By Tracy Rucinski and Abinaya Vijayaraghavan

(Reuters) - Iconic toy retailer Toys 'R' Us Inc the will shutter or sell its stores in the United States after failing to find a buyer or reach a deal to restructure billions in debt, putting at risk about 30,000 jobs.

The closure is a blow to hundreds of toy makers that sell their products at the chain's U.S. stores, including Barbie maker Mattel Inc, board game company Hasbro Inc and vendors like Lego.

With shoppers flocking to Amazon.com Inc and children choosing electronic gadgets over toys, Toys 'R' Us has struggled to boost sales and service debt following a $6.6-illion leveraged buyout by private equity firms in 2005.

Brokerage Jefferies estimated that 40 percent of the toy sales up for grabs as a result of the bankruptcy would flow to Amazon and 30 percent to Walmart.

Toys 'R' Us said on Thursday it was seeking approval to liquidate inventory in 735 U.S. stores, which debtors anticipate will close by the end of this year.

It is in talks to sell 200 of those stores as part of a deal to sell its 80-odd stores in Canada.

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The 70-year old company does not rule out a last-minute offer for all of its stores and said it will announce the winning bidder of a March 29 auction on April 12.

For its operations in Asia and Central Europe, including Germany, Austria and Switzerland, the company will pursue a reorganization and sale process. The already-announced administration of its UK business will continue, the company said.

The wind-down follows a bruising holiday season, when the company failed to stay competitive and sales came in well below projections. The quarter accounts for 40 percent of its annual net sales.

Toys 'R' Us' creditors said in a court filing that Target Corp, Walmart Inc and Amazon pricing toys at low margins, and a greater-than-expected decline in toy and gift card sales following its bankruptcy filing in September, led to the weak performance in the quarter.

"Even during recent store close-outs, Toys R Us failed to create any sense of excitement," said Neil Saunders, managing director of retail research firm GlobalData Retail. "Its so-called heavy discounts remained well above the standard prices of many rivals."

 

STORE CLOSURES

Wayne, New Jersey-based Toys 'R' Us was already in the process of closing one-fifth of its stores as part of an attempt to emerge from one of the largest ever bankruptcies by a specialty retailer.

In September, when the company operated more than 1,600 stores globally, with roughly 800 stores outside the United States, it got court permission to borrow more than $2 billion to start paying suppliers.