Toys ‘R’ Us could be returning to UK high streets within months – delighting children and parents in equal measure.

The once-popular toy chain disappeared from the UK in 2018 after it fell into administration and failed to attract a buyer.

But the chain’s owners Toys ‘R’ Us ANZ Limited and WHP Global, which have successfully taken the business and its partner Babies ‘R’ Us to Australia, announced they have signed a deal to bring the brand back to the UK in October.

The firms said they had signed a ‘long-term’ licence agreement to sell its items in the UK both online and in stores.

Since then the chain’s UK website has been updated and now it has ramped up its recruitment process, the Mirror reports.

Senior buyer James Ford, who helped build Debenhams’ toy arm, has been recruited for the core Toys ‘R’ Us business.

Katie Ellis, who has worked for both Toys ‘R’ Us and Mothercare in the past, and Argos toys buyer Lukasz Jasinski have reportedly joined the Babies ‘R’ Us UK team.

Toys ‘R’ Us Australia chief executive Louis Mittoni, who is leading the UK launch, said: ‘I’m very excited to welcome over 100 years of retailing experience in our new team, who will lead the relaunch our iconic brand back into the UK market in the next few months.

‘We have an amazing toy and baby buying team, which I believe is the best in the country.

‘With this team now in place, we’re hitting the ground running and have been reaching out to the supply base to see with whom we can align on this amazing journey.’

Toys ‘R’ Us launched in the UK in 1985, when it emerged as the ‘world’s first toy supermarket’.

The brand’s US parent company filed for bankruptcy in 2017 with the UK branch going into administration the following year.

After months of failed rescue talks, the iconic chain collapsed in 2018, closing all of its 100 UK branches and making thousands of people redundant.

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