MINNEAPOLIS — Former rivals Target Corp. and Toys ‘R’ Us are partnering this holiday season, part of the toy retailer’s bid for a comeback under new owners after going bankrupt in 2017 and closing its stores.

Under terms of the deal, visitors to a newly launched toysrus.com website who want to buy something will click on a “buy now at Target.com” button that takes them to Target’s retail website, where they can complete the transaction.

The deal gives TRU Kids, owner of the Toys ‘R’ Us brand, a digital presence while it simultaneously begins to open Toys ‘R’ Us stores in the United States.

Target’s website will also host digital transactions stemming from traffic to “experiential” Toys ‘R’ Us stores opening next month in Houston and Parsippany, N.J., the partners said in a statement earlier this month.

Plans also call for the opening of eight additional stores by the end of next year. Each is expected to be significantly smaller than previous Toys ‘R’ Us big-box outlets, and to carry a slimmed-down assortment. Sales employees will be on hand with handheld devices to direct customers to choose from a fuller assortment at Target.com.

Tru Kids tapped Target because of the retailer’s robust toy business and its impressive supply chain, according to Richard Barry, a former Toys ‘R’ Us executive who is now chief executive officer at Parsippany, N.J.-based Tru Kids.

Tru Kids is also positioning the relaunched toysrus.com website as a trusted resource for parents looking for latest toys to buy and as an educational tool for children, with videos and product reviews and related content.

Target was among prominent retailers bidding to increase its share of the toy market following the Toys ‘R’ Us bankruptcy. The Minneapolis-based company invested in expanded toy aisles in more than 500 of its stores.

In August, Target announced a collaboration with Walt Disney Co. to “help bring the magic of Disney to the joy of shopping at Target.” The Disney collaboration encompasses experiential retail and merchandising, including the launch of 25 Disney stores within selected Target stores nationwide earlier this month, with 40 additional locations opening by October 2020.

Target also said that shoppers at Target.com will find “an all-new, Disney-focused digital experience,” as well as a new Target store at Flamingo Crossings Town Center at the western entrance of the Walt Disney World Resort in 2021.

“Target’s leadership in toys, digital and fulfillment are an unbeatable platform for Toys ‘R’ Us to reconnect with their fans while we introduce them to the ease and convenience of shopping at Target,” said Nikhil Nayar, senior vice president of merchandising at Target. “By applying our capabilities in a new way with Toys ‘R’ Us, we can serve even more toy shoppers, drive new growth and build on our toy leadership.”