unpaid suppliers and landlords, including one linked to the Burlington store location, and has closed 53 stores in the past two years, including in Stoney Creek.
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But the situation could unfold differently in Hamilton.
Records show the retail store property at 970 Upper Wentworth St. is owned by a numbered company that lists Karen Johanna Putman and Robert Wynne Putman as directors under an Ancaster address shared with Everest Toys, a company started in 1992 by Bob Putman that was placed in receivership last September.
Bob’s son, Doug Putman, has made a name for himself buying up struggling companies like Sunrise Records and HMV through Putman Investments. In 2021, the firm acquired Toys ‘R’ Us and Babies ‘R’ Us Canada from Fairfax Financial, which bought the toy retailer in 2018 as it filed for bankruptcy in the U.S. At the time, it owned about 40 companies and 700 retail stores.
Toys ‘R’ Us Canada marketing director Allyson Banks declined to comment on Wednesday.
Doug Putman didn’t respond directly to The Spectator’s request for comment.
On Wednesday, shelves were stocked, though nothing compared to the store’s towering aisles in its heyday three decades ago. The Hamilton store also had sections for Northern Reflections and HMV, also owned by Putman Investments.
Parents with infants shopped, while others watched older kids squeal gleefully in the new play area that opened just weeks ago at the store, across the road from Lime Ridge Mall.
One parent entering the store said her four-year-old loved the new “PLAYLAB,” which has slides, soft obstacles, a climbing area, jumbo games and play houses. It was announced by Toys ‘R’ Us on social media in mid-January.
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A store employee, who declined to give their name, said the play place has been busy since it opened during a cold snap, especially during evenings and on weekends.
Admission is $10 per child, and special programming, like puppet and candy-dispenser making, a hip hop lesson, and bridge building, costs an extra $5.
Several customers exiting the store said they rushed to Toys ‘R’ Us after learning existing gift cards are only valid until Feb. 16, according to a sign in the front window. The store is no longer selling gift cards, and returns and exchanges ended on Feb. 3, according to the notice.
“After this date, all sales are final until further notice,” it reads.
Other customers weren’t aware of the company’s financial struggles at all, and several said it was disappointing, given limited toy-store options.
The retailer is facing at least eight lawsuits from landlords who say they’re collectively owed about $35 million in unpaid rent and other damages. Documents filed with an Ontario court last year claim the toy store chain failed to pay rent for several of the properties it occupied in 2024 and 2025, including a Burlington store on Appleby Line that closed last year.
The employee said it was devastating to learn Toys ‘R’ Us — one of the best places they’d ever worked — had filed for creditor protection.
“I’m just heartbroken,” the employee said, adding that staff had little further information.
