The retail holiday sales and marketing push officially began yesterday with the Toys ‘R’ Us annual holiday preview media event at its flagship Times Square store.

TRU chairman and chief executive officer Jerry Storch, who was not bullish on the current state of the economy, expressed confidence that the toy retailer is well-prepared for a strong holiday season based on several strategic factors including an expanded assortment of exclusive products, aggressive marketing plans, growth in e-commerce and a continued focus on improvements to the shopping experience.

“At Toys ‘R’ Us, we believe that differentiation and innovation will set us apart and help us win with consumers this holiday season,” says Storch. “We have worked to enhance our omnichannel offerings, expand our e-commerce fulfillment capabilities and deliver an improved shopping environment for our customers. Our team has spent the year preparing for the months ahead, and we are excited to see our holiday strategy unfold.”

During the event, Storch reinforced TRU’s strong position in the marketplace based on the company’s five consecutive years of positive comparable store sales in December, gains in market share over the past few years of 140 basis points and a 30 percent increase in ecommerce sales from $602 million in 2009 to $782 million last year.

TRU is launching its first sales effort focused on differentiation featuring 350 exclusive products Friday, Sept. 16 with a 44-page circular. TRU’s new marketing campaign will spotlight  “new toy finds.”

Some of the exclusive TRU products that Storch believes will be among the hot products this holiday season are: My Keepon, Air Swimmers, Moshi Monsters, The Trash Pack and Uglydolls, plus various exclusive brands including Imaginarium, Journey Girls and True Heroes.

Storch says that TRU will once again operate pop-up stores in malls and shopping centers in the U.S., Canada and the U.K., however the exact number has yet to be released. Last year, TRU had more than 600 temporary stores.