CEO of Toys ‘R’ Us Asia, Andre Javes, is to step down from his role this month to “pursue other interests”, after nine years of serving the business. 

He will finish on August 24. Toys ‘R’ Us Asia’s former CEO Pieter Schats, who is currently chairman of the board, will serve as interim executive chairman until the company finds a new CEO. 

Javes joined Toys ‘R’ Us Australia as MD in 2013 before relocating to Hong Kong in 2016 to take on the president and CEO role at Toys ‘R’ Us Asia. Under his leadership, the company has expanded its presence across several Asian countries and e-commerce sites. 

“He is departing having strengthened business efficiency and established an executive team well-positioned to drive our growth into the future,” said Schats. 

Prior to Toys ‘R’ Us Asia, he held several positions at Kmart Australia and Anaconda Group, according to his LinkedIn profile. 

Meanwhile, Schats 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.

Headquartered in Hong Kong, the toys and games retailer operates more than 470 stores across Asia, including in Mainland China, Hong Kong, Japan, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, and Thailand. The company also licenses more than 85 stores in the Philippines and Macau.