As big box chain Buybuy Baby bids bye-bye to its stores, a familiar name is returning to the retail scene.

Babies R Us unveiled a new U.S. flagship store July 19 at American Dream in East Rutherford, the brand’s first brick-and-mortar store to open since it was acquired two years ago by WHP Global Management.

Featuring a “modern retail concept,” the store offers a full range of products, services and expertise to support new and expecting parents and families. It also has interactive experiences, like a photo station, wishing tree, stroller test track, nursery design center, educational workshops and baby registry lounge.

Babies R Us is located on Level 1 in Court C and open 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., Monday through Thursday, and 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., Fridays and Saturdays.

The new location at American Dream will be the first Babies R Us to open in the U.S. since its parent company, Toys R Us, filed for bankruptcy protection in 2017 and shut down all stores across the country the following year. After Parsippany-based Tru Kids Inc.’s unsuccessful attempt to revive the iconic chains, and subsequent closure of newly launched stores in Houston and Paramus, the brands were taken over two years ago by brand management firm WHP Global.

Along with opening a two-level, 20,000-square-foot flagship Toys R Us location at American Dream in December 2021, WHP forged partnerships with Macy’s to open hundreds of new outposts inside its department stores across the U.S., as well as online.

WHP Global – whose lineup includes Express, Anne Klein and Isaac Mizrahi – is expected to announce more detailed expansion plans for Babies R Us by the end of the year.

While the new store at American Dream has a much smaller footprint than the mega-stores Babies R Us used to have prior to its bankruptcy, WHP Global Chief Executive Officer Yehuda Shmidman said the focus of brick-and-mortar nowadays is about using experiential retail to draw shoppers in.

“Today’s store formats are smaller and more engaging,” he told CNN, adding, “We like to think that the new stores will be a modern version of the Babies R Us stores of the past, but with the same DNA.”

The grand opening comes about a week after a bankruptcy judge signed off on the $15.5 million sale of Buybuy Baby’s trademark and digital assets to one of the banner’s former vendors, Piscataway-based baby goods retailer Dream On Me Inc.

After failing to find a buyer interested in taking on Buybuy Baby’s stores, the chain’s Union-based parent company, Bed Bath & Beyond, will auction off the locations as part of its bankruptcy proceedings.

Following the sale, Dream On Me Chief Executive Officer Mark Serure said, “The loyalty and trust that customers have in buybuy BABY is extraordinary, and we are committed to continue honoring their legacy of offering quality and solution-oriented products at parent-friendly prices.”

He also believes the brand’s future “is bright” and that his team is committed to ensuring BuyBuy Baby “remains the go-to destination for all parents, caregivers and families seeking thoughtfully designed and quality baby and child-focused products, and exceptional customer service.”