Retail Interview - with Howleys Toymaster operations manager John Bentley

Moving with the times

Clare Turner chats to John Bentley, operations manager of Howleys Toymaster, finalist of the Independent Toy Retailer of the Year (multi store)

How did you feel when you heard the news that you were a finalist?

Delighted obviously, and so pleased for our staff that we’ve been recognised. Last year was incredibly hard and challenging, but to be honoured like this in the 2021 Toy Retailer of the Year Awards was a great way to end it.

Tell us a bit about Howleys Toymaster.

There are four stores: Weymouth, Bridport and Paignton, which each measure in excess of 2,000sq ft, and Dorchester, which is smaller at just under 1,000sq ft. I oversee the four Toymasters (each has a manager) and I’m based at Weymouth, which is our flagship.

The business has been going for 36 years. The Weymouth store was bought by Philip Moore in 1986. In recent years he has taken a back seat and his son Ian has taken over. Philip was a great buyer and a great retailer, but I think Ian has now taken the business to another level through innovation, epos, internet and expansion. So gradually, between the father and the son, the company has been built up to how it is today. And it’s moved with the times.

What are your key product categories?

We cover every aspect really, as space allows, including LEGO, preschool, arts & crafts, vehicles, jigsaws and games - everything you’d expect in a top high street toy store.

There’s a general consistency in all four stores but at the same time, we try to shape our ranges to suit the local communities, whether that’s holidaymakers or locals of a certain age or certain generation. For example, Paignton and Weymouth are coastal locations so you will see more beach or outdoor products in those stores. Once upon a time, buckets and spades and swimming rings were the extent of our range but now we do paddle boards (we buy them in container loads!) and inflatable Lay-Z-Spas. And Weymouth, being the flagship, has historically got more categories because it’s developed over the years, so you’ll find a strong model railway department there.

Bridport and Dorchester are market towns, so while we still run the same hot products and the same quality play, value-oriented toys within them, the shops have a more traditional feel.

What do you think sets you apart from other toy retailers?

Our history. Bridport has been going for as long as Weymouth, and Dorchester has been there for at least 20 years. Paignton opened in 2020, so that’s our latest store.

And with history comes experience, of course. When you’re dealing with customers who you once served as children and now you’re serving them

as parents, that gives you a little bit of an insight into how these people spend their money - and I think it serves us well.

Obviously, there’s a lot of great independent toy shops out there, but I like to think we’re an exciting place to visit. We’ve always got something going on, and the stores are brightly lit, clean, and very ‘shoppable’: they’re easy to get around with a buggy.

We think about our customers, put ourselves in their position, and try to see everything through their eyes to ensure they enjoy the experience. And we look at our staff - are they giving the best possible customer experience to all our visitors? I’m quite sure other toy shop owners would say the same, but we like to think we do it as well as anybody, if not better.

How has the pandemic affected your business over the past 12 months?

It’s been tough. The worst possible scenario for any shop owner is to have his doors closed; you don’t want to stop people coming in your door.

But at the same time, challenges bring out the best in us. We were already successful, but we had to think outside the box. So, we worked harder at trading online and doing click-and-collect. And some of the Covid regulations - such as social distancing - made us review the shopping experience. So we changed our gangways and layout. We also used the time during lockdown to put in a new ceiling at Weymouth. It gave us a chance to reflect and think: when we reopen, we’ll have fantastic shops and people will say, ‘well, this is even better than we remember!’

So, despite an incredibly challenging time, we adapted well. And hopefully, as we come out of this pandemic, we’re looking stronger and offering a more exciting shopping experience than we were before.

Top 3 Best Sellers

What's selling well for you at the moment?

In terms of ranges, there’s three. We’ve just had our new 2022 LEGO launches, which is always an event. It’s always good to have some fresh new lines of LEGO in.

We’ve just had a terrific delivery of Squishmallows, including the Toymaster exclusive, so we’re excited about that and will be promoting those hard.

And the obvious thing is Pokémon trading cards and collectables, which

have been outstanding - and I just can’t see an end to it. It’s absolutely fantastic!

I can remember when we had our first delivery of Pokémon trading cards - we had a pallet that Philip bought. I thought: ‘what is this? They’re just cards - what have we bought here? If this doesn’t work, we’ll just set fire to them!’ That’s a slight exaggeration but it was a lot of money at the time.

We set them all up and nothing happened. Then I vividly recall the Saturday when a lad came in and asked: ‘Do you do Pokémon cards?’. I said yes, we do, actually. Next child: ‘Do you do Pokémon cards?’. Next child: ‘Do you do Pokémon cards?’. Boom, boom, boom! And that order was a weekend stock. And here we are, 25 years later, and I’m telling you, TnP, the best-selling thing is Pokémon cards! Incredible, isn’t it?

It just shows that if you’ve got a greatselling line, it’s not going to go away in a hurry. There are people in the shop right now buying Pokémon. It’s still incredible.

■ Pokémon ■ LEGO ■ Squishmallows

We had to think outside the box “ “

What's your biggest challenge right now?

have increased so much that it will kill those lines. So, the challenge is to replace those best-selling ranges with new or similar ranges that are going to do the same numbers. And margin mix is key because obviously you’re going to take a hit on some lines but you need them to draw people in - TV-related or TVadvertised lines, for example. It’s not ideal but you balance that with a good margin on good value toys that are going to sell and earn their space on the shelves.

So, that’s the challenge going forward. Some ranges with price increases won’t continue. We will have to look harder and try harder to find new products to replace those - and to be at the forefront in the high street, because we’ve obviously got competition from the big guys who will discount toys and we will have to fight them, by offering great value, a great service and great products.