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Toysrus.com Making Plans For Japanese Expansion
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 The online unit of number one U.S. toy retailer Toys R Us Inc., hoping to expand its Internet presence to larger markets abroad, announced that it would start an online service in Japan by the middle of December.The online toy store may also seek to extend its U.S. alliance with online retailer Amazon.com Inc to Japan, Japanese media reported. The move to create an online sales channel in Japan would leverage the success the toy seller has had through its nearly 100 stores in Japan. Toysrus.com said on Tuesday that it would establish Toysrus.com (Japan) Ltd and hold a 55 percent stake. Toys R Us Japan would also hold a stake of 26 percent. Softbank e-Commerce Corp, a unit of Internet investor Softbank , is also participating with a 14 percent stake and McDonald's Co Japan with five percent. Net profit at Toys R Us Japan jumped 60 percent in the latest six months, bucking a trend of weak department stores sales. Toys R Us Japan's shares were up 3.13 percent at 16,500 yen on Wednesday. In April, it made a strong debut on Japan's over-the-counter stock market, raising 48.8 billion yen through an initial public offering. SOURCE: Reuters Securities[Posted 10/05/2000]
  
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