Toys'R'Us and Nickelodeon On-line Form E-commerce Alliance

files/pictures/picture-35.jpgNickelodeon and Toys'R'Us have announced an agreement to create a new Nickelodeon boutique channel on Toysrus.com to launch by fall of 2000. As part of the deal, the two companies will co-develop a Nickelodeon channel that will offer a wide variety of Nickelodeon licensed products, links between the sites, customized content and cross promotions. Moreover, Toysrus.com will acquire the inventory of Nick On-line’s now defunct on-line toy store, Red Rocket. Terms were not disclosed. The Nickelodeon On-line section of Toysrus.com will offer kids the opportunity to create an e-commerce "wish list." "Nickelodeon is one of the world's most recognized entertainment brands," said John Barbour, chief executive officer of Toysrus.com. "This new content merchandising partnership will provide a fun and rich experience for our customers and help drive millions of visitors back and forth between our Web sites. Nickelodeon's audience represents a very powerful group that is going to be the first generation to truly harness the full capability of the Internet as a retail outlet. We chose to partner with Nickelodeon because their audience is extremely loyal and empowered like no previous generation of kids." Jeffrey Dunn, COO of Nickelodeon, said, "This is an exciting partnership because it combines two great brands that perfectly complement one another. With the addition of Nickelodeon, we believe Toysrus.com can become the No. 1 global leader in on-line kid and family e-commerce. Nickelodeon.com is the first choice for kids on the Internet and is the perfect partner to Toysrus.com's world class retail and fulfillment capabilities. This agreement truly combines both our companies' strengths."