Toys“R”Us Inc has appointed Andre Javas as the managing director of Toys“R”Us Australia.
Javas will oversee all operations and business activities for the company’s 35 stores, e-commerce site, corporate office and more than 350 employees in Australia. In this role, he is also responsible for marketing, merchandising, store operations and customer service. He will report to Monika Merz, president of Toys“R”Us Asia Pacific.
“We are thrilled to welcome Andre back to Toys“R”Us and look forward to his many contributions in providing our customers in Australia a differentiated shopping experience, including the best and broadest assortment of toy and juvenile items,” Merz said.
Javes, a seasoned retail executive with more than 30 years of experience in the Australian market, returns to Toys“R”Us Australia, having first joined the company in 2008 as general merchandise manager. Prior to this position, Javas served as chief executive officer at camping and outdoor adventure retailer Anaconda Group.
With this appointment, the company also announced that Tom Via, formerly managing director of Toys“R”Us Australia, has been promoted to senior vice president, juvenile, Toys“R”Us U.S. In this role, he is responsible for providing leadership for the company’s juvenile growth strategy, including merchandise assortment, product pricing, promotions, and differentiated brand offerings for the company’s approximately 450 Babies“R”Us locations, including integrated store formats, as well as Babiesrus.com.