Toys “R” Us, Inc. has announced the appointment of Neil Friedman as president, Toys “R” Us, U.S. Friedman most recently served as president, Mattel Brands. In his new position at Toys “R” Us, Friedman will oversee all merchandising, marketing, store operations, merchandise presentation, global sourcing, and product development, as well as merchandise planning and allocation for the company’s 866 stores and online business in the United States. Friedman will report to Gerald Storch, chairman and CEO, Toys “R” Us, Inc.
“We could not be more pleased that Neil is joining our leadership team,” says Storch. “Neil has extensive knowledge of, and has made significant contributions to, the toy and juvenile product businesses throughout his career. We look forward to working with Neil to further our growth strategy as we continue to advance our authority and specialist positions through our many initiatives ahead.”
Friedman’s career with Mattel began in March 1997, when Tyco, where he then served as president, preschool, was acquired by Mattel. In 1999, he was named president, Fisher-Price Brands, and served in that role until October 2005 when he was appointed president of the newly formed Mattel Brands, which brought Mattel and Fisher-Price together under one corporate unit. Prior to Mattel, Mr. Friedman held a number of key executive positions in the toy and juvenile products industries, including president, MCA/Universal Merchandising; senior vice president, sales, marketing, and design, Just Toys; vice president and general manager, Baby Care, Gerber Products; executive vice president and COO, Lionel Leisure, Inc.; and president, Aviva/Hasbro.
