Dave Brandon - CEO of Toys R Us
"Quit drinking and go to bed, KID!"
Is a private company.
I was making that exact edit to my comment after reading the article. But now that you've commented, my ignorance is preserved for all eternity.
I cannot believe you are not aware of the tax classification of every major company in America.
Shame on you.
... is a dead man walking. He'll probably be able to get some early wins by cutting the fat, but the business model is broken. As bigger omni channel and online pure plays solve last mile delivery, Toys R US is dead. They just don't have the assets to compete.
EDIT: assets or visionary leadership (clearly).
Toys R Us would do great with a Giant Noodle in their parking lot. That's all they need.
There probably isn't much damage Brandon can do to them at this point. If he employs his "profit-squeezing the brand at the expense of quality and customer loyalty" strategy like he did at Domino's, he'll at least get some short term gains there before he either bails on them or is booted out the door.
"profit-squeezing the brand at the expense of quality and customer loyalty" strategy like he did at Domino's"
He didn't just do that at Domino's. He did it to us!
er..., I think that is the point!
... this is the only thing a lot of PE companies care about. Show some good metrics in the short term, flip and go public, and then cash out before it all goes to hell. So Brandon is their guy.
Not for long!
He'll probably go public, profit on the IPO and then find a way to anonymously "short sell" when he starts screwing the company up.
in the first place. PE is very results focused and must see value in him as a business leader. It did not translate into the leader of our Athletic Dept.
If they wanted results then they should've gone for Brandon's succesor at Domino's: J. Patrick Doyle
Brandon had Domino's IPO in 2004 at about $14. When he left in 2010, it was at....$11. He then ran Michigan's AD for a few years before being basically run out of town.
Doyle joined on in 2010 and now Domino's stock price is close to $110 and is regularly offering dividends. Hire that guy.
I may be alone in saying this, but their pizza got a million times better tasting with the recent changes... Obviously no cracker barrell, but still a damn good pizza for the price.
Everyone, including their own commercials say that
Their pizza has definitely improved. I think they are just a little heavy handed with the garlic though.
garlic flavored cardboard and stopped buying their pizza a few years ago. We found a local place that has pizza that tastes like Dominos did back in the early 80s. We're not going back to Dominos.
Two things: (1) you're right their annualized return has been better under Doyle, but (2) they did much better under Brandon than you portray just by using share price. Brandon returned an enormous amount to investors via special dividends. So while the stock price did not go up, Dominos return for investors during the Brandon campaign was dramatically better than the market (10.45% annualized return for Dominos compared to 0.73% for the S&P500).
the stock market as a whole has performed much better over the last few years. 2008 was the worst year since 1931.
For the layman though, Domino's pizza used to be a laughingstock and the improvements under Doyle have (I think) made it much, much better. It was pretty bad prior to their reinvention
He'll probably want to take this one public also. Then we can short the hell out of it!
Id short it if it wasnt private......
Free XBox with the purchase of 2 Cokes?
Sign me up for this deal.
Eat the pizza!!
Quit nursing and go to bed!
Edit: I think I've actually uttered those precise words to my kid, now that I think about it...
You never talk to a baby as if he/she is a real person, even though you know you won't get a response?
lol, no. Sleep deprived parents have been known to say things to young kids despite the fact that they don't understand yet.
Someone (if not everyone) at Michigan was starting to tell him to "take your toys and go home"; this is his kind of response. Have a happy work life indeed, Mr. Brandon, as long as it is away from us.
You thought our toys WERE dangerous...but don't worry, we fixed that. Reduced choking hazards and increased health for players, guaranteed!....
No returns are permitted, we do not guarantee the health of your children playing with our toys. May god have mercy on your soul
Looking at the toys from my youth (same era as this commercial) that my parents had saved and my children were now using. Nothing in the "Bag O" line.
Does anyone know of a good email for Toys R Us' corporate headquarters?
I have a fun idea.
Was he the asshole who decided to close FAO Schwarz's flagship Fifth Avenue store?
+1 for your Avatar.
obviously from Dave himself.
He doesn't read blogs, so he thinks this is nonsense.
Shut up dad!
I want him to crash and burn. He single-handedly (word?) crippled this football program with his ego. Fuck him.
I don't like the the smarmy, self-righteous guy at all, but it is fair to call him talentless? Just playing devils advocate here. If he we're truly a no talent ass-clown why would a return minded PE firm trust him to increase the value of a major asset like Toys R Us?