Where To Buy Toys This Christmas: Target Ramps Up Offerings In Amazon, Walmart Battle

The holiday toy wars are heating up as Target (TGT) announced a partnership with FAO Schwarz for an exclusive collection of 70 toys.

The Target-FAO Schwarz toy collection will be available at 1,900 Target stores, online at Target.com, and at FAO Schwarz’s store in New York City. The collaboration between the two retailers will also bring more than 300 Target private label products to the New York City FAO Schwarz store, including the Cat & Jack and Pillfort brands.

Through the venture with FAO Schwarz, Target will offer more than 600 exclusive toy products, some under $20, as it looks to compete with Walmart and Amazon in the toy space. Walmart recently launched its Top Rated by Kids Toy List, while Amazon features a Holiday Toy List by age on its site.

Amazon also acts as the fulfillment arm for Toys R Us toys, following a partnership announced by Target to power the toy retailer’s website. While the Target deal with Toys R Us has expired, the company has continued on its quest to be a top toy destination for consumers.

In 2018, the retailer added about 245,000 square feet of selling space for toys at about 500 stores while revamping its toy aisles and adding more inventory, Yahoo Finance said.

The new toy collection with FAO Schwarz, which will debut later in October, is not the first collaboration with a toymaker for Target. In 2019, Target teamed up with Disney to offer pop-up shops at select stores with exclusive Disney merchandise, including a line of toys.

“This year’s exclusive FAO Schwarz collection and our largest Bullseye’s Top Toys list ever provides something new and exciting for kids of all ages, all at an incredible value,” said Christina Hennington, executive vice president and chief merchandising officer at Target, said in a statement.

“We also recognize our guests have a lot to think about this holiday season, and we hope they find comfort in the safe, easy experiences we’ve created, whether shopping in our stores or using one of our convenient fulfillment options,” she added.

Shares of Target were trading at $161.88 as of 10:26 a.m. EDT, up $1.20 or 0.75%.