BENGALURU: Toys ‘R’ Us said on Tuesday it will shut about one-fifth of its stores in the US in the coming months, as the toy store chain tries to emerge from one of the largest ever bankruptcies by a specialty retailer.
The closure of about 180 US stores will begin in early February and continue until mid-April, Chief Executive David Brandon said in a letter on its website.
The company filed for bankruptcy protection just ahead of the crucial holiday season in the US and Canada to restructure $5 billion of long-term debt, casting doubt over the future of its 64,000 employees and nearly 1,600 stores.
All 83 Toys ‘R’ Us stores in Canada will remain open, said president of the Canadian unit, Melanie Teed-Murch, in a letter to customers.
Toys ‘R’ Us, which like other traditional brick-and-mortar retailers has struggled as more and more consumers shop online, is taking steps to try and entice customers to its stores.
The retailer planned to close unprofitable locations and improve its website and loyalty programs while investing in its stores, according to bankruptcy court papers.
Toys ‘R’ Us, which also operates the Babies ‘R’ Us chain, has set aside more than $400 million out of its$3.1 billion in bankruptcy loans for sprucing up about 900 stores over the next three years with more experiences and better-paid staff.
As the Wayne, New Jersey-based company aims to exit bankruptcy in 2018, its efforts to reinvent its stores will shape how other retailers look to experiential shopping to tackle e-commerce.
Toys ‘R’ Us says to shut about 180 US stores
Toys ‘R’ Us says to shut about 180 US stores
How KAUST is transforming waste into wealth
- Researchers target $275m market with waste-to-value algae innovation
RIYADH: Turning food waste into a valuable industrial product may sound improbable, but scientists at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology are proving it is possible — using algae that has existed for millions of years.
Last month, researchers at the university unveiled a sustainable method that harnesses an ancient red microalga to reduce food waste in the Kingdom while producing a high-demand natural pigment.
The study was led by bioengineering student Mauricio Masson, with support from Michael Fox, assistant professor of marine science, alongside researchers from KAUST and the Arizona Center for Algae Technology and Innovation. The international team included Kyle Lauersen, KAUST associate professor and lead author of the study.
The research highlights a “sustainable bioprocessing” approach, demonstrating how an aquatic plant can convert chocolate factory waste into C-phycocyanin — a blue pigment with a global market expected to reach $275 million over the next four years.
“Our research focused on an extremophilic red alga that can thrive in harsh conditions and efficiently consume sugars and nutrients found in food waste streams,” said Lauersen.
Lauersen is an associate professor and chair of the bioscience and bioengineering programs in the Biological and Environmental Sciences and Engineering Division at KAUST. He explained that a key objective of the study was to show that food waste — often discarded or sent to landfills — can be repurposed as a feedstock for producing high-value compounds, including natural pigments and proteins, through algae-based bioprocesses.
“Our main goal was to develop an environmentally friendly approach to turn waste into useful products that have the potential to be scaled,” Lauersen told Arab News.
FASTFACT
Did you know?
• By 2030, the global market for C-phycocyanin is projected to exceed $275 million, reflecting growing demand across food, health, and industrial sectors.
• C-phycocyanin has demonstrated potential benefits in antioxidation, inflammation, cancer research, antimicrobial activity, neurodegeneration, diabetes management, and wound healing.
• As a natural pigment, C-phycocyanin offers a healthier alternative to synthetic food colorants and is approved by the US FDA for use in food products.
He added: “Algae are especially well suited for this because they grow quickly, require relatively few resources, and can metabolize a wide range of organic compounds.”
The red microalga Galdieria yellowstonensis feeds on chocolate waste rich in residual sugars, producing a protein-dense biomass that contains C-phycocyanin, according to KAUST. The pigment is widely used as a natural food coloring — found in products such as ice cream and blue-colored beverages — as well as in cosmetics and pharmaceuticals.
Beyond the study’s original goals, researchers also discovered that elevated levels of carbon dioxide significantly enhance algae growth, even though CO₂ is typically considered a byproduct of microbial sugar consumption.
Another major outcome of the research is its potential to reduce land pollution by transforming food waste into a nutrient source for algae, offering a sustainable alternative to disposal.
KAUST believes the findings could positively impact Saudi Arabia’s economy by helping food manufacturers lower production costs while addressing environmental concerns.
“The species we studied can grow on waste streams that are unsuitable for conventional crops or microorganisms,” said Lauersen.
“This makes algae an attractive platform for circular economy solutions, where waste is transformed directly into valuable materials rather than being treated as a disposal problem.”
The research effort is ongoing. Scientists at KAUST are currently collecting chocolate waste locally and plan to scale up the process using other industrial waste streams available across the Kingdom. The initiative aims to support companies in transitioning toward a circular carbon economy while contributing to Saudi Arabia’s green agenda.
“Food waste is a major global challenge, contributing to greenhouse gas emissions, resource inefficiency, and environmental degradation,” said Lauersen.
“By recycling waste into useful products, we can reduce pressure on landfills, lower emissions, and make better use of existing resources.”
“These types of solutions are essential as industries worldwide face growing demands to become more sustainable and climate resilient, especially in the Middle East, which relies on heavily on imports.”
