Following the departure of Andre Javes, Pieter Schats has been appointed as interim executive chairman, as the retailer’s growth continues.

Toys R Us Asia has announced that chief executive officer, Andre Javes, will be leaving the company to pursue other interests, effective from 24th August. Pieter Schats, current chairman of Toys R Us Asia’s board of directors, and previously the company’s CEO from 2002 to 2014, will serve as interim executive chairman until a permanent group chief executive officer is appointed.

Andre Javes joined Toys R Us Australia in 2013 as managing director, overseeing all operations and business activities in the country prior to relocating to Hong Kong, where in 2016 he was promoted to president of Toys R Us Asia Pacific. Under his leadership, the brand has grown in Asian markets and across eCommerce sales channels, innovated into new product lines and successfully navigated the business through the recent global challenges.

“Toys R Us has established itself as the trusted retailer of toy and baby products across Asia,” commented Pieter Schats. “We appreciate and thank Andre for the unique contribution he has made to evolve Toys R Us and Babies R Us during his years at the helm. He is departing having strengthened business efficiency and established an executive team well-positioned to drive our growth into the future. During this transition period, I look forward to once again working closely with the Toys R Us Asia leadership team, our office-based staff and store managers and associates to continue enhancing our offering to our customers.”

“It’s been a privilege leading the Toys R Us Asia business, building our Toys R Us and Babies”R”Us brands across the region,” said Andre Javes. “As I depart, I have complete confidence that Toys R Us and Babies R Us will continue to grow under new guidance and with the support of this incredible team of people in our Asia markets.”

One member of that team, chief commercial officer Jo Hall, was recently presented with a Lifetime Achievement award in recognition of her decades of dedication to the toy industry.

Pieter Schats is currently a consultant to Fung Retailing Group and has more than 30 years of leadership experience in Asia across retail, apparel and hard goods product sourcing & distribution, import/export, food distribution, media & sporting industries. Previously, he was the executive director of Fung Retailing Limited, responsible for managing and developing the Group’s portfolio of children’s retail businesses across Asia, including Toys R Us.

Toys R Us Asia is headquartered in Hong Kong and operates over 470 stores with more than 10,000 team members across Asia, including Brunei, Mainland China, Hong Kong, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan and Thailand, and licenses more than 85 stores in the Philippines and Macau.