Toys n Playthings November 2021 by Lema Publishing

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ALPHA TOYS LTD Batchworth House, Church Street, Rickmansworth, Hertfordshire, WD3 1 JE Tel: 00353 67 63800 Fax: 00353 67 63801 E-Mail: info@alpha-toys.co.uk bruder.spielwaren

www.bruder.de

CONTENTS 21 ber 20 Novem . 1 1 No Vol. 4

Regulars 5

Leader - with Clare Turner

6 News - the latest toy industry headlines 10 Retail News - what’s happening across the retail landscape 12 People News - all the movers and shakers 13 Licensing News – what’s hot in licensed products 14 Media News - the multimedia rundown

Chairman Malcolm Naish malcolm@lemapublishing.co.uk

Managing Director Mark Naish mark@lemapublishing.co.uk

Editor Clare Turner clare@lemapublishing.co.uk

Assistant Editor Naomi MacKay naomi@lemapublishing.co.uk

Advertisement Manager Athee Waran athee@lemapublishing.co.uk

Production Director Paul Naish paul@lemapublishing.co.uk

Circulation Manager Robert Thomas robert@lemapublishing.co.uk

20 T nP Ambassadors - our tiny testers put two Winning Moves products through their paces

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22 Toy Talk - retailers reveal what’s selling well in the run-up to Christmas

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26 What’s New - fresh launches that you need to get your hands on 30 Trade Talk - suppliers share advice for retailers in light of shortages and price rises 67 Don’t Miss - a sneak peek at unmissable products for buyers

Features 34 Ride-Ons - a look at the latest lines in this wheeled-toy category

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46 Q1 Ranges - a round-up of releases planned for the New Year 58 BLE Preview - all you need to know about this year’s event 60 Licensing Spotlight - check out what’s trending in this dynamic sector 64 Toys For Adults - a review of products with crossgenerational appeal

Special Reports 16 News Special - the return of Toys“R’’Us. TnP talks to Dr Louis Mittoni, CEO and MD of Toys“R”Us ANZ, about plans to return to the UK in 2022 28 Cover Story - with Andy Griffin, marketing manager of Reydon Sports 32 The Big Interview - with Paul Beverley, founder and owner of PMS International 42 Retail Interview - with Alan Simpson, founder and executive chairman of SMF Toytown 56 Retail Interview - with Alison Quill, founder and managing director of BrightMinds

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Columnists

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9 Trends Column - the U.S. Toy Association highlights toys that appeal to the ‘inner child’ in everyone

Lema Publishing Ltd 1 Churchgates, The Wilderness, Berkhamsted, Herts, HP4 2UB Telephone: 01442 289930

At the heart of retail

15 M edia Analysis - Generation Media outlines the importance of a sound ecommerce strategy 18

onsumer Insight - The Insights Family shares C three key play and retail trends

19 R etail Opinion - John Ryan explores the role of the showroom model for toy retail 24 Indie Opinion - Diary of a Toy Shop by Hazel McCarthy, owner of Toy Corner in Galway 57 Indie Opinion - Diary of a Toy Shop by Amanda Alexander, owner of Giddy Goat Toys in Didsbury

P23 P36

LEADER Clare Turner

S At the heart of retail Also by Lema Publishing

TableWare INTERNATIONAL

AWARDS OF EXCELLENCE

J i

o, we’re now in the midst of the Golden Quarter. All eyes are looking towards Black Friday and Cyber Monday - and the toy industry is holding its collective breath to see how the Christmas peak period pans out. At the time of writing, with less than 60 days until Christmas Day, department store group Selfridges has just unveiled its Christmas of Dreams theme through window displays across its shops in London, Birmingham and Manchester, and a digital campaign starring actress Jane Horrocks. Topping its ‘most magical gifts and toys for kids’ list are Squishmallows, Star Wars LEGO sets and the Paw Patrol Ultimate City Tower. And, in a sobering sign of the times, Harrods has announced that the traditional Christmas Grotto experience, which the Knightsbridge department store is renowned for, will not be returning in 2021 as Santa is social distancing. Aside from the ongoing need to mind Covid measures, other issues could potentially dampen the festive mood for toy retailers. It’s been well documented that global supply chain disruptions may delay products arriving to the UK, resulting in possible shortages. But businesses have moved fast to warn consumers and, from talking to several indies for this issue, it’s clear that the call has been heard and heeded. It seems many shoppers have already brought their Christmas purchasing forward to guarantee the availability of their desired gifts. In fact, several retailers noticed a trend to buy early as far back as September. As Downtown toys buyer Zac Chapman points out in our popular Talking Retail section: “Customers are clued up, and with everything they see in the news, I think they are very much taking the ‘see-itbuy-it’ mentality this Christmas.” And there’s more good news from Future plc, the global platform for specialist media. Its research has revealed that Brits saved nearly £200 billion in the various lockdowns, and 82% plan to splash their accrued cash

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on Black Friday purchases and festive gifts. According to the survey of 2,000 respondents, 55% intend to make Christmas the biggest celebration yet. As Tom Harwood, data and insight manager of marketing solutions agency Gekko Group notes, a big draw for spending that money for most people this year will be the fact that we all missed out in many ways last year - whether it be meeting loved ones in-person or a trip to an atmospheric high street to do our Christmas shopping. And with Christmas Day falling on a weekend this year, this provides a longer final trading week - offering any last-minute customers an opportunity to shop in-store in the immediate days leading up to December 25, when it cannot always be guaranteed that online purchases will be delivered in time. Those paying a visit to their local toy shop will of course be expecting a positive experience - and retailers, as ever, will continue to rise to the challenge. Businesses, from small to large, have worked hard to ensure they have the stock they need for a successful Christmas period. Examples include our columnist Hazel McCarthy, owner of Toy Corner in Galway, who planned on having 95% of her Christmas stock in by the end of October, while fellow columnist Amanda Alexander, owner of Giddy Goat Toys in Didsbury, “threw caution to the wind” and spent three times as much on stock this September as in any previous Septembers. Alan Simpson, founder and executive chairman of SMF Toytown - which operates 33 stores across Northern Ireland, Scotland and England - took a similarly pragmatic approach even earlier in the year. He says that back in June he knew price rises were in the pipeline, so set in motion a mission to “buy in pre-price increase as much as we can actually get”. His company bought domestically too, and “filled our boots where we could”. You can read more about their trading experiences on pages 24, 23 and 42 respectively. But how have you ensured that you are managing the unprecedented issues that 2021 has brought us? I’d love you to get in touch and share your story. You can connect with me via LinkedIn or email me at clare@lemapublishing.co.uk. I look forward to hearing from you.

Businesses from small to large have worked hard to ensure they have the stock they need for a successful Christmas period

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NEWS

Toys“R’’Us and Babies“R’’Us to return to UK Toys“R’’Us ANZ and WHP Global, the parent company of Toys“R’’Us and Babies R Us, have signed a long-term exclusive licence agreement for Toys“R’’Us ANZ to run digital and physical retail commerce for Toys“R’’Us and Babies“R’’Us in the UK. Yehuda Shmidman, WHP Global and Toys“R’’Us chairman and CEO said: “We selected Toys“R’’Us ANZ as our partner to expand into the UK because of their proven success in launching with us in Australia under the leadership of CEO Dr Louis Mittoni. Toys“R’’Us today is a vibrant business with over 900 stores and ecommerce sites across 25-plus countries generating over US$2 billion a year in sales and growing, especially with the new launches underway for both the US and UK markets.” Dr Louis Mittoni, CEO and managing director of Toys“R’’Us ANZ, added: “Tailoring our successful Australian relaunch plan

to the UK echoes the success of other ecommerce ‘platform play’ businesses that have delivered growth and value due to their ability to quickly and cost effectively expand their software, processes, partner relationships and brands into new countries. “Since Toys“R’’Us returned to Australia in June 2019, we have scaled quickly as customers returned to the much-loved brand and our ecommerce model has proven its success. My team and I are looking forward to developing technical and commercial relationships with UK-based vendors and partners and to engaging with the many loyal Toys“R’’Us former customers and fans in the UK.” Toys“R’’Us ANZ plans to commence online sales to UK shoppers over the next months, initially from existing operations in Australia, while it works to establish local teams, offices, and logistics facilities during 2022 and 2023.

Visitor registration now open for

Toy Fair 2022 Registration has opened for Toy Fair 2022. Following a hiatus in 2021 due to the pandemic, the 68th edition of Toy Fair will take place from Tuesday 25 January to Thursday 27 January at Olympia, London. The event, which is the largest dedicated toy, game, and hobby trade exhibition in the UK, will occupy a new layout across the Grand and National Halls. Attendees can register for free at www.toyfair.co.uk. To ease the application process, attendees from any of the past three Toy Fairs will receive a Smart Link to their existing profile, so they only need to check, update, and submit their details to receive their 2022 e-badge. All visitors must pre-register before they arrive on-site at the show. Unlike previous years, you will not be able to register for your 6

visitor pass on-site, as part of Covid-19 safety guidelines. Show organiser the British Toy & Hobby Association (BTHA) stated: “Toy Fair will be the first opportunity of the year for retailers, licensors, media, and the wider industry to meet face-toface with more than 250 exhibiting companies and get hands-on with the hottest new toys and trends for 2022. After a year away, there is huge positivity and great excitement from the industry to return to a physical show in January. ‘The event will welcome back a high number of companies as well as many new exhibitors. Visitors will be able to network with exhibitors ranging from renowned brands though to ambitious start-ups.’’

BLE issues alert for international attendees Brand Licensing Europe (BLE) has unveiled details of an international traveller testing partnership and health and safety protocol measures - for next month’s event, which will be held from 17 November to 19 November at ExCeL London. BLE has partnered with ExpressTest by CignPost to facilitate all testing requirements for international attendees. ExpressTest by CignPost is one of the leading UK testing providers, an ABTA partner and a UK government listed COVID-19 screening service, which provides fast, accurate and reliable testing. Anyone needing to take a day two test to enter England will be able to purchase a ‘click and collect’ testing kit, to be picked up at ExCeL. The tests can be self-administered in any location with results uploaded online. Those requiring a ‘fit to fly’ test for re-entry into their country of origin will also be able to benefit from an onsite service, with tests carried out by CignPost staff in secure private meeting rooms at the venue. The test booking service will open during the first week of November and information will be communicated via the BLE website, social media and direct communications with event customers. This partnership is one of many measures in place to help the safe return to live events by show organiser Informa Markets. In addition to requiring proof of vaccination, negative test, or natural immunity to enter ExCeL, attendees will also be required wear masks. Medical exemptions will apply, and masks can be removed when eating and drinking.

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NEWS Goliath acquires Endless Games

Nerf launches YouTube masterclasses In October half term, kids’ action brand Nerf called on parents to embrace their children’s dreams of becoming YouTube stars with the launch of Nerf Upload: a series of physical and virtual masterclasses. Aimed at arming kids with the basic skills needed to become a YouTuber, NERF Upload showcased the skills and benefits that come from a career in content creation, while dispelling common misconceptions that parents have towards this popular career aspiration. The masterclasses were hosted

goodies to take away. Anne Leonhardi, marketing director for Hasbro North Europe, commented: “We were thrilled to arm kids with the vital transferable skills needed to follow their childhood ambitions of becoming content creators. Nerf has always been a tool for imagination and this campaign highlights that in 2021 this is no different.” Research commissioned by Nerf - whose blasters regularly feature in viral content across the likes of YouTube and TikTok - reveals that despite over half of British

Goliath has added to its global portfolio with the acquisition of Endless Games, which will continue to operate out of its New Jersey office this autumn with plans to fully integrate into Goliath’s distribution network by Q1 2022. Goliath CEO Jochanan Golad said: “This is Goliath’s fourth North American, and 11th global acquisition in the last seven years, as we continue to expand and strengthen our position in the market.” Endless Games was co-founded in 1996 by Mike Gasser, Kevin McNulty and game inventor Brian Turtle. It specialises in board games that offer classic entertainment. The trio have been a part of past successes Trivial Pursuit, Pictionary, and Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon. Kevin commented: “I’m thrilled to have Goliath carry on the great legacy that Mike, Brian and the rest of our team have built over the past 25 years. It feels great to sell our business to a company that excels at marketing to maximise the potential of our products.” David Norman, president of Goliath’s North American office, added: “We are also pleased to announce that Brian has agreed to join Goliath’s management team to help drive our business forward.”

Independent Toy & Gift Show rebrands to INDX by some of the most popular YouTubers in the UK including Morgz, AJ, and Sharky, who demonstrated that being a YouTuber requires serious skill, involves a lot of fun, and doesn’t simply involve sitting at a screen. Kids spent 3.5 hours learning the creative and practical skills that go into content creation. The YouTube masters took attendees through a series of four NERFinspired workshops, teaching them everything from how to master the ultimate unboxing staple in the world of YouTube! to setting up, filming, and editing the perfect shot, all with plenty of Nerf blasting fun on top, and 8

children expressing an interest in content creation, almost a third of parents don’t believe it is a ‘real’ job. Parents’ key concerns are that their child may spend too much time on a screen (55%), become isolated from friends and family (43%) and even sit alone in a dark room all day (24%). However, around half of parents acknowledge that a career in content creation could improve their child’s confidence (51%) and communication skills (50%), as well as more creative endeavours such as video production and editing (49%), design and creativity (49%), and photography (32%).

The Independent Toy & Gift show resumed a much-awaited live format when it returned to Cranmore Park in Solihull on 14 and 15 September to unite the industry at the only UK toy trade show of 2021. Organiser AIS buying group (Associated Independent Stores) said the event was supported by more than 50 suppliers and well attended by retailers from across the UK. When The Independent Toy & Gift show returns to the same venue in 2022, it will do so under the INDX Home Banner, and will be rebranded as INDX Toys & Nursery. INDX (short for Independent Exhibitions) represents a group of established trade shows covering fashion and home categories, which are curated by AIS. The addition of Toys & Nursery will strengthen the INDX Home portfolio, which includes Furniture, Housewares, Linens, Beds & Bedroom and Gift Food. The first INDX Toys & Nursery will take place on 6 and 7 April and will expand into the new ‘nursery’ category, which will include gifts, accessories, and soft furnishings. INDX Toys & Nursery is open to all retailers and is free to attend. Buyers can register for entrance tickets at www.indxshows.co.uk.

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Products of Change appoints children’s ambassador Kids Industries’ co-founder and CEO Gary Pope has been appointed as the children’s ambassador for the global educational hub and membership organisation Products of Change. Kids Industries is a full-service marketing agency that specialises in the family market. Products of Change’s mission is to encourage companies and brands to meet their sustainability goals through education and working together to share best practice. As children’s ambassador, Gary will support this aim by representing the views, needs and wants of children in that process.

Spielwarenmesse reveals mega trend for 2022 Sustainability has become a big topic worldwide, and the International TrendCommittee for the German trade show Spielwarenmesse is devoting its efforts to this development. To highlight the importance of the topic within the toy industry, the 13 members of the TrendCommittee will be focusing on this one mega trend for 2022: Toys go Green. In consultation with experts, the team at the fair - which takes place from 2 February to 6 February in Nuremberg - has identified four product categories relevant to the trend: Made by Nature, Inspired by Nature, Recycle & Create and Discover Sustainability. Spielwarenmesse 2022 will be bringing the topic to life at the Toys go Green special area in Hall 3A. Toys relevant to the categories will be presented on four themed islands for retailers to discover and try out. Additionally, the special area will provide background information on the topic of sustainability. Next door, at the Toy Business Forum, industry participants can similarly learn about Toys go Green from daily expert presentations.

Obituary: Philip James Goodall By Malcolm Naish, founder of TnP Many people in the toy trade will remember Philip Goodall and his wife Helen (pictured). Philip died recently at the age of 91. Philip spent 25 years in the RAF and when he retired he and Helen purchased a cycle shop. Helen came up with the idea of introducing toys - and The Pied Pedaller was born. Toys quickly outperformed cycles and the Pied Pedaller became one of the largest independent toy shops in the country. Philip was director of toy buying group Concorde and chairman for five years of the National Association of Toy Retailers [now the Toy Retailers Association]. He is survived by his wife Helen, children Amanda and Mark and grandson Jamie.

NOVEMBER 2021

TRENDS: NOT JUST FOR LITTLE KIDS Tapping into our inner child has proved to be a fun way to cope with the stresses of the past couple of years. So toys that might appeal to ‘big kids’ are coming to the fore, says U.S. Toy Association senior communications specialist Kirstin Morency Goldman If the past year has taught us anything, it’s that setting aside time to play can be a great way to help de-stress and reconnect with family and friends at any age. “Toymakers are creating more products that appeal to the inner child in everyone, and it’s not just catering to diehard collectors but including casual fans of everything from board games to building toys and more,” says Adrienne Appell, senior vice president of marketing communications at The U.S. Toy Association. The following toys and games represent just a small sampling of the many toys that will appeal to big kids at heart: Tamagotchi Original: Star Wars R2-D2 (Bandai): With crossgenerational appeal, this collectable tech toy taps into the fun of Tamagotchi combined with the world of Star Wars. Train R2-D2 to master various skills with the Star Wars R2-D2 Tamagotchi. There are 19 skills for R2-D2 to learn and seven mini-games for him to unlock, depending on his skill level. Truth Bombs (Big Potato Games): This is a game filled with ‘truth bombs’. Players have the chance to answer all types of anonymous questions. But if other players figure out which answers are yours, it’s game over! LEGO Adidas Originals Superstar Set (LEGO): Sneakerheads rejoice - this set allows you to build a LEGO version of the classic Adidas trainer. Just like the real thing, this LEGO version includes the Superstar trainer graphics, shell toe shape, trefoil logo, and serrated three stripes mark. Porsche 911 3D Jigsaw Puzzle (Ravensburger): Build a real-life 3D puzzle model of a Porsche 911. The set comes with 108 pieces to create the model with authentic 1:18 scale and turning wheels. To learn more about the top toy trends of 2021, visit www. ToyAssociation.org/Trends. The U.S. Toy Association’s trends team will be providing a Q4 trends update later this Autumn; a recording of the presentation will be made available and shared online. And don’t forget to save the date for Toy Fair New York, returning to New York City’s newly expanded Jacob K. Javits Center from February 19 to February 22 2022. Visit www.ToyFairNY.com to learn more. Founded in 1916, The U.S. Toy Association is a not-for-profit trade association representing businesses involved in creating and delivering toys and youth entertainment products for kids of all ages. The U.S. toy industry has an annual U.S. economic impact of $97.2 billion and its 1,000-plus members drive the annual $27 billion U.S. domestic toy market. The Association serves as the industry’s voice on the developmental benefits of play and promotes play’s positive impact on childhood development to consumers and the media. It has a long history of leadership in toy safety, and remains committed to working with medical experts, government, consumers, and industry on programmes to ensure safe and fun play. The organisation produces the world-renowned Toy Fair New York and Toy Fair Dallas; advocates on behalf of members around the world; and chairs the committee that reviews and revises America’s widely emulated ASTM F963 toy safety standard.

RETAIL

NEWS

Tesco reveals top toys for Christmas The Entertainer launches its biggest-ever Santa’s Grotto The Entertainer has teamed up with Mattel to deliver its biggest-ever Santa’s grotto experience this Christmas. After the success of last year’s virtual experience, the toy chain received feedback that this format was much preferred by families - compared with meeting in person - and has therefore once again partnered with the toy giant to bring Christmas cheer to families and nurseries across the UK. Groups will be invited to Santa’s grotto digitally and given a virtual tour of his North Pole home. This will include the kitchen where Mrs Claus will be preparing for Santa’s voyage, the workshop to say hello to the elves and the letter-sorting room, topped off with a face-to-face meeting with the big man himself.

From late November, competition winners and children chosen by charity partners will have the opportunity to speak to Santa one-on-one, learn about his life in the North Pole and tell him what they hope to see under their Christmas tree this year. The Entertainer and Mattel will help host more than 90 groups at the North Pole. At least 45 will be part of the Salvation Army’s Enabled project: a group of nurseries that support children and their carers living with disabilities as well as Salvation Army supported preschools, foster carers, and childminders. Children will be invited to win a visit in store, through The Entertainer’s Letters to Santa initiative and at www. thetoyshop.com/santasgrotto.

Increased family play time created by lockdown will help influence the most popular toys this Christmas. That’s the view of toy buyers at Tesco, who have picked their top 10 toys to give parents a helping hand when it comes to making present choices. Tesco category manager for toys, nursery and sport Anne Borrett said: “Lockdown created a unique scenario, with many parents and children able to spend more time than ever together, and this has brought about a huge ongoing demand for kidult toys: trusted brands that bring joy to grown-ups as much as their kids.” Tesco’s top 10 picks are: LEGO Darth Vader Helmet, Paw Patrol Marshall Transforming City Fire Truck, Squishmallows, Kindi Kids Baby Pearl, Rainbow High Fashion Closet, Pictionary Air, Jiggly Pets – Tan Tan The Orangutan, LEGO Heartlake City Shopping Mall, Jurassic World Stomp N’ Escape Tyrannosaurus Rex, and Instaglam On-The-Go Trolley.

MGA & Zapf

showcase new lines in Hamleys window takeover

World’s smallest Primark opens at LEGOLAND Discovery Centre Birmingham

Birmingham can boast that it’s home to the world’s largest Primark store, but now it has another claim to fame, as LEGOLAND Discovery Centre Birmingham has opened the doors to the world’s smallest Primark. The LEGO model, which is situated within the attraction’s Miniland display, is a replica of the five-floor 160,000sq foot branch of Primark. Built from 2,988 LEGO bricks, it features a replica of the store’s interior and exterior, including 203 items of clothing, 12 mannequins, four escalators, two tills and even miniature LEGO figures of some of the actual Primark colleagues. Amy Langham, LEGOLAND Discovery Centre Birmingham’s general manager, said: “Our new Primark store is just the latest addition to our magnificent Miniland at LEGOLAND Discovery Centre, which celebrates all the iconic Birmingham landmarks in a smaller form.”

MGA UK & Ireland recently unveiled some of its leading new lines for A/W with a window takeover of Hamleys flagship store in central London. With products and scenes from brands such as L.O.L. Surprise!, Rainbow High, Na! Na! Na! Surprise and Baby Annabell, the window was billed as ‘the most magical yet, capturing the imagination of passers-by and all of the store’s little (and big) shoppers’. Sam Wilson, MGA UK marketing director, said: “We have some incredible lines this season in the MGA and Zapf portfolio and wanted to celebrate them in true style, with a takeover of Hamleys iconic windows. The creative display showcased some of the best and most exciting products and themes.” Meanwhile, real estate company Landsec has announced the entrance of two toy retailers at Westgate shopping centre in Oxford city centre: Hamleys and MINISO. The 2,745sq ft branch of Hamleys houses a selection of games, puzzles, and arts & crafts, from brands such as LEGO, Barbie and Playmobil. MINISO is the Japanese-inspired lifestyle brand’s fifth UK store, and first in the region. Spanning 2,600sq ft, the unit offers a full range of lifestyle and toy products. MINISO is renowned for its collaboration with global brands such as Marvel, Cartoon Network, and Disney.

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Selfridges team member Simone Wiltshire checks out pre-loved toys at The TOY Project pop-up

Get moving to help Retail Trust fundraising appeal

Selfridges unwraps pre-loved toy pop-up This Christmas, Selfridges will become the first department store to offer a pre-loved toy pop-up in collaboration with London-based charity The TOY Project. Customers can shop for pre-loved Christmas gifts, as well as help the charity to provide toys to children and families that need them most. Open until 23 December, the pop-up is in the toy department of Selfridges flagship branch on London’s Oxford Street. It features a curation of recycled puzzles, games, toy figures and mixed bags of smaller pre-loved

toys, which can be used for children’s parties, alongside a collection of vintage toys and collectables. Customers can donate toys at the pop-up every weekend until 18 December. These toys will either be sold back through the Selfridges pop-up or the TOY Project’s north London store, or given a second life and donated to children through the charity. Profits raised from The TOY Project are used to fund workshops and projects such as toy and book libraries and community events.

BargainMax.co.uk unveils

Christmas toy picks

Online retailer BargainMax.co.uk has revealed 10 toys that it predicts will feature on every child’s wish list this Christmas, based on insights on trends and demand. Emma Carden, buyer at BargainMax.co.uk, said: “These are set to deliver big smiles on Christmas day, with suppliers and manufacturers investing heavily in the products in the countdown to the big day. We’ve looked carefully at our audience’s searches to ensure we can provide the most soughtafter toys and games.” The top 10 are: the latest version of the Barbie Dream House, Paw Patrol Ultimate City Transforming Tower, L.O.L. Surprise! O.M.G. 4 in 1 Glamper, Hey Duggee Plush Chair, Hauck Malibu 2in1 Unicorn Doll Travel System, Hot Wheels Massive Loop Mayhem, Nerf Blaster Inline Scooter with Blaster & Darts, Piggy Mystery Head Bundle, Kindi Kids S5 Bubble N Sing, and the CoComelon Musical Bedtime JJ Doll.

NOVEMBER 2021

Industry charity the Retail Trust has begun a fundraising appeal after demand for its services for retail workers soared by nearly 90% due to the pandemic. The charity has handed out more than £1.2 million in financial aid and run more than 11,000 counselling sessions since the start of the pandemic to help people working in the retail sector pay their rent and utility bills and provide support to those facing stress, anxiety, and depression. It is now calling on people to support the appeal by walking, running, swimming, or cycling four miles, donating a minimum of £4 and nominating another four people. Visit www.retailtrust.org.uk/appeal to sign up to the Retail Trust’s #fourretail fundraising challenge.

Oddbods cast a spell on Argos with Halloween

‘retail-tainment’

One Animation brought Halloween-themed ‘retail-tainment’ to its partnership with UK retailer Argos, with the launch of a new Oddbods seasonal episode ‘Halloween Heroes’ exclusively via Argos.com - marking the first episode of a major animated series to debut with a retail partner. The episode release coincided with the launch of exclusive Oddbods merchandise this autumn, spanning plush, apparel and dress-up at Argos and Sainsbury’s stores and online. The range includes Pogo and Fuse dress-up costumes from Rubies and Pogo and Fuse plush from Posh Paws. Sashim Parmanand, CEO at One Animation, said: “When bringing our partnership with Argos to life, a key focus was to create innovative, unique ‘retail-tainment’ experiences to engage Oddbods fans and help drive them into stores and online retail spaces. The launch of ‘Halloween Heroes’ gives fans exclusive access to an all-new episode, and also marks the first time an entertainment company or studio has ever debuted content via a retailer’s platform.”

PEOPLE

NEWS

University Games

BTHA welcomes

strengthens sales team

Kerri Atherton

The British Toy & Hobby Association (BTHA) has announced that Kerri Atherton has joined the association as head of public affairs. Kerri was previously employed by BTHA as public affairs manager, but left at the end of 2018 to work with the London Mayor and his team. She is looking forward to returning to the toy industry and working at the association again, in this new post. Kerri is based in London and can be contacted at kerri@btha.co.uk.

NEWS IN BRIEF... ●

Winning Moves has welcomed Mohsin Khan to its UK sales team, where he will be responsible for developing and growing some of its biggest accounts. Mohsin brings a wealth of experience and knowledge, having worked at Flair in a similar role.

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Innovation First International (UK), the company responsible for the toy brand Hexbug, has recruited Alison Ferguson as marketing manager. She will be responsible for marketing and PR activity across Innovation First’s three brands - Hexbug, Vex Robotics and Rack Solutions - with a focus on driving consumer awareness of Hexbug toys.

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IMC Toys has promoted Lisa Cox from senior national account manager to the role of UK sales manager, and appointed Kieran Smith as national account manager. Kieran was previously at MGA, and prior to that held sales roles at Melissa & Doug and Hasbro.

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Casdon Toys has appointed Kate Watson as UK national account manager. A familiar face in the toy industry, Kate has previously held positions with Schleich UK and Hasbro, and brings extensive experience to the role, where she will have responsibility for managing all national accounts for the brand.

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Toynamics UK & Ireland has named Mark Morgan as its new area sales manager for the south. He will handle sales for the Toynamics brand portfolio of Hape, Skip Hop, Timio, DinosArt, Nebulous Stars and Nanoblock across the infant toy category. He joins from University Games, where he was responsible for selling family board games, gifts, and puzzles. Previously, Mark worked for Juratoys across the Janod, Kaloo and Alex brands.

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Marvin’s Magic has appointed Bryce Vernon as ecommerce executive to support the company’s ecommerce plans. He formerly held roles at Baker Ross and Galt Toys.

Stephen Woodman

Kim Steward

Sally Irwin

University Games and The Lagoon Group have welcomed three regional accounts managers to their sales team. Stephen Woodman, account manager for south London and the southeast, brings a wealth of toy knowledge, having spent many years in the industry at Professor Puzzle and Coiledspring Games and most recently heading up Recent Toys. The new account manager for the north of London and the home counties is Kim Steward, who joins with a vast amount of sales expertise gained in the pharmaceutical industry. Completing the trio is Sally Irwin, who is overseeing The Midlands area. She boasts an impressive portfolio of experience in both the gift and game industries, having previously worked at Carte Blanche and Wow Toys.

JAKKS Pacific names new board member JAKKS Pacific has announced that Lori MacPherson has joined its board of directors. Lori served as executive vice president, global product management for The Walt Disney Studios from 2010-2014, following her positions as executive vice president and general manager of the global Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment division, senior vice president and general manager of Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment North America, and a variety of senior marketing and product management positions with The Walt Disney Company since 1991. Stephen Berman, CEO of JAKKS Pacific, said: “Lori brings to us over two decades of experience in entertainment and consumer products, which dovetails perfectly with our hands-on, customer-focused company. We expect to benefit from her insights into broad segments of the customer base for our wide array of products.”

Obituary:

Tony Strodder By Malcolm Naish, founder of TnP We are sad to report that Tony Strodder has passed away. Tony had so many friends in the toy trade. I first met him back in the sixties working with Stone & Lipman. He was the originator of the North v South annual cricket match and was a very creative toy man. Tony’s family said: ‘‘In keeping with his wishes of a private and very simple David Bowiestyle funeral, we ask for your love and understanding at this very sad time. We will be in touch about a memorial. In the meantime, please take a look at www.braintumourresearch. org: this type of cruel cancer is massively under-researched and underfunded. God bless you all.’’

toysnplaythings.media

LICENSING

NEWS

Polar bear Paddles sees merchandising and broadcasting growth As animation and media company FuturumKids’ new CGI show Paddles attracts a growing audience of four-toseven-year-olds, the company is looking forward to a busy Christmas for its range of Paddles merchandise. Paddles fans can look forward to 10 SKUs including plush and apparel. Manufactured in Shanghai and distributed via fulfilment houses in Northampton, London, and Dublin, these will be available to Paddles fans through the FuturumKids ecommerce portal well in time for Christmas.

Paddles, which appears in prime-time slots on Cartoonito UK and RTE, has already enjoyed a positive response from viewers in the UK and Ireland, and also enjoys a huge following on social media. The show features Polar bear Paddles, who was accidentally delivered by the stork to a frozen River Shannon in Ireland and brought up by a pack of Irish wolfhounds. Further broadcast expansion is expected to be announced over the coming months.

Sakar seals deal with SEGA for Sonic line Sakar International and SEGA of America have announced a partnership to expand Sakar’s line of licensed wheeled toys and accessories with Sonic the Hedgehog, as part of the video game character’s 30th anniversary. This Autumn, Sonic fans can speed into action and adventure with hoverboards, scooters (manual and electric), four-wheel rideons and skateboards (manual and electric) all inspired by the beloved hedgehog. In addition, Sonic-themed helmets and other protective gear will be available. Sakar will also create a variety of Sonicinspired video game accessories and youth electronics including speakers, and headsets.

Trunki licences TeeBee toybox Ride-on suitcase brand Trunki has acquired the global licence to TeeBee - a toybox and play tray that will be rolling off the production line at its manufacturing facility in Plymouth from November. TeeBee is a toybox that turns into a lap tray, enabling kids to take toys and snacks with them when they are on the go. Open the lid, and spin round the smart tray to transform it into a practical lap play surface. Teebee’s patented shape fits comfortably between the thighs when seated and is easy to carry with the detachable grab handle that can also fasten to backpacks and luggage. The Trunki TeeBee toybox and play tray will be available in four different colours and has a 2-litre capacity, plus a removable brick tray, removable smart tray, face stickers for personalisation, an activity booklet, and colouring pencils.

Turtle Pack teams up with TMNT Award-winning swimming accessories manufacturer Turtle Pack has joined forces with Nickelodeon, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (TMNT) and ViacomCBS Consumer Products to launch a new swimming aid. The TMNT-themed Swim Float will give young swimmers the chance to dress up as Raphael, Michelangelo, Donatello, or Leonardo. Swimming teacher-turned inventor Michael Harkins created the original Turtle Pack Swimming Aid - a turtleshell shaped float which keeps the

child’s arms free to learn proper swimming technique - while he was still at university. Consisting of a neoprene vest and a set of three stacked foam shells that decrease in size, the aid is worn in the pool with shells removed as the child grows more confident in the water. This arms-free approach teaches children the correct swimming strokes, while the backpack-like setup ensures they maintain the correct horizontal body position. The shells can also be used as pool floats or toys.

Turtle Pack founder Michael Harkins with a child modelling the TMNT Turtle Pack PICTURE CREDIT: Jeff Holmes

NOVEMBER 2021

131

MEDIA

NEWS NEWS In BRIEF... Teletubbies set to go WildBrain is launching new original Teletubbies music content consisting of 10 digital-first music videos and a full-length album entitled Ready, Steady, Go! Targeted at preschoolers, the album is the first music release from the Teletubbies in more than 20 years and is part of a multitiered franchise relaunch from WildBrain for the Teletubbies’ 25th anniversary in 2022.

Horrid Henry heads to Amazon Kids+ Novel Entertainment has partnered with Amazon Kids+ for all five seasons of its animated TV series Horrid Henry. Horrid Henry can now be found in the UK through Amazon Kids+ on Fire TV, Fire Tablets and compatible iOS, Android and Chrome devices.

Hornby steams onto TV In a new TV series entitled Hornby: A Model World, the model-making company, home to four iconic brands - Hornby, Airfix, Scalextric and Corgi - has opened its doors to reveal how its team of designers strives to shrink a generation of mighty machines. The new 10-part series is available for catch-up on UKTV Play.

Junkbots join Roblox universe To celebrate the launch of the new collection of toy brand Hexbug’s Junkbots (Factory Collection), the online game platform and game creation system Roblox has introduced skills from Hexbug Junkbots. Roblox allows users to programme games and play games created by other users. Junkbots is converging play, story, entertainment, and technology, allowing fans to immerse themselves with all-new Junkbot skins. Users can now be a Junkbot on the online interactive game from Roblox - just in time for the toys hitting the shelves with an all-new environment-based Junkbots Factory Collection. Following this Summer’s drop of the Junkbots toy line and eight-part YouTube series, kids can transform into their favourite characters in the interactive game. They can immerse themselves in the universe of Junkbots by teaming up and joining the race to save the city alongside their friends.

L.O.L. Surprise! launches live show MGA Entertainment, creator of global fashion doll brand L.O.L. Surprise!, is bringing a live show to the UK called L.O.L Surprise! LIVE VIP Party in collaboration with VisitMalta. The 15-city tour, which kicks off in Sheffield on 19 November, invites fans to stand out from the crowd and get runway ready with their favourite dolls. Featuring outrageous choreography, holograms, elaborate sets and new music, the show will be a concert-come-dance party for the whole family to enjoy. Meanwhile, L.O.L. Surprise! Movie Night - the latest video game instalment based on the award-winning L.O.L. Surprise! toy franchise - launched exclusively for digital and retail on Nintendo Switch on 26 October. And MGA Entertainment is working with digital specialist Ioconic to bring its L.O.L! Surprise doll range into the NFT world. Available globally at www.playlolsurprise.com, the project enables L.O.L Surprise! fans to display their doll collections digitally and even mint them as NFTs.

Crayola launches digital-first content Crayola has launched a new season of its digital-first Scribble Scrubbie Pets series. The Crayola Kingdom channel is home to the Scribble Scrubbie Pets series. Based on the Crayola Scribble Scrubbie Pets creative toy range, the digital series was developed to engage kids through animation, real play, and drawing.

Strawberry Shortcake makes a return Strawberry Shortcake is back with an animated series - Berry in the Big City - on the Strawberry Shortcake YouTube channel, plus a global franchise and licensing programme, with Moose Toys as Master Toy Partner. The company is developing a line of toys and playsets to be unveiled in early 2022. The bonneted little girl will also appear in Roblox.

Bluey’s first DVD hits shelves in the UK Award-winning global hit animation Bluey is available on DVD for the first time in the UK. Entitled Magic Xylophone and 14 other stories, the 100-minute DVD features 15 episodes from series one, plus the Bluey opening title sequence, and comes with colouring in postcards and a sticker sheet. Bluey has become a global hit since it launched in Australia in 2018. In the UK, it was the most-viewed show on CBeebies in August, and is also available on Disney+. The series follows Bluey, a six-yearold Blue Heeler dog who loves to play and turn everyday family life into extraordinary adventures that unfold in unpredictable and hilarious ways.

Pokémon Trainer gameplay comes to smartphones The Pokémon Company International has unveiled Pokémon TCG Live: a new app that allows Trainers to enjoy the Pokémon Trading Card Game in an updated digital format. Releasing as a free-to-play game, Pokémon TCG Live also marks the first time that the Pokémon TCG will be playable on smartphones in addition to tablets, PCs, and Macs. Pokémon TCG Live is designed to be easy for beginners to learn how to play the game, while offering fresh challenges for existing players to improve and test their skills. Players will be able to enjoy some of their favourite Pokémon TCG activities, including building decks and battling other Trainers around the world. They will also be able to tailor their experience with customisable avatars and Pokémon TCG accessories, participate in daily quests, and more. In addition, Pokémon TCG Live will continue to be updated with new content and features following launch. Meanwhile, The Pokémon Company International has also announced details of a new limited animated series created to celebrate 25 years of the global entertainment franchise. The eightepisode series, entitled Pokémon Evolutions, takes fans on a journey through all the known regions of the Pokémon world explored in the popular core video game franchise since it launched.

toysnplaythings.media

MEDIA

ANALYSIS

Are you ready for Black Friday & Cyber Monday? M ove over Black Friday and Cyber Monday, because the knock-on effect of the global pandemic is changing our new normal - yet again. Last year we saw Black Friday promotions dropping incredibly early, with retailers offering deals as soon as late September. While for obvious reasons we are seeing less of the same so far, this Q4 you can’t ignore the calls for shoppers to buy now to avoid missing out. While the uncertainty surrounding stock will remain through Q4, what is certain is that the pandemic has underlined the importance of a sound ecommerce plan. With 64% of UK parents surveyed going online to shop (Giraffe Insights, Little Voices Study 2021), it’s more important than ever to ensure you have a robust ecommerce strategy. With virtual shopping baskets filling up quickly, here are our five top tips to consider with your Amazon investments this November:

page is particularly lucrative, with over a third of Amazon customers clicking on these products. From an advertiser perspective, keep an eye on your competitors and consider their strategy alongside your own. Are you price competitive? How do your review scores compare? How do your products compare to your competitors’? Where do you rank on the search page? These questions will help inform whether you are competitive or not, ensuring you are using budgets efficiently, rather than on keywords where you are unable to compete.

U se smart tech to power your investments There is only so much manual optimisation you can do with the Amazon platform from a reporting and optimisation standpoint. Look at leveraging smart-tech software to capture back data over the three-month limit on Amazon to identify trends and use them to inform strategy. Smart tech also enables you to apply a set of ‘rules’ such as pausing keywords if the ACOS goes above a certain threshold, which in turn allows 24/7 automated optimisations.

Push price, ratings and reviews

Do you have strong A+ content? Have you invested in the Amazon Vine Programme? Are you winning the buy box? 41% of Amazon’s customers say price is the most important factor in their purchase decisions, with 16% saying it’s the number of ratings or reviews, and 8% highlighting convincing product descriptions/photos as the number one factor. To differentiate yourself from online competition, these all need to be addressed.

Keep ahead of the trends Amazon released a new format, Sponsored Brand Video (SBV), in the UK in September last year following beta testing in the US. The importance of video cannot be understated, with one in five Amazon visitors having made a purchase as a result of watching a brand or product video. For our customer base, results have been very positive, generating some of the highest CTRs (click-through rates) we’ve seen this year, with ACOS (Advertising Cost of Sale)/ROAS (Return on Ad Spend) metrics underlining the importance of this format. More recently, custom images for Sponsored Brand formats and Views Remarketing for Sponsored Display have proved to be successful within our portfolio of clients. Incorporating new formats with a ‘test, measure and refine’ approach is crucial to both short- and long-term success.

Don’t forget about your competition On Amazon, 69% of customers’ shopping queries start without a brand. When a customer has no significant brand loyalty, the first row on the results

Finally – track your investments Data = power. When driving consumers direct to Amazon from other media activity such as YouTube and Facebook, make sure to track your traffic and conversions from external sources using relevant tags. Although the Amazon Advertising attribution tool is still in its infancy, use it to identify any noticeable trends in the data. This will be invaluable to your wider media strategy moving forward.

Our ecommerce solution at Generation Media Generation Checkout - is powered by Artificial Intelligence (AI) making real-time decisions, with data from more than 1,000 toy campaigns. Industry experts ensure your ecommerce investments work in conjunction with the other areas of the media mix, delivering an omnichannel approach to generate maximum efficiency. Our solution operates across biddable media platforms to make smarter predictive decisions that will enhance campaign performance - all downloadable via one report for ease of sharing. For more information, or to organise a health-check on your brand's ecommerce performance, please feel free to contact the Generation Media team.

Generation Media is the UK and Ireland’s largest independent media buyer of toys and games advertising. Visit generationmedia.co.uk or call 0207 307 7900 or email contact@generationmedia.co.uk to learn more

The pandemic has underlined the importance of a sound ecommerce plan, says Generation Media director of business development Alex TaylorSmith

NEWS SPECIAL TOYS“R”US

“We’re excited

to get started” Dr Louis Mittoni, CEO and managing director of Toys“R”Us ANZ, ANZ talks to TnP about plans for Toys“R”Us and Babies“R”Us to return to the UK in 2022 What’s your career background? I trained as a computer scientist, physicist and chemical engineer, and studied (and applied) my learning in software development and machine learning to e-sports wholesaling, logistics and then ecommerce retailing, establishing Mittoni Technology and Hobby Warehouse, and extended that to Toys“R”Us - a much-loved brand since childhood.

Tell us a bit about Toys“R”Us in Australia. We relaunched Toys“R”Us in Australia in late 2019, restarting almost from scratch, but managed to acquire the shopper database from the former business which was accumulated over many years by the former Toys“R”Us teams. The business is currently online only. However, we are constructing physical experiential

“

While Toys“R’’Us Australia has a ‘digital-first’ ecommerce approach, that will be followed by physical experiental interactive stores - it’s much more than being just about ‘products and prices’

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stores that are scheduled for completion from mid-2022 onwards. Of course, like many businesses - and in particular those in the toy industry - the world shifted on its axis at the commencement of 2020 - around the time that the toy fairs in Europe and Australia were wrapping up. We weren’t prepared for the pace of sales growth during the pandemic, and we were certainly grateful to have been in the business we are in. In late 2020, our group was acquired by an ASX listed public company, which has enabled us to invest in state-of-the-art technologies, which we will be able to apply to other locations, including the UK. While Toys“R”Us Australia has a ‘digitalfirst’ ecommerce approach, that will be followed by physical experiential interactive stores for the young, and the young-atheart to enjoy - it’s much more than being just about ‘products and prices’.

Did you know… Toys“R”Us ANZ is an Australian-based listed company with a mission to enrich the lives of people by encouraging exploration, creativity and living life more fully through the enjoyment of toys and hobbies. In addition to distributing products throughout Australia for key partners via its trading business Funtastic, the company acquired 100% of the Hobby Warehouse Group in November 2020, including Australian ecommerce websites Toys“R”Us, Babies“R”Us and Hobby Warehouse and the distribution business Mittoni Pty Ltd. The company changed its name from Funtastic to Toys“R”Us ANZ on 24 June 2021.

Our belief is that toys are an important part of childhood that informs development and inspires life choices. Toys and play help children develop their imagination, collaborate, problem-solve, explore, create, or simply express themselves freely. We do, however, believe digital-first is the right strategy for how toy and baby shoppers are - and will be - exploring and purchasing products currently and into the future. The UK, US and Australia all have high internet shopping rates. Our very wide range of items is best offered nationally online, and then in key areas in large format, destination experiential stores, allowing children to experience toys before purchasing.

How would you describe your range? We aim to offer a wide and deep range of toy and baby items and categories, providing shoppers with a vast choice from well-known and trusted brands, as well as upcoming new and soughtafter brands. We aim to have the widest range possible in the market and are well on our way to achieving this in Australia, and will endeavour to do the same in the UK.

What’s your selection criteria? We work closely with our partners and are open to ranging new items and items from new and niche suppliers.

toysnplaythings.media

Guess what… This allows our shoppers to decide what suits them and their families.

a present - and who doesn’t enjoy receiving presents, right?

What are your key categories?

What’s the most challenging aspect of your job?

We offer a wide range of brands and items across three key markets: toys, baby and hobbies. This allows us to engage with shoppers from birth through childhood, adulthood, and through to retirement. We have the unique ability to go on a lifelong demographic journey with our shoppers: a key differentiator for Toys“R”Us and Babies“R”Us versus other e-tailers or retailers.

I’ve had the privilege of developing a number of businesses from scratch. The most challenging aspect is usually managing rapid growth. Certain periods of growth can be challenging; adapting various processes to match the growth, and warehouse and office teams through to our senior leaders work tirelessly to make our vision a reality.

What are your plans for the UK?

What’s your favourite toy or game?

We are planning dedicated websites for Toys“R”Us and Babies“R”Us and will share our more detailed plans for the UK over coming months as we move towards implementing each phase. We are currently in discussions with a large number of existing and new employees, suppliers and service partners, and we have a dedicated ‘expressions of interest’ page set up for potential partners to register their interest at http://eepurl.com/hL38FL.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of your job? Technology and toys - for me this is exactly where I want to be! Technology has always been my field and is a continuously evolving platform that excites me. Combining toys and technology is amazing. Also, ordering toys online and receiving a parcel: what could be better? It’s like receiving

NOVEMBER 2021

“

Dr Louis Mittoni absolutely loves vintage toys and owns a small selection of vintage sets. The attraction is so strong that he commissioned an artist to recreate some old LEGO and Meccano images.

We were

amazed by the support from shoppers, suppliers and partners when we relaunched in Australia. Seeing this same support (times 10) in the UK is truly incredible

There are too many favourites to choose just one! However, I remember vividly visiting a local toy shop in the small town I grew up in and admiring a remote control racing car. I can still picture that racing car and must have gazed at it for what seemed like hours over weeks leading up to the holiday season. My parents couldn’t afford the RC car, and I received a much smaller car that was operated by clapping your hands to activate forward, reverse (and turn), and stop. I loved it all the same of course! This particular memory inspired me to start Hobby Warehouse in 2011 (the 10-year-old me isn’t

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too far below the surface), and again illustrates part of my belief that toys really are a powerful part of childhood and development. I absolutely love vintage toys - Hasbro/Kenner, LEGO and Meccano in particular - and own a small selection of vintage sets, including an Ampol service station. The attraction is so strong that I commissioned an artist to recreate some old LEGO and Meccano images. The Meccano art original had the father playing with his children, with a cigar in his mouth - of course, I had that removed in the recreation!

Is there anything that you would like to add? We were amazed by the support from shoppers, suppliers and partners when we relaunched in Australia. Seeing this same support (times 10) in the UK is truly incredible. Our digital-first strategy will allow us to relaunch relatively quickly and eventually have the widest range of items available to every household in the UK rather than via pure retail strategy one postcode at a time - and we’re very excited to get started.

RETAIL

OPINION

Photo Credit Viktoriia Novokhatska

The shop that

‘sells’ nothing Is the showroom model the future of toy shop retail? John Ryan considers how not actually stocking the goods you want to sell could attract a new kind of customer

toys in just the same manner as you might look at something hops have things in them and people go to buy them in on a web page. Storage space is (much) cheaper when it’s exchange for money. That, at its most elemental, is what away from a high street. most people would be inclined to think of when they And in offers of this kind, where the shopping journey consider a physical store. And yes, we also know that the same comes to an end beyond the premises, what you have created, (more or less) applies to an online store, except that the bricks-andin effect, is a physical web page. A lot of store, as it were, is mortar part of the equation is singularly absent. set by ‘phygital’ (cringe). Current wisdom has it that if you can But what would happen if a real-world ‘shop’ happened to be a create a bricks-and-clicks store, then the world will beat a path place in which nothing was ‘physically’ sold? Again, gentle reader, to your door. Well that may possibly be the case, but what you’re smart enough to know that what is being referred to here is does seem likely is that if you can pull off something of this generally known as a ‘showroom’. There are many examples of this kind then you’ll access segments of the population who might kind of thing, ranging from the bed and sofa retailer Loaf to a host not otherwise give you the time of day. of fashion shops in the US. It also means that your toy shop really is a toy shop. This To date, however, there are (as far as your correspondent is is a place in which people come to play with aware) no toy shops in which goods fail to change the stock. Yes, they will want to buy something, hands in situ. Yet consider the advantages What is everything in a showroom is a bit of a one-off, just important is that eventually. But in the first place they are just crossing the threshold in search of novelty. If this there to be scrutinised, test-driven or played with. your store, is the case, then you will be ahead of your rivals There may be the occasional breakage, but you whatever the and if, at the end of their visit, they head towards don’t have to worry too much because, if you’ve done you clutching a credit card and a request, then your homework, the display models will be there gratis, terminology used to describe you’ve done the right thing. courtesy of the supplier who will see your shops as All of which also begs the question, asked by a means to an end. The other point of note is that it, is both a many FDs at the moment: where and when does as long as the supplier in question has stock, you’re place that a sale actually take place, if no goods actually unlikely to miss the sale and it seems probable that shoppers want change hands when a ‘purchase’ is made in a there will be more items in a warehouse than there are to visit and a shop? In truth, it doesn’t really matter. What shelves to accommodate inventory in your store. location in is important is that your store, whatever the There is, of course, the matter of the ‘best seller’ terminology used to describe it, is both a place and here the supplier is as likely to be stripped bare as which an that shoppers will want to visit and a location in you are. But not everything flies out of the door, and if experience is which an experience is offered. it’s possible to carry just one or two display models in offered So is this the future and is it a way of your shop, then this will certainly be to the good. combating the threat of online retailers? Stores, we are told, At this point, the canny retailer and the savvy supplier will be are still set to remain, it’s just that their number will diminish wondering whether this isn’t just a matter of shifting the point and what remains will be generally better than what was in of supply and the moment at which the deal is done from the place before. The toy shop showroom will certainly have a shop to the warehouse. There is also the small issue that point of difference in the short term and, given how relatively suppliers do need liquidity in just the same manner as slow physical retail has proved at adapting to the brave new you, the retailer, does. world, that advantage will be in place for some time to come. So think about an alternative. Imagine being able to And if you were to give the showroom route a go, by halve or quarter your monthly rent. You’d still need the time others catch up, you would have both knowledge somewhere to hold your stock, but it doesn’t have to and trading history on your side. If nothing else, this line of be in the shop. Instead, you might occupy a portion thinking really does merit some careful consideration. The of a secure warehouse or organise storage under your worst that can happen is that you decide not to do anything… own steam. This would mean that the only requirement for the moment, at least. of your non-selling store would be to house a range of

“

”

John Ryan is Stores Editor of business magazine Retail Week. He has worked for the title for more than a decade covering store design, visual merchandising and what makes things sell instore. In a previous life, he was a buyer.

CONSUMER

INSIGHT

The trends you must not miss

Health benefits of play drive preference

Aside from having fun, developing their children’s social skills ranks as the overall top benefit of playing for parents of one-to-five-year-olds (19%). It is clear that parents are looking for toys and games that have a positive impact on their children and that help them to develop. Mums and dads have slightly differing demands, however. Our data shows mental wellbeing as the second-most important reason for playing among mums (16%) and creative skills as the second among dads (18%), showing how important it is to have a marketing strategy that speaks to both parents.

usic powers a new wave M of toys

five in the UK in June), which uses physical toys - tonies - instead of cards, with Disney, Fireman Sam, and The Gruffalo among the brands involved.

The kids’ entertainment ecosystem is going through an audio boom, creating exciting What this means opportunities for the toy It is clear that for you… industry. Smart speakers parents are looking Whether it is driven by an have partly driven this trend, with over four in for toys and games audio boom, the continued rise of gaming content or the 10 homes in the UK now that have a positive rapid developments in online owning a device. retail, the family ecosystem But toy brands are getting impact on their continues to shift. involved too. For parents of children and that As parents and kids look younger children who are help them to forward to a much needed not yet comfortable with ‘normal’ Christmas, with the idea of a connected develop shopping on the high street smart speaker in their kid’s and family trips out, their presence across bedroom, there are other options. different media platforms will change. British startup Yoto, which was founded To help brands plan their Christmas and in 2017, is one example. Yoto, is a ‘carefully advertising media spend, The Insights Family connected speaker’ designed to deliver recently released its new Media Planning music, stories, podcasts, and radio for Playbook, designed to provide brands with children, without causing privacy concerns. an update of the key trends and the role It uses a system of physical ‘cards’ to that insights have to play in maximising ROI deliver content. These include music this Christmas. albums as well as stories from authors To download The Insights Family Media such as Roald Dahl and Judith Kerr. Yoto’s Planning Playbook visit: competitors include Toniebox (the 11th get.theinsightsfamily.com/mediamix favourite toy for children aged three to

“

ince the ending of Covid-19 restrictions, parents in the UK have spent fewer hours online and more time with their kids - playing games and shopping with them - in recent months. As we head towards Q4 and Christmas, now more than ever, it’s important for retailers, brands, and manufacturers to have their fingers on the pulse. Here are three play and retail trends you can’t afford to miss:

Gen X drives eBay growth

Over the past three months, the popularity of eBay has grown as a destination when purchasing baby products. Since May, eBay has soared in popularity as a shopping outlet by 54% among parents aged 35-55. Gen X parents who say they tend to shop on eBay also show far more concern for the environment and climate change than the average parent, overindexing by 59%, demonstrating how they are more willing to buy secondhand items and to reuse goods.

The Insights Family specialises in kids, parents, and family market intelligence. Providing real-time data on their attitudes, behaviour, and consumption patterns, every year the company surveys more than 383,760 kids and 187,200 parents.

As we head towards the festive season, there are three play and retail trends that the toy industry shouldn’t ignore, says Nick Richardson, founder & CEO of The Insights Family

L A I C E P S S R O D A S S A B AM

g n i y Pla

s e t i r u o v a f

ding u l c n i aracters h c e t i r online u o s v U a f g r n i e of the lar Amo u m p o o s p h t e i play w from th s s r r e a t t s a e t v Moves ior he a g t n i d n n n a i Our jun s esy of W erheroe t r p u u s o l c e h v t Mar me - bo a g r e y multipla Dad Paul says:

“Herbie is look ing forward to do ing more gaming jigsaws”

Ben says: "You can't see what the other person is doing, so that makes it really exciting. You don't know whether you are going to win or not!"

A Marvel-lous matching game Piece of the action Herbie is a big fan of the online game Among Us, so he was keen to get stuck into a puzzle featuring his favourite characters Dad Paul says: “My nine-year-old son Herbie is an avid gamer, and he really enjoyed playing Among Us while in lockdown, as it meant he could communicate with his friends online. So he was very excited when he found out it was now a jigsaw - he hadn’t done a jigsaw for some time but really enjoyed getting back into it. “It became quite a family activity, with all of us hopping on board to help complete the 500-piece puzzle, and Herbie said he liked doing this with different members of the family over a period of time. It was just right in terms of difficulty - not easy but hard enough to keep him stimulated. “Herbie is now looking forward to doing more gaming jigsaws. I’m really pleased about this - it gets harder as he gets older to find things to entertain him that are not screen-based.’’

Mum Colette says: “My 10-year-old son Ben tried out the Marvel Top Trumps Match game and it was fun! This is a well thought-out game. I like the element of strategy to it - that you have to think carefully about your next move. But it is also really good that you can’t see what the other player is doing. You have to focus on your own game, which makes it a surprise when you win (or lose!). “First impressions were good: it's bright and colourful. The instructions are reasonably clear - we had to read them a couple of times as Ben got ahead of himself and 'just wanted to play'! I also like the fact it’s transportable - I can imagine us taking this on holiday, or to grandparents for the weekend. “Ben played a good few games with his older sister and then with a grownup, so it kept him entertained for about 90 minutes. It's quite a simple game but with an element of luck as well as strategy.’’ This is a two-player, matching and connecting game. You have to match five cubes in a line to score points. The first player to score five points wins the game. There are 25 character cubes and 15 cards. You take it in turns to push out the cubes to build your line of five. You can also win two points if your line matches your character card - if not, you can still win one point or your opponent can 'snatch the match'. Colette explains: “It’s not unlike Connect 4 in principle, but with the aspect of not being able to see what your opponent is doing - it’s Connect 4, crossed with Battleships, mixed with Marvel! The cubes are all different - with different configurations of the characters on, so you can't second guess them - which is good. “Ben loved that it was Marvel. He enjoyed seeing the characters form a line as he connected them. And he liked the fact that the youngest player started - that made it a winner! He also loved the fact that he won several times against his older sister - less so against his dad! He enjoyed that you have to concentrate on your own tactics - and then you can still lose! It was a genuine surprise when the other player said 'match'. “I think we will play this over and over. The age range is four-plus and I'd like to try it with my nephew who is five Contact: - I think he will like it too. I can see this being played with regularly, because it's Winning Moves quick to set up and fun to do.” 020 3920 8151

www.winningmoves.co.uk

toysnplaythings.media

RETAIL

OPINION

Talking retail Andrew Coplestone Have you noticed a trend among customers to buy early for Christmas? Yes, particularly in the past six weeks - we’ve never had such strong sales figures in September. We have seen significant increases “Customers are in search and engagement eager to purchase with our brand and product portfolio, which has been a gifts early for key indicator too. Our customChristmas, which ers have already been communicating with wouldn’t normally us that they are eager happen at this to purchase gifts early for Christmas, which time of year” wouldn’t normally happen at this time of year.

With import/export costs increasing, have you started to see price increases coming through from suppliers? Yes. Tenfold increases in transport and shipping costs on top of raw material price increases are having an impact across the board.

How are you managing this? We don’t compete on price, and due to the longevity of owning one of our dolls' prams, our customers recognise that they are an investment purchase.

CEO, Grasshopper Toys, Helensburgh, Scotland

Su Gill Group Buyer - Toys & Luggage Morleys department store group, Greater London LEGO is still our best seller across all stores. L.OL. continues to be strong, along with the OMG Dolls and Rainbow High. In fact, dolls in general are doing well, with Barbie having a terrific year. Plush is very strong too, especially Jellycat. Who’d have thought we would be selling plush croissants and cheese! Customers are also buying Keeleco [the 100% recycled range from Keel Toys], especially the new baby collection. Top Model is great and in preschool, VTech/LeapFrog are performing well.

Have you noticed a trend to buy early for Christmas? I certainly started to see this in September in my stores in the more affluent areas where customers have the disposable income. Large LEGO sets and the big ticket L.O.L./Barbie items started to move.

What's on your counter? Pokémon cards and Poppers, they’ve been amazing!

With import/export costs having increased, have you started to see price increases coming through from your suppliers? Constantly! It feels like that’s all we’re doing at the moment. I completely understand the pressures that suppliers are facing. However, some have been better than others for giving us some notice of the price increase. The most frustrating thing is when you get an email through saying prices are going up tomorrow (or even have gone up already). Some don’t even attach the new price list!

How are you managing these increases within your business? As best we can, but inevitably we have to pass it onto the consumer, as we have margins to protect. I wish it was just a case of pressing a button, but we have to go through price changes line by line on our system and then the store teams have to reprice the stock. Some price increases have been so high that I have delisted items as the retail [price] just does not work.

“I would devote our entire shop to Britishmanufactured products if they were available and at reasonable price points”

What's selling well?

Brio is selling very well, along with Playmobil. Have you noticed a trend to buy early for Christmas?

With import/export costs having increased, have you started to see price increases coming through from your suppliers?

We are hearing customers talking about Christmas and shortages and how they intend to prepare early.

Wow, yes. Very significant price increases.

What's on your counter?

We have to pass them on to the customer. It’s painful.

At the moment, a pile of Brio trains! But shortly it will be Pokémon cards.

Are you looking perhaps at British manufactured products - do you feel there is sufficient choice available?

What's taking centre stage in your shop window?

I would devote our entire shop to British-manufactured products if they were available and at reasonable price points. If there are any British manufacturers out there, please get in touch.

Today it’s jigsaw puzzles in one window, and wildlife and nature in the other.

TnP loves to hear your views. In this issue we ask retailers what's selling well in the run-up to Christmas

What's selling well?

Founder, Play Like Mum (www.playlikemum.com)

Dr Wendy Hamilton

If you wo uld like t o take pa in Toy Ta rt lk, we’d lo ve to hea from you r . Please e mail clare@lem apublishin g.co.uk

How are you managing these increases within your business?

toysnplaythings.media

Jennie Hogg Owner , Cachao Toys, London What's selling well? Across the board, most products are selling well. It's so hard to narrow it down to just one. I always try to keep a good range of toys/gifts for ages 0 to adult.

What's on your counter? I put things on the counter that people might not be looking for as we don't typically sell them, so at the moment there is wedding confetti at one end and the Smart Toys Plug 'n Play demo at the other (as this is on offer as a free item when they buy two or more SmartGames). It works well as customers and their children like to work it out while I’m ringing up their purchases.

What's taking centre stage in your shop window? My windows always have a theme. In the summer, one side had a beach theme so anything I could find that was related to sand and sea went in. The other side saw a yellow theme: anything with a bee on it, and products with yellow packaging and so on. I also managed to squeeze football-type products into that one when the Euros were on. The theme stays the same and as the products sell, I replace them until the next theme, which will now be determined by the holiday season - so October was Hallowe'en, November is general toys, and then obviously December is Christmas. I like to think of our windows as a mini set display, so it looks like you are entering that world or 'scene'. More often than not, people come in because the windows are attractive and welcoming to adults and children alike. They want to find out more of what we have to offer.

With import/export costs having increased, have you started to see price increases coming through from your suppliers?

YES! Some are adding a transport fee, and some have just increased prices. They may go down again apparently. The common theme is the container price rise.

How are you managing these increases within your business? The way I see it... I've had no rates to pay since the start of the pandemic, and I’m only now starting to pay them with a discount. So I feel it's fair to slightly decrease my preferred margin, absorbing some of the costs, so it's not such a big rise for my customers,

Are you looking perhaps at British manufactured products do you feel there is sufficient choice available? I would LOVE to support British-made or, failing that, European-made. But unfortunately, I feel we are a long way off from making the majority of toys affordable and available. And due to the lack of trade shows during the pandemic, the task of finding them has been made more difficult. I think having products made in the UK can only benefit everyone. It would teach people skills that seem to have been lost, it would keep more people employed, and it would be easier to monitor fair working conditions (I would hope). Plus, the massive benefit of not polluting the oceans with massive container ships would make a huge difference to the global climate problem. I’m not an expert and I’m sure there are downsides that I don’t know about, but it's not a bad goal to work towards, is it?

Zac Chapman Toys Buyer , Downtown, Boston and Grantham, Lincolnshire What's selling well for you? LEGO continues to be a great seller for us and is consistently up there in our top three brands. Interestingly, higher price point products are starting to come in on the weekly sales quite often, suggesting a switch towards Christmas gifting even in later September/early October. Craze lines were great sellers for us through the back-to-school period, and we still see them in our best seller reports. Anything related to Pokémon trading cards has been good for us, and I’m sure this will continue into Christmas.

Have you noticed a trend to buy early for Christmas? Christmas shopping certainly seems to have started, with average basket price increasing and larger price-pointed items starting to sell in good volume. Customers are clued up, and with everything they see in the news, I think they are very much taking the ‘see it-buy it’ mentality this Christmas..

What's on your counter? Along our till point are numerous lines that are generally £10 and below. Products like Uno have been popular in this position. We also sit Pokémon trading cards and TY pocket money lines here. TY have supported us with a great new stand that sits right near the tills. I’m confident we will see large volumes driven off a stand like this.

What's taking centre stage in your window? We will be working with Ravensburger and Brio to hopefully bring something special to our Grantham toy department very soon. We don’t have an awful lot of window space, but we will be making a real impact with what we have planned.

NOVEMBER 2021

Julia Lowe Owner, Farm Toys Online (www.farmtoysonline.co.uk) What's selling well? Our top five best-selling toys each week will almost always be from our core range of tractors. Collectors’ editions, like the John Deere-opoly board game and special releases to mark Britains’ 100th anniversary, have also been selling well.

Have you noticed a trend to buy early for Christmas? We certainly have! Many mums inspired by social media influencers like The Organised Mum started planning their Christmas in September. The headlines warning of possible toy shortages are also pushing customers into starting their Christmas shopping earlier than they usually would.

With import/export costs increasing, have you started to see price increases coming through? Almost all our suppliers have either increased their prices or have price increases planned, ranging from 10% to 30%. We are finding supply erratic and even our most reliable suppliers are experiencing delivery delays and can't supply all items.

How are you managing these increases ? Sadly, we have no choice but to pass these higher costs directly on to our customers. Our margins are simply not high enough to absorb them. Let's hope this is temporary!

Are you looking at British manufactured products? We would love to stock more British suppliers, but a big challenge is where to find them. British toy manufacturers are limited, so despite us desperately wanting to be more homegrown, most of our stock is still manufactured in China.

THE INDEPENDENT

OPINION

Diary of a toy shop Hazel McCarthy, owner of Toy Corner in Galway, explains how she is preparing for the Golden Quarter - and a very special delivery!

almost can’t believe that the days are closing in on us again and we’re officially entering the long-awaited Q4! I feel positive and excited about the months to come, as the intention and desire to shop locally is still strong. My focus is on making sure that anyone who decides to try to shop local for Christmas is not disappointed when they come to my shop, and that it doesn’t feel like they’ve made any compromises. While I won’t have the range that a larger shop might have, my aim when buying is to draw clear lines between what I do stock and what I don’t, and to make sure that what I do stock is comprehensive.

“

A great advantage we have this year is offering a Christmas Club. Allowing people to secure stock early, without having to pay for it in full, seems like a real selling point in an environment where there are stock shortages and price rises for both retailers and consumers. It’s definitely a perfect moment to invest in promoting this offering as a USP. With only one part-time staff member, I’ve been up to my eyes taking deliveries and finding places to store and display everything. I was anxious that having boxes and stock taking up floor space before it made its way onto the shelves would take away from the customers’ experience, but they actually love seeing the volume of new product coming in. I think it serves as a calling card for a place they should return to the next time they need something, whether that be for a birthday or Christmas. While I’ve got the bulk of my A/W

“

Christmas Club

Allowing people to secure stock early, without having to pay for it in full, seems like a real selling point in an environment where there are stock shortages and price rises for both retailers and consumers

stock of LEGO, Hasbro, Ravensburger, Spin Master, Banaghan [County Tipperary-based distributor for Orchard, Headu, Irish Fairy Door Company, Bruder, Siku, Kids Globe and Hasbro], Peterkin, Melissa & Doug and Schleich now, there’s still a lot more to come (from John Adams, Mattel, Keel, TY, Epoch, and Brainstorm to name a few) so I think the spare rooms in my house will probably get utilised too as I’m not sure that late ‘top-up’ orders will be a viable option this year, as prices continue to rise and there are increased carriage-paid levels with so many companies.

Special delivery! I’m planning on having 95% of my Christmas stock in by the end of October. This is not just for business purposes, as I’m expecting the biggest delivery of all just after Christmas. No, not the January 2022 LEGO launch: it's my first baby! My husband and I are delighted to be welcoming our child in early January, so I’m using the energy I have right now to get ahead for the end of the year when it might not be as easy for me to climb ladders and hop in and out of my windows! While I think I will be still busy instore with deliveries arriving throughout October, my admin time will be less taken up with orders, and I’ll be using that time instead to finally establish a POS system. This will mean no more manually writing down each item of each sale, manually adjusting inventory levels on the website, manually recording what VAT I owe, manually administrating the Christmas Club, and so much more besides. It will be a real game-changer and will provide some much-needed stability for the business in terms of data and

efficiency. I can’t believe I’ve waited so long to implement a system. But with so many ups and downs, and openings and closings over the past 18 months, the time I probably would have invested in this a year ago was spent building my online store from scratch. I love being organised, but there’s nothing like opening my own store through a pandemic to help me learn when to abandon carefully laid plans!

Video star In other areas, I’m still working on finalising my internal bilingual signage, and getting better signage in the village at strategic locations to highlight the direction to my shop. I want to create a few videos for Q4 for social media and be personally present in them. Social media is all about videos now, especially if they have a personal touch. Last year I released one just asking customers to ‘try us first’, which got a great response. It’s really hard to be in front of the camera (I always try to avoid it) but the reality is that every time I’ve done it, it’s been totally worth it for the engagement it gets, and I definitely need to prioritise doing more. Another major project for the final quarter is adding to the Toy Corner team. Ideally another two part-time staff members would really provide the kind of flexibility required to cover extended opening hours into Q4, and increased footfall. All in all, there’s lots to accomplish but it makes it easier to do that work when things are feeling positive, and the world is opening again and returning to normality - with an added appreciation of shopping local and the benefit of an online platform too.

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WHAT’S N CreArt grows up Ravensburger 01869 363800 www.ravensburger.co.uk Building on the success of its painting by numbers range CreArt, which launched earlier this year, Ravensburger has introduced four new designs into the children’s range for A/W: Pawesome Polar Bear with glitter, Delightful Deer with glittering gems, Festive Friends with glitter and Koala Cuties. In response to demand as interest in adult painting by numbers continue to rise, later this year Ravensburger is launching a range of high-quality sets suitable for adults. Six designs will kick off the range with some colourful animal designs including Funky Zebra, Funky Elephant and Funky Giraffe.

Pop up and play MV Sports & Leisure 0121 7488 000 www.mvsports.com The new Barbie Pop Up Camper Van Tent and Thomas Deluxe Pop Up Tent are described by supplier MV Sports & Leisure as ‘the perfect pop-up tents for children as they start to explore imaginative play and independence’. Suitable for kids aged three-plus, the products are decorated with character graphics, and come complete with realistic camper van and train shapes for any fan to immerse themselves in play. With a closed top and integrated floor, durable polyester and PVC materials, as well as water and UVresistance, play can continue come rain or shine, inside or outside. Easy to assemble, each tent is a one-piece design which simply unfolds and pops up.

Hornby builds on steampunk trend Hornby www.hornby.com 01843 233512 BrickPunk is a range of seven SteamPunkthemed brick construction kits, which include between 121 and 563 pieces. Each kit includes a figure to fit in with the model theme. The range also features horses, a tractor, steam walker, tank, glider and airship. These are ideal Christmas stocking fillers and gifts, not only for children but for adults too! Hornby said: ‘SteamPunk is a world of war between empires and those eco warriors that despise them. During this never-ending fight for justice, we invite you to help our owner of the best tea construct steam machines deliver some of his best tea crop across the world.’

Imagination stations Wilton Bradley 01626 835400 www.wiltonbradley.com The Water Wall is a must-have for households with imaginative toddlers. Teaching kids about gravity, angles and water flow, this wall is packed with limitless combinations for them to enjoy a different creation every time they move the pieces. With a multitude of modular accessories included, kids can have fun creating their own water flows and seeing their problem-solving skills come to life as they pour water from the top. This weather-resistant Water Wall can be used outdoors or indoors thanks to the included bucket, which catches the water when it reaches the bottom. The Playhouse range, meanwhile, is made from wood, so the products blend perfectly into the garden. As a Gold Award winner in the Toy Shop UK Independent Toy Awards, Playhouse provides kids with the tools necessary to develop exceptional cognitive skills and co-ordination - from outdoor games to indoor kitchens, work benches and more.

NEW The no-queue petrol station! Bruder 00353 6763800 www.bruder.de Distributor in UK: Alpha Toys Ltd Almost all Bruder vehicles have to be refuelled and occasionally cleaned. The new, highly-equipped bworld Petrol Station is available for this purpose. The pump dispenses all standard fuel types and a charging station for e-mobile is also available.The attendant works in a modern sales room with a price list, monitor and modern POS system. A fully functional washing station is available for cleaning dirty vehicles just pour water into the integrated tank. The built-in hand air pump builds up pressure and the water can be released for cleaning with the attached on/off switch. The Bruder Roadster and driver supplement this comprehensive set. The bworld Car service, bworld Motorcycle service with Ducati Full Throttle Scrambler and MAN TGS Tank truck are also available from Bruder as the perfect addition to the Petrol Station.

On track for lots of fun Mookie 01525 722769 | www.mookie.co.uk Happy Hamsters is an entirely modular marble track system that allows you to build unique and crazy designs. Happy Hamsters will get children’s thinking caps on and inspire imaginative play. Axetreme is another new release from Mookie; a fun, interactive game throwing lightweight axes at a target. Play with friends or play alone - and look out for the campaign on TV and socials! Also new is Jelly Sand. Inspired by quick and easy play patterns, the Jelly Sand characters are ready to play with in 15 minutes and look super cute once finished. Simply add a character face piece to the mould, dip it into water and reveal a colourful character. Finally, Tybo just got bigger with Tybo XL. From the makers of the Tybo Magic Mixing Orb comes Tybo XL - bigger, mess-free and with kid-safe tie dye. The Tybo XL expanding mixing chamber will tie-dye anything with ease, from hoodies and jeans to shoes.

NOVEMBER 2021

A whole new world Simba Smoby Toys UK 01620 674 778 | sales@simbasmoby.com There is plenty of creative fun to be had with the latest launch from Simba Smoby Toys UK: FleXtreme. With FleXtreme, kids are invited to connect the flexible track pieces to build new circuits for motorised vehicles to race around. The track pieces easily fit together, and are designed to be super flexible, allowing families to run tracks all the way through the house: over chairs, beds, desks, and more! A perfect place to start is the FleXtreme Discovery Set. It comes with 184 pieces of track, which build a circuit measuring 4.4 metres long. Each set also comes with one vehicle, an additional car body, and an entry/exit track. And, for kids who want to expand their FleXtreme universe, there are FleXtreme Track Refill Packs, and additional motorised FleXtreme vehicles.

Elf game spreads Xmas cheer Winning Moves 020 3920 8151 www.winningmoves.co.uk Join Buddy the Elf in the magical land of New York City, and relive his adventures as he explores new places, finds his father, and saves Christmas with Santa. Celebrating the classic festive comedy film, this new edition of Top Trumps Match: The Crazy Cube Game will have players trying to knock out their opponent’s cubes while lining up five of their own. It contains 25 cubes featuring 15 icons and images from the holiday movie, including Christmas candy, decorations, animals, the cheerful Jovie, and Buddy himself. The game comes complete in a handy carry case which makes tidying up easy. Strap on those elf shoes and spread some Christmas cheer with this matching game. Just don’t forget to sing loud for all to hear!

COVER STORY

REYDON SPORTS

In a league of

its own Reydon Sports is a wholesale company with a lot to offer! TnP catches up with marketing manager Andy Griffin to find out more

Based in Nottingham, Reydon Sports is a leading European trade wholesaler and distributor of industry-leading sports, toys, leisure, and outdoor brands. From humble beginnings as a toy and games wholesaler in the 1970s, the need for sports equipment was also quickly realised, and on 24 April 1980 ‘Reydon Sports’ was born. The company soon established itself in the 1980s as a leading provider of sports and toys, offering a complete range via its own van delivery service from both its

“

Based in Nottingham, Reydon Sports is a leading European trade wholesaler and distributor of industryleading sports, toys, leisure, and outdoor brands

“

Tell us a bit about Reydon Sports.

Nottingham and Scottish branches. Our 60-plus team includes a full assortment of buying, sales, marketing, accounting, and logistics specialists, servicing our huge B2B customer base Monday to Friday, all year round.

How does the business operate? We are purely a B2B wholesale company. We service retailers across Europe, providing industry-leading products at the click of a button at trade prices. Customers buy with Reydon, we pick and pack products from our distribution centre in Nottingham, then send them straight to the retailer.

Can you explain how your dropshipping service works? This is a service available in the UK only. We allow retailers to list the full array of Reydon products on their ecommerce platforms, receive orders from the end consumer, and then Reydon fulfils the rest… paperwork

free. This allows the digital side of businesses to grow for retailers, making the ordering and distribution of products simple.

In what way does ordering from you benefit retailers? Rather than placing orders under regimented minimum order quantities, Reydon offers the full A-Z of sports, toys, and leisure products at discounted trade prices, with no restrictions on quantities. You can buy one or 1,000, the price remains the same. Our B2B website shows trade pricing, customer pricing, and SRPs (suggested retail prices) along with live stock quantities.

Do you have any particular special offers that will appeal to retailers? We offer promotions throughout the year and are frequently discounting lines further in our very popular Clearance section.

toysnplaythings.media

7,000+

The number of SKUs that Reydon Sports stock

What product categories do you stock? The full A-Z of sports, toys, leisure and outdoor. From educational supplies to garden games and toys, we have everything covered.

What are your key brands? Nerf, Franklin, Sportcraft, Waboba, Precision Training, Urban Fitness, Nike, Adidas and many more.

What are your top five sellers? Tough to say really. We have 7000-plus SKUs!

As well as garden and outdoor games, Reydon also stocks specialist sports equipment... We are renowned for sporting goods, and Reydon prides itself on providing a full offering of sports equipment - and in most recent times, sourcing SKUs that are literally the perfect hybrid of sports and toys, which has allowed for a much broader toy shop customer base than we have seen historically.

You have massively increased your range of games and toys over the past 12 months. What has driven this move? We already had a strong offering

of toys and games but as lockdown hit in 2020, we soon realised that all things fitness, toys, games etc was what retailers needed to keep their businesses flourishing. Our job was to keep on sourcing and keep on supplying, growing both our product range and our customer base.

Covid changes What changes have you made in light of Covid restrictions?

We have massively improved and increased our offering of digital content and marketing support to allow retailers to explore new avenues in order to generate turnover. Videos, imagery, GIFs, social media assets - they are all available at the click of a button for the majority of brands at Reydon.

What opportunities has the pandemic created? We’ve found that many retailers are slowly but surely expanding their offering of product, despite the retail category, allowing Reydon’s 7000-plus SKUs to be explored and utilised further. For example, a traditional sports shop has now opened its eyes to the concept

We are purely “a B2B wholesale company. We service retailers across Europe, providing industry-leading products at the click of a button at trade prices

“

Products

of garden games, outdoor and leisure.

How have you seen demand change since restrictions ended? Demand is now bigger than ever, purely because budgets are now in a position to be spent and bricks-and-mortar stores are once again available along with online offerings.

Looking ahead What trends do you think we will see in garden and outdoor toys and games over the next year? We believe electric scooters (for both kids and adults) will certainly be a major player along with sports crossovers such as garden sets, football goals, and tennis combos.

Where do you see opportunities for growth - will you be looking to expand into other categories in the near future? Our wholesale models certainly allow that freedom. However, our customer base is a deciding factor. If the clientele and demand is there, Reydon fulfils it!

What are the company’s plans for the next 12 months? We are exhibiting at London Toy Fair in January 2022 and we are looking to expand our product and brand offering even further, especially as our exclusive distribution of Nerf is now in full swing.

Reydon Sports 0115 9386444 | sales@reydonsports.com | www.reydonsports.com NOVEMBER 2021

TRADE

OPINION

Trade talk

Calling all suppliers and distributors! We’d love to hear your views. Get in touch with Clare@lemapublishing.co.uk to have your say!

As we move through autumn, we quiz suppliers on the return to trade shows and ask them to share some advice for retailers in the light of shortages and price rises GAYNOR HUMPHREY Director Best Years If you have attended trade shows, how has that been for you?

We attended both Harrogate [Home & Gift Buyers Festival] and INDX Toys & Nursery Show [formerly the Independent Toy and Gift Show]. Both were very successful but also very different. Harrogate was significantly quieter than normal, with key suppliers and retailers choosing to stay away. However, the visitors who did attend came with the objective of stocking up, and we took more orders than we have ever taken at a trade show. In comparison, INDX Toys was a lot busier than we have normally experienced, with a definite increase in footfall, and this also converted into a lot more orders than we normally take. In terms of what they were looking for, retailers at Harrogate asked, “what’s new?” but at INDX Toys the emphasis had switched to “what’s in stock?”. How are you supporting retailers in light of shortages and price rises?

STEVE COX UK Sales Director, Keel Toys If you have attended trade shows, how has that been?

Autumn Fair and the INDX Toys & Nursery Show [formerly the Independent Toy and Gift Show] were a great success. With the difficulties in supply chain this summer, key customers “With the were keen to book business difficulties in - not only for the last quarter supply chain… but also for S/S22. Moving forward, this could be a trend key customers and make autumn fairs a were keen to book business - more important part of the buying cycle of the year.

not only for the last quarter but also for S/S22”

How are you supporting retailers in light of shortages and price rises?

Keel Toys are supporting retailers with great products, especially Keeleco, which is fast becoming the must-have sustainable soft toy. What marketing activity can we expect for Q1?

In-store support for the launch of Keeleco Adoptable World. What toy - new or old - would you like to find under the tree on Christmas morning?

A Space Hopper because I always bounce back!

We have started rationing stock where we have issues, to ensure that a wide range of retailers can access the toys rather than two or three larger retailers buying the whole lot. We source from all around the world - Egypt to “This is going China, India to Sri Lanka - so we have been bringing to be a very in more toys from producers who are not in lockdown. Ironically, we are in a better position than different we could have been, because we helped out a lot of Christmas, our smaller Fairtrade producers earlier in the year so we tell all by buying way more stock than we needed. This retailers if we helped them get back up on their feet and has been don’t have the a lifesaver for A/W. toy you love, Where we have significant logistical issues is with love the toys we our dinosaur toys, so we are trialling road freight to get our toys in before Christmas. This is more have!” expensive than sea freight, cheaper than air freight and gives us a fighting chance of getting stock in by avoiding the congestion at Felixstowe. This is going to be a very different Christmas, so we tell all retailers if we don’t have the toy you love, love the toys we have! What marketing activity can we expect for Q1?

We are struggling to adjust back to pre-pandemic activity when we planned six to 12 months in advance, and now it’s our marketing which is just-in-time rather than our logistics. However, we always try to have something exciting for our independent retailers, so watch this space! What toy - new or old - would you like to find under the tree on Christmas morning?

Definitely a family game. Our family is eclectic and includes neurodiverse members, so a family game is a great way for us to relax together. Previously we have loved everything from Bop It to Rummikub, so any suggestions for this year’s game would be great!

19 toysnplaythings.media

STEVE ASBEY UK Sales Manager Cheatwell Games

into your smart phone. And with more than 1,200 classic tracks included, it’s fantastic value If you have attended trade shows, how has for money. that been? Snap Fit card game has been Our first show back was Autumn Fair, and it amazing: we sold out in six weeks couldn't have been better. The start was like but have more on the way. It’s an the warm-up in the tunnel before a big match: all-action family card game that a few nerves… can I still perform? gets you up and What if I freeze when I get an opportunity? “Despite the active. Be the first Should I keep my mask on? However, there were to spot the matching rising cost of plenty of customers, existing and new, and many cards and shout production and of them were placing orders. "Snap Fit!” to win and By the time I'd paid over £8 for a drink and a shipment, we everyone else must chicken caesar wrap with no chicken, it was like took the decision carry out the crazy we’d never been away. Despite the rising cost of action shown on the to maintain our production and shipment, we took the decision cards for a count of pricing until to maintain our pricing until 2022 - after all, 10: jumping, hopping, we’ve seen excellent toy and games sales for the 2022” spinning on the spot and more. past 18 months. Without a doubt that contributed Add these and many other new items to an to our order book being the largest for many years, and most existing portfolio of games such as Tension, Baffled, Race orders were for immediate delivery. Night, and Eye Spy, and we have something for everyone. And I Which of your products have been popular? haven’t even mentioned our 1,000-piece World’s Smallest Jigsaw Puzzles, which are incredibly popular. So much product and not Every product launch is filled with a little trepidation - we all enough space! know not every game will prove to be a winner. However, early sales reads on our new games are exceptional. How are you supporting retailers in light of shortages? Family Quiz Night combines both junior trivia questions and As a private company, we are able to make decisions very adult trivia questions on the same card, so anyone in the family quickly and we made the most important one much earlier in from eight years up can play and not feel left out. And, like all the year, when we hit the ‘manufacture and ship now’ button in Cheatwell quiz games, there are a ton of questions: Family Quiz order to get product in early. Despite that we are still waiting Night has 1,200 across eight popular categories. for a couple of items. But by the end of October, we will have Nostalgia is another new trivia board game which asks everything we planned to bring in. Great sell-through means questions from the ’60s to the ’90s but there are also specialist we will run out of product, but we cannot do more than plan for categories from those decades. From Mods to punk rockers, sensible growth. Hammer Horror films to blockbusters, historical events to What toy - new or old - would you like to find under the tree on hysterical clothes, there are questions on the weird and Christmas morning? wonderful from the final decades of the 20th century. My son keeps telling me I need to play Ticket to Ride. But I really Spot The Intro is a race to name songs and the artist against can’t see past a shiny new Scalextric set or a pack of Hot Wheels the clock. Featuring hits from the past six decades, the mystery cars and a bit of track. songs are uploaded via a QR code straight from the game cards

JO DRAGE Sales Director, Thames & Kosmos If you have attended trade shows, how has that been for you? So far since Covid, we have been at an end-user event and a trade show, and it has been great to connect with people again. Buyers have been keen to see product for the first time in an eternity, and to get out the order book. I think everybody is doing everything that they can to make this Christmas feel ‘normal’ again. How are you supporting retailers in light of shortages and price rises? We have been very lucky in that only one SKU has been affected by the shortages so we have, in the main, been able to supply customers with whatever they have wanted. Unfortunately, we had stock on the Ever Given [container ship], so that was late - but that’s the only major drama that we have faced. As far as price rises are concerned, we have swallowed our cost increases for 2021 and forfeited profit. We had a good 2020, so we can afford to pass on our good fortune to those that didn’t fare so well last year. I think loyalty works both ways, and we need to show our retailer customers that they matter to us.

“Buyers have been keen to see product for the first time in an eternity, and to get out the order book”

What marketing activity can we expect for Q1? We have a new TV campaign, which we will adapt for online marketing in the UK. We will also continue our review programme and social media campaigns. What toy - new or old - would you like to find under the tree on Christmas morning? I’d really like a Pac-Man game, or a Space Hopper. I do like a great party game too.

NOVEMBER 2021

THE BIG INTERVIEW PAUL BEVERLEY

Preparing for

the pranking season This month TnP talks to Paul Beverley, founder and owner of PMS International, vin’ Badly Ba brand the company behind the Elves Behavin’ Tell us a bit about your company. PMS International was established nearly 50 years ago from small and humble beginnings. The company is now a global importer and distributor with offices in the UK, Hong Kong and China. The UK headquarters (International House in Basildon) employs more than 200 people, with the overseas divisions staffed with a further 100-plus. It occupies nine landscaped acres and was officially opened by The Princess Royal in 1995.

What changes have you made in the light of Covid restrictions?

“

It’s extremely rewarding to see our products spread a little festive joy to families

Like most businesses, Covid affected

”

Did you know? The Elves Behavin’ Badly Elves was a creation designed to to supply more affordable Elf dolls to satisfy the increasing demand and interest in the daily ritual, during the month of December, where parents use the Elves to stage funny scenarios, hoping to prove to their kids in the morning that the Elves have been busy causing mischief and mayhem overnight 32

PMS, but our extensive supplier networks enabled us to source and supply necessary PPE equipment quickly throughout the pandemic to a broad sector of customers. For over 20 years, PMS has stocked a comprehensive range of PPE-related, non-medicinal, first aid items like plasters, bandages, and sanitising gels. In the last year we have expanded the range to meet demand for related items such as face masks. As an essential supplier, our warehousing operations remained open, with the majority of office staff providing much needed back-up from home. We continue to provide PPE to the market on a much smaller scale and currently hold strong stocks of masks, sanitising gel, antiseptic wipes and so on. During the pandemic, PMS had up to two-thirds of office staff working from home but, following government guidance, we have gradually reintroduced staff back into International House, which is now largely fully staffed to pre-pandemic levels. Our extensive showrooms remained open, exhibiting more than 5,000 products but with all Covid safety procedures in place.

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Guess what… The Elves made their first public appearance in time for the 2016 Christmas season. PMS has sold more than 10 million Elf dolls to date, with sales of around 2.5 million this season alone

Apart from Covid, what’s the biggest challenge facing toy suppliers? Brexit has been a major challenge for the company, but we are now making good progress in restoring exports to mainland Europe. Each month we are seeing a pick-up in our export sales. Currently the biggest challenge is the worldwide issue that has caused massive inflation to the cost and availability of shipping containers from Asia to the UK. Freight shipping has found itself in a unique situation where unforeseen events have left a global shortage of containers, which has had a domino effect down the supply chain, disrupting global trade. PMS is working hard to minimise this impact and avoid major disruption to our supply chain. We remain hopeful that we can ship all ranges this year and meet all of our customers’ orders.

What are your core goals for Q4? The centrepiece of Q4 for us is the Elves Behavin’ Badly brand: a set of naughty little elves that have wreaked fun and festive mischief among UK families for the past five years. The Elves Behavin’ Badly were created and designed by PMS in the UK with a lot of the product development undertaken in Hong Kong. The Elves made their first public appearance in time for the 2016 Christmas season. The affordable Elf dolls - Elfie and Elvie - are widely available in a variety of attractive packaging, in most major retail outlets and via a host of online distributors. The broad range of Elf dolls includes a poseable version and one with electronic sounds including laughs and giggles. PMS has sold more than 10 million Elf dolls to date, with sales of around 2.5 million this season alone. This is pretty remarkable considering that we believe

NOVEMBER 2021

many families save and reuse their Elf dolls each year. This suggests that the most recent sales will have been made by new purchasers keen to start the Elf pranking tradition within their own families. To assist the Elves in their annual pranking, PMS offers a fabulous range of more than 100 accessories. The enhanced range of more than 20 dress-up outfits has proved extremely popular. Costumes available include festive snowman and reindeer costumes, along with a chef’s outfit and a rainbowcoloured faux fur jacket! By popular demand we commissioned two hardback children’s books, complete with beautiful handdrawn illustrations detailing the Elves’ story and adventures from their original beginnings in ‘Elftoria’. One of the books shows the amusing story of the Elves at a school dedicated to teaching them ‘how to behave badly’! A firm favourite is the range of personalisable products, which includes a high-quality wooden Christmas Eve box, luxury jute Christmas present sack and write on/wipe off message board. Another recent addition is a new runge of Christmas cards, available in both kids’ and adults’ designs. Sales of both have been extremely encouraging and we have re-ordered to meet current demand.

“

We remain hopeful that we can ship all ranges this year and meet all of our customers’ orders

Where do you see opportunities for growth? One of the most popular growth areas by far has been in pranking and jokerelated accessories. With retail prices starting from just £1, the collection includes ‘Elves Pooey Friends’ (joke ‘poo’ with googly eyes), a quality range of jokes and pranks, Farting & Laughing Bags and even a ‘Complete Fart Kit

”

for Naughty Elves’. This rise in success is hardly surprising, given the huge appetite for new and fresh ideas for ‘pranking season’. PMS’s longevity, and what we have achieved over the years I’ve worked in this challenging sector, is based on the company’s ability to quickly identify new and upcoming trends and ‘craze lines’. The Elves Behavin’ Badly Elves was a creation designed to supply more affordable Elf dolls to satisfy the increasing demand and interest in the daily ritual, during the month of December, where parents use the Elves to stage funny scenarios, hoping to prove to their kids in the morning that the Elves have been busy causing mischief and mayhem overnight. The Trademark and Registered Design associated with the Elves Behavin’ Badly collection are heavily protected by IP rights, which PMS vigorously enforces on all occasions.

With rising costs and supply chain challenges, will we be seeing price increases? Of course, every business needs to look at inflation and rising prices, but the Elves Behavin’ Badly brand has a number of items starting as low as £1, which can help provide families with a very memorable and affordable Christmas. With more than 100 different products in the range, it means the festive fun is accessible for every budget.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of your job? It may sound a little cheesy, but it’s extremely rewarding to see our products spread a little festive joy to families. The holidays are a period where families come together, and to see our toys be a key part of that experience for millions of people is very satisfying.

FEATURE RIDE ONS

MV Sports

Wilton Bradley

Ride on time

Ride-on toys are the ‘big’ present that sells whatever the time of year. So what can retailers expect from the category in the next few months?

“

ide-on toys make great ‘big’ presents for birthdays and Christmas, and their purchase often marks major milestones in children’s development, so families make quite a big deal out of buying the next ride-on toy. Over lockdown, parents were keen to get their children doing any physical activity, so these kinds of toys were popular. But has demand continued since Covid restrictions were lifted? Wilton Bradley design director Scott Eden, Scott Eden believes so. “We have Wilton Bradley seen the ride-on category go from strength to strength in the past two years,’’ he says. Phil Ratcliffe, joint MD of MV Sports & Leisure, agrees: “Yes, it has so far, and we expect this

We have seen more requests for parental controls such as remote controls and steering poles, for peace of mind

trend to continue as stock is in short supply.’’ For MV Sports & Leisure, licensed products are also in high demand, says Phil. “We made the decision to invest in officially licensed products for all of our ride-on vehicles some years ago. This ensures the best quality and design and gives us exclusivity in the market,’’ he explains. “It is highly important, especially for preschoolers. Kids form a close affinity towards their favourite characters and they love to recreate the adventures they have seen on TV or in cinemas or online. Unlike generic ride-ons there is no substitute for a Spiderman Scooter or a Paw Patrol Sit & Ride. We’ve seen some encouraging numbers on CoComelon, and Bluey looks set to

“

The benefits of ride-on toys Children’s physiotherapist Lucy Self explains how ride-ons can help children get their recommended quota of physical exercise “The national guidelines for physical activity encourage children aged three to four to spend 180 minutes (three hours) a day doing a variety of physical activities spread throughout the day with at least 60 minutes being moderate-to-vigorous activity. And for five-to-18-year-olds, the recommendation is 60 minutes of moderate intensity (where you raise your heart rate, breathe faster and feel warmer) physical activity a day. “Riding a bike or scooter is a great example of a really fun physical activity that can also be used as a form of active travel. Balance bikes, meanwhile, are a really good way to help a child learn to ride a pedal bike. They get the child used to co-ordinating balancing on two wheels with steering skills. If a child is older and already has a pedal bike, you can always remove the pedals to turn it into a balance bike to practise balancing skills.’’

be a big hit.’’ So, licensed products notwithstanding, what’s the next big thing in ride-ons? What can retailers expect to be stocking on their shelves in the near future? Interestingly, Wilton Bradley’s Scott says that parents want to take more control when it comes to ride-ons. “We have seen more requests for parental controls such as remote controls and steering poles, for peace of mind,’’ he says. Over at MV Sports & Leisure, Phil predicts: “We expect e-scooters to grow in popularity as and when the government lifts the restrictions on riding on public roads and in public places.’’ Although ride-ons is a great category with plenty of selling potential, for retailers who are short on space, they can sometimes be hard to stock in depth. But help is at hand from suppliers. Scott explains: “All Wilton Bradley OLP ride ons have a full colour lifestyle and spec image on the box, which can be displayed in store.’’ While at MV, space is always a consideration. As Phil explains: “It’s a misconception that all ride-ons have to be big box. Most products (including big multiplays) can fit on standard shelving. Our scooters pack down into boxes smaller than many toy playsets. Our new Bobble rideons, for example, pack down smaller than many plastic sit & rides - and serve a similar purpose.’’

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FEATURE RIDE-ONS

Electric power WILTON BRADLEY 01626 835400 www.wiltonbradley.com Wheeled toys have long been a specialism of the Wilton Bradley team. Since 2014, the aim of its Xootz brand has been to encourage kids to get out exploring - and to do it in style! Xootz has developed a multi-award-winning range of go-karts, electrified drift trikes and ride-ons. It also offers a range of premium officially licensed vehicles, from BMW to McLaren. The brand was completely refreshed last year, centred around ‘attitude’ and ‘breaking boundaries’. Its mission is to promote, inspire and encourage kids to go outdoors and have fun without boundaries. Wilton Bradley has been creating a real buzz around its new Xootz Ride-On electric wheeled toy range and is working with the best factories to create officially licensed products that are exclusive to them in the UK. A new breed of grandeur, the Xootz BMW X5 M Electric Ride-On makes a powerful statement. This officially licensed BMW Ride-On features all the details of the full-scale powerhouse. With a kidney grille, sculptured bonnet and working front lights, this ride-on has presence. And with a three-speed drive and reverse gear, little ones can practise their driving. If they are too young to take the wheel, parents don’t need to worry because the included remote control allows them to take charge. Beneath the bonnet are two motors powered by the rechargeable 12V battery. This ride-on makes light work of carpet, garden terrain or smooth tarmac thanks to its four-wheel independent suspension. Meanwhile, the officially licensed Audi TT RS Plus Electric Ride-On Sports Car in bright red is ideal for sports car-mad kids. The included 6V rechargeable battery gives a top speed of 2.5 km/hour controlled by kids themselves with a foot accelerator pedal. It will power the vehicle for 1-2 hours on one charge (depending on terrain). The car can go forwards and backwards, and has working headlights, an adjustable seat belt, working wing mirrors and a musical steering wheel. There are even six songs pre-installed so you can listen to music. Finally, kids can pivot, spin and drift with the Xootz Comet Electric Go Kart. A high-torque, maintenance-free hub motor is powered by two rechargeable 12V batteries, which deliver speeds of up to 16km/h for an adrenaline-fuelled ride. Safety comes from a two-speed setting, seat belt, and an automatic braking function.

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FEATURE RIDE-ONS

On the move MV SPORTS & LEISURE info@mvsports.com www.mvsports.com MV Sports & Leisure brings an exciting array of children’s rideons in an abundance of licences, ideal for little ones. The My First Ride-On features a moulded rear backrest, rear anti-tip feature, wide wheels for extra stability and a soft grooved seat for additional grip, with bright character graphics across a multitude of licences including Thomas, Peppa Pig, Paw Patrol, and a musical version in Baby Shark. Ride in style with the Peppa Pig Car Ride-On, which features an authentic Peppa Pig car design and includes under-seat storage and a working horn. Or steam ahead with the Thomas Engine Ride-On. This has moulded character features, under-seat storage and a fun squeaker. Both products boast anti-tip features, wide wheels for extra stability and offer hours of fun for little ones. Finally, get on board with the Thomas & Friends Battery Operated Train and 22 Piece Track. Suitable for young adventurers, this has authentic moulded features, easy-to-use forward and reverse gears, multiple track layout options and a detachable carriage for both storage and additional play.

Travel time for tots MOOKIE TOYS 01525 722769 www.mookie.co.uk Mookie Toys describes the Bugs range as the perfect option for a child’s first ride-on, aiding developmental growth and independence. Scuttlebug, Scuttlebug XL, Scramblebug and Scootiebug all offer benefits for children aged from one to five. The Scuttlebug XL is the latest addition to the Scuttlebug family. It provides all the fun of the traditional Scuttlebug, plus three heightadjustment modes and XL wheels suitable for off-road adventures. Scuttlebug’s toddler trikes are designed with convenience in mind. As well as being fun, bright, and funky, they have front wheel steering for greater manoeuvrability and a clever but simple folding system, making them portable, easy to store and practical for the modern family. And after a successful 2020 launch, the award-winning TP Trikes range continues to be a hit with children and their parents. The 4in1+, 4in1 and Early Fun Trikes are tricycles that grow and adapt with children from as young as 10 months. The TP 4in1+ and 4in1 both offer a parental lock mode, allowing parents to have full control over the steering and pedals, while their little ones can pop their feet up on the footrest. The 3-point safety belt keeps children safe, and the rubber, shock-resistant wheels ensure maximum comfort across any surface. With an adjustable UV sunshade included with the 4in1+ and 4in1 trike to protect kids from sunrays, and a storage tub for their necessities, they will never want to ride around in anything else again!

Climb aboard SIMBA SMOBY TOYS UK 01620 674 778 | sales@sisotoysuk.com Simba Smoby Toys UK’s trusted Smoby brand offers little ones a stylish introduction to the wheeled-toy category. With an already extensive catalogue of ride-ons, Spring will see the arrival of some new additions to the range. For wheelers aged 12-months-plus, there’s the Rookie Ride-On. This makes for an ideal first vehicle, thanks to the carefully adapted design and the limited steering angle, which helps maximise safety and stability during moves. Little ones will develop motor skills, agility, and confidence as they use their feet to push themselves along, learn to control their speed, stop, reverse, and more. Lightweight, equipped with a small basket to place a favourite toy inside, and with a handle under the seat, it’s safe to say that all aspects of the Rookie Ride-On’s design have been carefully considered. Meanwhile, for little ones aged two-plus, there’s the Rookie Tricycle. With its retro design, this three-wheeler will be a top pick for young families. Easy to steer, with soft silent wheels, kids will get a real thrill as they set off for lots of free-wheeling, independent fun. There is also a basket to the rear, where children can store their toys or any treasures they discover along the way.

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BMW X5 ELECTRIC RIDE-ON

FEATURE RIDE ONS

Let’s recycle! VTECH

01235 555545 www.vtech.co.uk It's time to get to work with the Ride & Go Recycling Truck by VTech. This recycling truck toy is made from 90% reclaimed plastic and encourages children to recycle through roleplay and rewarding responses. Six toy recyclable pieces are sorted by three colours and three recycling groups for kids to recycle. The toy features fun and interactive responses, which promote recycling the pieces into the correct shape sorter bins on the truck through four modes of play. Turn the red key and press the blue horn button for fun sounds. Then, scoop up the pieces using the front bucket for added fun.

Wheely fun H.GROSSMAN www.tobar.co.uk Sales@tobar.co.uk For younger children, learning to ride a bike is a very important moment, and Ozbozz has two balance bikes to help them find their way. In two colourways. they are the perfect transition between a ride-on toy and a stabilised bike, featuring strong, puncture-proof EVA tyres, soft-grip handles and a durable steel frame that makes them super-lightweight to transport and move around. And the adjustable seat means children won’t grow out of them any time soon. Older children are catered for with the Big Wheel Torq Ruff Scooter. This sturdy model is suitable for on road and off, with 200mm wheels at the front and back to traverse rougher terrain. It features a kickstand and folding design. With slightly smaller wheels, the Vyper Folding scooter has 145mm wheels at the front and back. This year also sees the introduction of two Light Twist threewheeled scooters in blue and pink which incorporate a light-up deck. Then there’s the Tie Dye Scooter and Rainbow Scooter, both with flashing wheels: start moving the scooter and the lights in the wheels automatically trigger, illuminating the front and back of the scooter. There is also a foot brake on the back wheel.

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DON’T MISS… Here’s a quick peek at some of the hottest and newest products. Buyers and retailers, get in touch with your sales contact now!

Product: Greenscape Village Company: Arckit Tel: +353 86 703 6316 Web: www.arckit.co.uk

Product: Na! Na! Na! Surprise 2-in-1 Fashion Doll and Pom Purse Glam Series Company: MGA Entertainment Tel: 01908 268480 Web: www.nananasurprise.mgae.com

Product: Doughnut Dash Company: The Dark Imp Tel: 07540 697177 Web: www.TheDarkImp.com

Don't Missnm.indd 1

Product: AirBrush Plush Unicorn Company: Canal Toys Tel: 01904 379123 Email: enquiries@canaltoys.uk

Product:CoComelon Bobble ride on Company: MV Sports & Leisure Tel: 0121 7488000 Web: www.mvsports.com

Product: Hape Farm Bucket Set Company: Toynamics Tel: 0116 478 5230 Web: www.toynamics.com

Product: My Friend Spidey 16in Plush Company: Jazwares Tel: 0203 598 0270 Web: www.jazwares.com

Product: James Bond Aston Martin DB5 Company: Playmobil Tel: 01268 548111 Web: www.playmobil.co.uk

Product: James Bond Cluedo Company: Winning Moves Tel: 020 3920 8151 Web: www.winningmoves.co.uk

02/11/2021 06:53

RETAIL INTERVIEW SMF TOYTOWN

SMF Toytown

turns 42

SMF Toytown founder and executive chairman Alan Simpson talks to Clare Turner about the pandemic, product trends and new store development plans for the independent toy chain

his month SMF Toytown celebrates 42 years of trading. The Belfast-based family business was founded by Alan Simpson in 1979 and has grown to become one of the largest independent toy retailers in the UK. Reflecting on the past two years of toy trading, Alan says: “We’ve probably fared better than most retail through Covid because the deals that we do with landlords are totally turnover-rent based. "We started doing that 10 years ago and it’s a business model that works for us. In 2020 most retail would have had a very difficult time. Our profits actually increased - and it was a good increase, all things considered - and I’m predicting that for 2021 we will see increased profits again, even though we were closed for the first four months of the year.” The specialist chain operates 33 stores: 10 in Northern Ireland, 10 in Scotland and 13 in England, ranging in size from 2,500sq ft (Doncaster)

“

Our expansion going forward will always focus on shopping centres

”

to 8,000sq ft (Merry Hill). The latter opened in the West Midlands shopping centre in May and was followed a month later by a 3,000sq ft branch in The Gyle shopping centre in Edinburgh. “We’ve covered the main areas of retail where toy retailing is effective, and have fine-tuned and honed over the years,” Alan says, “so we’ve got high street units, outlet units, and concessions in some department stores, but the vast majority of our stores are in shopping centres. "Why? Because it’s the one area that guarantees footfall, and with footfall comes turnover. There are so few toy retailers in shopping centres, which is phenomenal, but it’s all to do with the operating margin. Our expansion going forward will always focus on shopping centres.” SMF Toytown also has an ecommerce website at www. toytownstores.com but, Alan stresses, “my focus is very much bricks-andmortar and always has been. I’ve recognised that there’s a need for

an online presence for selling, so it ticks the box, but it’s not my be-all and end-all. SMF Toytown is built on bricks-and-mortar retailing. "I want parents to bring children into stores and give them the ‘wow’ experience that they had when they were children. You don’t get that with the arrival of a cardboard box at your door.” He recalls that as soon as lockdown was over, SMF Toytown was working on its Merry Hill branch and, he reports, “it’s trading really well. It’s the biggest in space and the biggest in turnover for us. The only other store we’ve opened this year is Gyle. We normally do four or five a year, and we would have done another three this year (one in Scotland and two in England) if it hadn’t been for the uncertainty of stock availability. So, we’ve put them on ice and pushed them back to 2022. And if everything is back to an acceptable level of normality, we may look at a couple of others, depending on what offers come along.”

toysnplaythings.media

Top

Best Sellers

■ Pokémon cards ■ H. Grossman Pop Mats ■ Lego Mini-Figures ■ H. Grossman Fidget Box ■ Hot Wheels Basic cars

SMF Toytown prides itself on having one of the widest toy offerings available. “We carry a full range from all the key suppliers,” Alan says. “We don’t just cherrypick a few products to give a representation that ticks the margin box. Our ethos is we want to stock product that people want to buy - not just product that we want to sell. So SMF Toytown is where you will find product that a lot of other retailers have ruled out, for whatever reason.” The comprehensive selection has both breadth and depth. Larger branches, for example, boast a 10-metre section of LEGO and a 4-metre section of Playmobil. In smaller stores, those

sections measure about 6 metres and 2.5 metres, respectively. “We cover everything, right across the board: preschool, plush, games & puzzles, action figures & playsets, arts & crafts, construction toys, fashion & dolls, pocket money toys… and we go out of our way to try to work closely with our key suppliers to give them as good a representation on displaying their products as we can. And that support is two ways: we give them support and they give us support. It’s a winwin scenario. We’ve built our business on being fair and I think that has stood us in good stead over the years.

“

Our ethos is we want to stock product that people want to buy - not just product that we want to sell. So SMF Toytown is where you’ll find product that a lot of other retailers have ruled out, for whatever reason

Changes at the top Alan Simpson has three sons in the business and on October 1 he announced that he had been working on restructuring the management of the company as he prepares to take a further step back from the day-today running of SMF Toytown to focus more on an overseeing role, in what he views as 'semi-retirement' after 42 years in the toy industry. The board structure is now: executive chairman - Alan Simpson, managing director

NOVEMBER 2021

- Kris Simpson, commercial director - Brian Simpson, HR director - Mark Simpson, and operations director - Andrew Addley. Alan said: “I’m confident that this structure will enable the company to continue to thrive as it has done over many years. I look forward to visiting branches over the coming months, as we enter the most important trading quarter for any retail business, made even more challenging by the various issues we are experiencing currently.”

”

“We’re also known for making instant decisions. I think that’s the beauty of a family business: you make a decision today and then implement it tomorrow - we don’t have brick walls to climb over. That makes life easy from a buying perspective because suppliers know they will get an answer there and then. If they’ve got 5,000 pieces in a line, we make them an offer, barter over the phone and then say ‘okay, that’s fine’.” When it comes to the wellpublicised threat of product shortages due to shipping delays, Alan took a pragmatic approach early on. “We looked at it and we thought, ‘do you know what, the suppliers are in the same boat here' (pardon the pun). They are going to struggle to get stock in. So, when everyone catches on that there are going to be issues, they are going to be piling orders. Some retailers won’t be able to afford to do that because they are working to very tight cashflows. We don’t have that problem: we are well funded, so we don’t need to number crunch through balance sheets. Therefore, we were able to say: let’s bind ourselves in now, while it’s available, and then we’ve got it to eek through to all stores.

Top

RETAIL INTERVIEW SMF TOYTOWN

What’s the most rewarding part of your job? “We have more than 200 employees in our stores, and what gets me up in the morning is the fact that those guys are relying on me to make decisions to keep the business buoyant and flourishing the way it is. So, they know that at the end of each month, their wages will go in the bank, and they won’t have issues with bills. That, for anyone, would be a nightmare scenario. That’s what keeps me involved in the business. I’m at a stage where I literally could walk away and have a very nice lifestyle. But this is a family business, and we treat employees as if they are family. We care about them. They’re not just numbers, they’re people. And they are people who have worries - and one of those is the fact that we’ve seen so many retailers hit the wall over the past year. They rely on me to make the hard decisions when I need to.”

What’s the most challenging part of your job? “Being based in Northern Ireland, the challenges that we’re facing at the minute with Brexit are mega. We’ve had numerous bookings delayed because of all the paperwork involved. This is an ongoing major frustration. With Brexit we were promised heaven and, in my view, we have been delivered hell. But in my four decades of toy trading, this is the most challenging time, without a doubt. The financial crisis [of 2008] was one thing, but I think that for businesses, it made everyone tighten their belts and focus on their figures and the majority got through it. But [the current situation] is something that is totally out of our control. We need goods. Most goods come from the Far East and the shipping lines are holding everyone to ransom. And that’s not just toys, that’s right across the whole spectrum of the supply line. It’s bad enough that raw material, packaging and labour costs are going up, but to have that all minimalised by the freight rates… it’s just unmanageable. “And then there’s the uncertainty: you can manage what you can predict, and you fear for the worst and hope for the best. But this is something you can’t actually bypass. You cannot get product from the Far East into the UK other than by ship (unless you pay a fortune and charter a plane). And I think that when the price rises start filtering through to the shelves, that’s when people will really baulk.”

Best Brands

■ LEGO ■ Mattel ■ Character Options ■ Spin Master ■ Hasbro

SMF Toytown opened a 3,000sq ft branch in Scotland’s The Gyle Shopping Centre in June. Located in the south Gyle area of Edinburgh, the 9,290sq m centre has two anchor tenants: Marks & Spencer and Morrisons. “In June we knew price rises were in the pipeline. We knew the issues and we knew that would impact on the large suppliers. So at that stage we then set in motion ‘let’s buy SMF in pre-price increase as much as Toytown is we can actually get’. We bought built on domestically too, and filled our boots where we could.” bricks-andSo what product categories are mortar performing well? “The majority retailing of our stores now have dedicated sections for fidget toys because that’s where demand is at the minute,” he says. “It’s all low-price items - there’s nothing that’s mega bucks - but it’s good repeat business. What we’ve noticed since reopening after lockdown is that there are not as many highticket sales. People are being cautious, but they also see the need to give their children play value without breaking the bank to do it.” But Barbie and LEGO are selling strongly too, along with games & puzzles. “I think before the pandemic struck, a lot of parents didn’t have enough time to play with their children. Now they have been given that time and have enjoyed playing family fun games and doing jigsaws and crafts,” Alan notes. “It’s a whole new world and people have learned that there’s more to life than just solid work 24/7. They are making time to do stuff. They’ve realised how much they’ve enjoyed playing with toys and that in turn gives them a feelgood factor. “Many parents think back to what they

“

”

enjoyed as a child - like Scalextric, train sets and LEGO, which they can now build together with their kids. People are able to relive their childhoods. I think those who have been doing that with children over the past months will now think a lot more about what their child will enjoy. And that will change their buying habits come Christmas time.” With the festive season on the horizon, Alan is positive. “We’re pleased with the level of business we’ve had across the board,” he says. “Figures are well above our expectations - whether that’s a sign that people are starting to shop earlier for Christmas, who knows? But I’ve been delighted with the numbers since reopening. Long may it continue!”

In May, Merry Hill welcomed SMF Toytown’s biggest UK store (8,000sq ft), which has a dedicated Babyworld nursery department. The 155,200sq m shopping centre in Brierley Hill near Dudley has 250-plus shops.

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FEATURE Q1 RANGES

Character Options

Wilton Bradley

On your marks,

get set...go! Retailers might enjoy having a bit of a breather after a (hopefully) busy Q4, but this Q1 may pan out slightly differently, as TnP discovers...

nce the excitement of the festivities is out of the way, toy retailers usually hope to see kids coming into store in Q1 to spend their Christmas cash and add to the big play sets and collections they found under the tree. But with consumers reportedly starting Christmas shopping early in case of shortages, and some people still nervous about big family gatherings, Thames & Kosmos sales director Jo Drage thinks the usual dynamic may change somewhat. “Consumers have been urged to start Christmas shopping early, but I suspect there are a huge amount of consumers (me included) that will not, and will end up giving money for Christmas as there will be no toys left,’’ she says. “There will also be lots of relatives that would normally meet up for Christmas that won’t due to still being nervous about Covid. I think that any retailers with stock left on their shelves will have a busy January with all that Christmas money burning a hole in children’s pockets!’’ Meanwhile, Joeri Hoste, general manager international of Exploding Kittens, thinks there’s good and bad news ahead, especially for indoor entertainment and games: “Consumers are likely to buy their Christmas gifts earlier this year, due to many factors including shipping delays, shortages, and general festive buying pressure.

This shift in buying habits could have a significant impact on Q1 sales and create larger demand than usual for indoor entertainment and games purchases during the winter months. However, this could be negated by supply chain issues affecting all shipping routes.’’ And it’s games that do well for Thames & Kosmos in Q1, as Jo Drage explains: “Our board games sell well at Christmas, particularly the cooperative ranges, but so do our science kits, as there are lots of parents and grandparents that value the educational aspect, and want to aid learning.’’ Over at Little Tikes, head of marketing Michelle Lilley says: “Our Fountain Factory Water Table is a key product for Q1. Historically we tend to see consumers making key summer purchases in Q1 ready for the summer ahead, so we’re widening our offering and ensuring we offer ways for little ones to play in as many ways as possible.’’ So what can retailers expect to fly off the shelves? In true post-Christmas fashion, many suppliers release new ranges of collectables, and additions to larger sets, which are traditionally picked up by kids with their Christmas money. For instance, there’s all-new plush in the Care Bears collection from Basic Fun! And with the brand’s 40th anniversary in 2022, there’s going to be plenty of focus on this nostalgic collection. Look out for

I suspect there’s a huge amount of consumers that will end up giving money for Christmas as there will be no toys left Jo Drage, Thames & Kosmos

the I Care Bear - made from recyclable materials, including plant-based inks. The ever-popular Sylvanian Families from Epoch making toys extends its core range in Q1 with two new families. The Husky Family is welcomed into the range and will be the first set to be released with triplets included alongside parent figures. The Sheep Family is also joining the village. CoComelon fans can also add to their collection, thanks to Bandai, which is introducing a new set of character figures, plush, playsets, and vehicles. Exploding Kittens, meanwhile, is launching an expansion pack for Poetry For Neanderthals in February. We asked suppliers how retailers should approach ordering stock for Q1. Thames & Kosmos’ Jo Drage says: “As always, forward selections early so that we can manage the stock situation. We have stock of many of our SKUs stored in Germany to keep costs down, as warehousing is cheaper there. We will ship more to the UK, if we have a lot of demand for a product.’’

And finally... Joeri Host, general manager international, Exploding Kittens has this advice: “Buy inventory yesterday! From ports being clogged, to shipping container shortages, the supply chain is going to be stressed for the foreseeable future. Plan accordingly and order as soon as possible for a more manageable first quarter and beyond.’’

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FEATURE Q1 RANGES

A vivacious selection Vivid 01483 449944 vividtoysandgames.co.uk

Fresh arrivals EPOCH making toys

Vivid Goliath will launch products for S/S22 across both new and existing brands - and carry forward its construction and domino brand ReaXion. Featuring the latest innovation in domino construction, the tiles are an X shape, which allows them to connect. Crayola Colour Wonder, meanwhile, introduces the muchanticipated licence Bluey from Q1, and making a splash in ’22, Colour ‘n’ Style Friends will dive under the sea with a range of magical mermaids.

0208 049 1377 sylvanianfamilies.net/uk Sylvanian Families is extending its core range in Q1 with the introduction of two new families. The Husky Family are welcomed into the range after the father, Vincent Husky, was elected mayor of Sylvanian Village in 2021 by global fans of the brand. The Husky Family will be the first set to be released with triplets included alongside parent figures - a new move for Sylvanian Families. The Sheep Family are also joining the village, with complementary baby and twin sets. In Spring, the Ready to Play lines will be expanded. Additions include sets with figures and accessories or furniture that allow you to start playing straight away. These lines will build on Sylvanian Families’ success in reaching fresh audiences, by helping newcomers to the brand grow their collection immediately. The Ready to Play sets include the Tandem Cycling Set, the BBQ Picnic Set, the Weekend Travel Set, Party Time Tea Set and the Princess Dress Up Set. EPOCH’s crafting brand Aquabeads will kick Spring 2022 off with an update to popular products in the core range. The Beginners Carry Case will replace the existing Beginners Studio with updated features and beads, all contained in a secure, portable case, ready to be taken on the move. This set serves as a great starter kit for new Aquabeads fans, as everything needed to get going is included. The Mystic Unicorn Set also releases in Spring. A revamp on the popular Magical Unicorn Set, this all-inone kit will be fully updated with the addition of star beads, design pegs and a creation display. The set allows children to make enchanting scenes with dynamic, movable unicorns.

A range with cat-titude! TWO IN 1 DIRECT Paul@allin1products.com catsvpickles.com The success of Cats vs Pickles is set to continue into S/S22, with new characters and the addition of 6in Chonks Chunky Size Plushies and 7in Reversibles. For fans struggling to pick a side - Team Cat or Team Pickle - the 7in Reversibles offer the best of both. Tapping into the reversible trend, these two-in-one collectable plush characters can be flipped from Cat to Pickle by turning them inside out. Available in a selection of themes, each featuring embroidered details, there are nine to collect in the initial wave. Meanwhile, the Cats vs Pickles Chonks 6in Collectable Plushies deliver the fun of the original Collectable Plushies but on a larger, chunkier scale.

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A plethora of puzzles RAVENSBURGER 01869 363800 www.ravensburger.co.uk Adult puzzles will be a key focus during Q1 for Ravensburger, linking to the everpopular Puzzle Month and International Puzzle Day in January. Since the pandemic, consumers have turned to puzzles like never before. This mindful pastime has become a go-to source of relaxation, safety and comfort - and a fantastic way to spend some quality time, whether you puzzle alone or with family and friends. There is no sign of this trend declining, and Ravensburger will introduce 70 new designs in Spring 2022. The company’s extensive range offers something to suit all tastes, with more than 50% of the range developed by the UK team, working alongside British artists and illustrators. Key themes include nostalgia, hobbies, and the beauty of the world around us. New designs include Around the UK & Ireland: a debut piece by Yorkshire-based artist Sven Shaw. Sven’s artwork shows famous buildings and sites of interest from 5,000 years of history, and the 1,000-piece puzzle includes a key for added interest. Another special commission is by Cornish artist Steve Cummins, with the 1,000-piece A Fisherman’s Life puzzle that captures some of the quieter moments of a fisherman’s day. This hand-painted scene reflects the strong sense of community and is a fantastic reflection of British nostalgia. Ravensburger will continue to support its adult puzzle range by highlighting its Positively Puzzling initiative, backed by heavyweight marketing and PR campaigns.

A showcase from Skyrocket SKYROCKET 01489 668442 salesuk@skyrockettoys.com From crystal-powered fairy dolls to interactive plush, Skyrocket has plenty of lines on offer for Q1. A collectable doll line for S/S22 is Crystalina. These 4in dolls, with brushable hair, light up to embody a crystal element with magical properties. There are four characters to collect that represent the crystal powers of love, healing, wisdom, and luck. Shake them to change their colour and focus their power. All Crystalina fairies share an enchanted connection: they can pass colours back and forth, creating a display of lights. The dolls each come with a wearable, crystal-shaped amulet that can pass ‘crystal powers’ in the form of light patterns to the doll and back to the amulet, allowing kids to collect their crystal powers. Each doll comes with a moon-shaped stand, which also collects the crystal energies, making for a glowing room display when a Crystalina doll is placed upon it.

A Bandai bundle BANDAI UK 0208 3246160 sales@bandai.co.uk Q1 brings a collection of new SKUs to the CoComelon licensed toy range including the Musical Family Car and Yes Yes Vegetable Basket, plus a new wave of character figures, plush, playsets, and vehicles. The CoComelon Musical Vegetable Basket allows youngsters aged two-plus to engage with toy versions of their favourite foods. Press on the basket’s nose to hear the CoComelon song Yes Yes Vegetables, and other fun sounds. For preschoolers aged three-plus, the Family Car is a brightly coloured, interactive, push-along vehicle. Featuring sounds and music from the show, children can push the CoComelon logo on the side of the car to hear fan favourites, such as Are We There Yet? plus real car sounds. A JJ figure is also included. Meanwhile, with Miraculous due to make its feature film debut in Q2, Bandai UK is introducing movierelated lines for Spring including fashion dolls, playsets, roleplay, plush, and collectables. Finally, Tamagotchi is back and celebrating 25 years since its introduction to the UK market. Tapping into the retro toys trend, two new styles will be unveiled for the latest Tamagotchi inception - Tamagotchi Pix - while the original lines will be refreshed with new Spring designs.

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Dolls encourage kids to B-Kind SIMBA SMOBY TOYS UK 01620 674 778 sales@sisotoysuk.com Simba Smoby Toys UK will continue to drive momentum in 2021, with a wave of Q1 releases across all categories. First, there’s a line-up of dolls to introduce. The B-Kind collection has been designed to not only be eco-conscious but also to promote positive messages of kindness, creativity, and compassion. Available from January, the dolls are made from recycled materials and dressed in eco-fashions. The packaging is environmentally friendly too: the dolls come boxed in reusable packaging, and a ribbon that serves as a box handle can later be used as a bracelet. Families can use the packaging to construct their own Kindness Board - a space to share kindness goals through drawings, photos, and more. The range launches with five characters: Brianna, Koral, Ivy, Nora, and Daisy (B.K.I.N.D.). Each encourages creativity through DIY play that reflects the dolls’ passions for going green, saving the oceans, ending bullying, and more. Each B-Kind doll features a DIY craft activity, such as making an upcycled outfit for the doll or creating a set of BFF bracelets. S/S22 will also bring a new brand to adopt: Pamper Petz. The cute Pamper Petz baby pets are looking for someone to adopt them. These poseable babies, with soft touch skin and sparkling eyes, can drink water from their bottle and will pee in their diaper. Kids will know when it’s time for a change when the nappy changes colour! With their endless play and repeat features, and the ‘magic paw’ colour gender reveal, Pamper Petz are sure to win a place in the hearts of their new adoptive parents. Pamper Petz come packaged in a plastic-free pack, with an adoption certificate and three accessories. The collection launches with three pets to collect: a rabbit, kitten and puppy. Retailers and buyers can also race into the New Year with Simba Smoby Toys UK’s collection of Majorette diecast vehicles. Small in size but big on detail, this premium range of 3in scale cars boasts opening doors, suspension, transparent front lights, and interiors. The collection already comprises licensed cars to collect, including Mercedes, Lamborghini, Audi, BMW, Porsche, and Volvo construction vehicles. Fresh die-cast themes and ranges will be added in 2022, including gift box sets such as Limited Edition Camouflage, Italian Dream Cars, and a Best of British Collection.

This spring sees the arrival of a new world of collectable dolls called SEAsters. Children will be amazed as their doll transforms into a mermaid when she’s immersed in water and can watch her outfit disappear to reveal her glitter effect mermaid tail and colour-change hair. Once the transformation is complete, kids can unlock the secret case to discover the pet charm bracelet hidden within. The first wave comprises 12 party-themed SEAsters to collect. Also launching are two SEAsters playsets, which each come with an exclusive doll: the SEAsters Ocean Bubbles Playset and the SEAsters Castle Playset. Another new dolls range is Unique Eyes. The eyes of these dolls follow the gaze of anyone observing them. The brand launches with three core characters - Amy, Sophia and Rebecca - who not only feature big and beautiful eyes but soft brushable hair and articulated bodies that will stand alone. Inspired by fashion trends, each character is available to purchase individually, styled in one removable outfit. Alternatively, the characters can be bought as ‘Total Look’ sets, which come with an additional outfit option.

Mattel reveals Barbie fun MATTEL 01628 500000 www.mattel.com Barbie will kick off Q1 with a new Color Reveal Mermaid series for Barbie & Chelsea. New in the Careers segment is the Bakery Playset and Ice Cream Shop Playset, and adding magic is the Twinkle Lights Mermaid doll. Fisher-Price will offer new solutions in Baby Gear, including the 2-in-1 Travel Potty and the Simple Support Tub. The newborn range will introduce new sleep solutions with the Rainbow Showers Bassinet to Bedside Mobile and the 3-in-1 Music, Glow & Grow Gym. New to the Infant range is the 123 Crawl with Me Puppy, plus the new Let’s Connect Laptop, while Little People introduces the Little People Big ABC Animal Train. New products from Thomas & Friends include the Race for the Sodor Cup Playset, which is inspired by the movie. Thomas fans can also create adventures with the Fix’em Up Friends Playset. Finally, the Hot Wheels City range will feature a new but backwards compatible system of play, allowing kids to connect the new tile pieces and track together to create their own personal Hot Wheels City.

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FEATURE Q1 RANGES

Pretend play WILTON BRADLEY 01626 835400 www.wiltonbradley.com It’s no secret that when it comes to outdoor play, kids need no help in creating their own, imaginary worlds. Wilton Bradley’s Playhouse products complement this desire to imagine and dream, thanks to the range of kids’ garden play furniture. The new Playhouse Woodwork Station is a workbench with a pre-drilled peg board for fitting tools, which encourages roleplay and will keep children busy for many hours of DIY fun. It’s the perfect workstation for little craftsmen and women - and it’s also great for developing dexterity and hand/eye co-ordination. Meanwhile, the new Ice Cream Van enables kids to step inside, take control and pretend to drive to their next destination. They can then park up and go into the back, where an onboard kitchen awaits, which features a chest freezer with sliding door. Little ones can act and play as they pretend to scoop ice cream, before handing out their creations from the serving hatch. Along with a blackboard menu for them to write on, they’ll have plenty of fun in this mini food van that provides a platform to fuel kids’ imagination,

All-new plush pals BASIC FUN! 0118 925 3270 Tim.Ives@basicfun.com Buyers can bank on Basic Fun!’s best-selling brands for a strong start to 2022. With the brand set to celebrate its 40th anniversary in 2022, the Care Bears collection invites fans to take a trip down memory lane, with a host of favourite characters available in a variety of sizes. Following the sell-out success of Togetherness Bear comes the all-new plush pal for S/S22: Dream Bright Bear. This is the most optimistic bear in Care-A-Lot, encouraging all to follow their dreams! Available as 9in and 14in plush, she has a belly badge that depicts a heart taking flight that is powered by a rainbow. The New Year will also bring the arrival of I Care Bear, who is made from recyclable materials, including plant-based inks. Next, there’s a truckload of fun on its way from Basic Fun!’s Tonka collection, with a new offering of Monster Metal Movers available from February as single and combo packs, with playsets to come in the autumn. These combine the thrill of Monster Trucks with Tonka Tough styling and construction and service vehicles, for the ultimate Tonka diecast.

Jiggle into spring CHARACTER OPTIONS 0161 633 9800 sales@charactergroup.plc.uk Character Options will be filling the toy aisles in Q1 with a string of brands to get 2022 off to a flying start. First, from the world of Jiggly Pets, comes Jiggly Pets Elephant. He features full body movement, music and sound effects (watch him walk and lift his trunk to the beat of his tunes), plus head and rear sensors reacting to the touch of his new friend. He joins Tan-Tan the Orangutan and the Jiggly Pets Pups and Koalas, which launched this year. The Heroes of Goo Jit Zu brand remains a top priority for Character Options next year, with continued investment and new themes to drive collectability. The latest in the collection is the Dino X-Ray Series, which sees the existing Heroes go X-Ray following the discovery of a new meteor. These seven Dino Heroes are super gooey and feature an X-Ray bone filling you can see. Stretch them, squish them, and see their X-Ray bones bulge out! Included in this wave is Smashadon: the exclusive, ultrarare character with a translucent, glow-in-the-dark X-Ray finish. There are also two Heroes of Goo Jit Zu Dino X-Ray Versus Packs to collect in the Series: Fossil Faceoff in which X-Ray Thrash takes on Chomp-Attack Verapz, and Stone Age Rampage that sees Tritops go head-tohead with Chomp-Attack Shredz. Exclusive figures and special finishes are only available in these packs. Also not to be missed is Supagoo Dino. Dinogoo Tyro has evolved into the ultimate Goo Jit Zu fighter with chomp attack jaws; stretch him for attack lights and sounds. Spring will also see Character extend its licensed collection of Eco Plush with characters from the preschool worlds of CoComelon, Blippi, Barney, Teletubbies and My Little Pony, as well as Peppa Pig.

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RETAIL INTERVIEW BRIGHTMINDS

BrightMinds comes of age

TnP talks to teacher-turned retailer Alison Quill, founder and managing director of online store BrightMinds, about her passion for educational toys and games

“

What’s your background?

Our mission is to foster ‘a brighter way to play'

I was Head of Biology at an Oxfordshire secondary school, then in product development for a major school supplier. I left teaching because I felt stifled by the National Curriculum. My science lessons used all the senses to appeal to each child’s individual learning style, and that’s what I still look for in the products we offer.

”

Tell us a bit about BrightMinds. It’s an award-winning online store specialising in quality educational toys, games, gifts, and gadgets for kids aged four-plus, that are not only fun to use but also encourage learning and development - all backed by a 90-day no-quibble guarantee. We launched in 2000 and haven’t looked back. Our mission is to foster 'a brighter way to play' to inspire children to be curious about the world around them and encourage creativity in a fun and relaxed way.

How would you describe your range? Fun, active, and hands-on!

What are your key categories? We specialise in STEM or STEAM toys as we prefer to have art in there.

Top

What’s hot?

Learning Resources, Djeco, Brainstorm, Melissa & Doug, Great Gizmos.

BrainBolt from Learning Resources looks surprisingly hot!

How do you source products?

Have you noticed any changes in customers’ buying habits?

This year has been different with no toy fairs, so just catalogues and samples.

What’s your selection criteria? Previous year’s sales, gross margin, educational originality. We don't take character-branded lines.

Best Sellers

■ G reat Gizmo Logiblocs Smart Circuit ■ L earning Resources Kidnoculars ■ L earning Resources BrainBolt ■ B rainstorm Toys T rex Head Torch ■ V arious suppliers Magnetic Dartboard

What are your key brands?

What do you offer that other online toy shops don’t? A thought-out curated product range, specifically for STEAM toys and games.

How do you compete with the likes of Amazon? We try to be fair when pricing, offer real people to talk to on the telephone and offer select products.

What techniques do you use to target customers? Our catalogue is a great resource and emails are the biggest attraction. Social media is less important to us.

Have any surprise items sold particularly well? The very educational MathLink [an early maths starter set which visually represents numbers for children]: we love the new CBeebies version!

Massively. In lockdown we sold lots of whiteboards, plastic pockets, art consumables... Now I expect gadgets will outsell educational stuff.

What are your top predictions for Christmas? Nature and gardening kits.

What are you most excited about for the upcoming season? Getting stock!

What's next? We've started selling books, so I will be interested to see how that goes.

Where do you derive the most satisfaction, face the biggest challenges and perceive the greatest opportunities? Producing the catalogue gives me satisfaction still - after 21 years! The challenge this year is pricing and stock planning. Opportunities? The increased awareness of how parents can support kids learning at home.

What’s your favourite toy or game? Qwirkle: I love the spatial awareness of it.

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THE INDEPENDENT

OPINION

Diary of a toy shop Amanda Alexander, owner of Giddy Goat Toys in Didsbury, Manchester, starts her countdown to Christmas thinking about storage space

s if 2021 hasn’t been enough of a challenge, all the talk now is of stock shortages due to the issue with shipping containers and a shortage of HGV drivers - and, just for fun, fuel caused due to said shortage of HGV drivers. There are advantages and disadvantages to being a small retailer in these crazy times. On the positive side, I’m not limited to having to ask permission from a parent company, purchasing manager or area manager about what products I can buy, or when or how much I can spend. So, I’ve thrown caution to the wind and gone on a wild spending spree and spent THREE times as much this September as in any previous Septembers. The downside of course is that as a small retailer, my storage space is really limited - particularly post-pandemic, I’m now selling online in a way that I wasn’t pre-March 2020. So, I’ve had to section off part of my main storeroom to become a packing area. And as our eldest son sailed off to Glasgow University in September, his bedroom has now become a toy storage room. It would be lovely if he wants to come home for Reading Week in November, but he will have to share his bedroom with a lot of LEGO and Playmobil! Not only have I been buying for now, but I’ve been putting in forward orders. The interesting thing I’ve learned about this process is that suppliers manage it differently. The questions I’ve been asking my reps are ‘who is your biggest customer?’ and ‘if I forward order stock now to be delivered at

“

There are advantages and disadvantages to being a small retailer in these crazy times

“

NOVEMBER 2021

the start of November, and Amazon (which is pretty much always the biggest customer - but collectively independents are often the second) then swings in with a late order which includes items I’ve requested, will you pull from my allocation to fulfil their request?’. Their responses vary - so independent retailers take note and ask these questions. Some will pressure you to make forward orders because it makes their life easier, but don’t be fooled into thinking that stock is held for you. However, other suppliers state that if you forward order, your virtual towel stays on the stock and it’s yours - even allowing you to amend it up or down as you need. Of course I understand the commercial reasoning behind this, although in truth the efficiency of suppliers’ IT systems also plays a part here, with some simply not having the function to reserve or allocate items from the warehouse to specific retailers in advance. But I do feel more suppliers should be upfront about this and more retailers should be made aware of it. It’s amazing how many customers are blissfully unaware of the predicted shortages, but there are certainly a number that have already started Christmas shopping. In the third week of September there was a definite uptick in trade. It was almost like parents had got their kids back to school, had a couple of weeks off parenting to clean their houses (or sit around drinking gin and praying for no further school closures), and then got to it and started forward planning. So in that respect, I think massively upping

my stock in September was a good plan. There are still a few suppliers I need to speak to and that’s next week’s job - but lots of reps have been over for visits and it’s been lovely catching up with people again, many of whom I’ve known for years. I ummed and aahed about going to Autumn Fair or the AIS show but in the end, I couldn’t be fettled with the hideousness of the M6 or the cost of last-minute train travel and figured I would only spend half the day yakking instead of productively ordering, and that time is of the essence at this point in the year. I have, however, already booked my hotel room ready for the Toy Fair in January as I feel faffing around chatting and looking at new lines in January is justified. In other news, I was right chuffed (that’s northern for very pleased) to find out that Giddy Goat Toys had been selected to be one of the 2021 Small Biz 100 businesses. This is part of American Express’ Small Business Saturday campaign, which encourages consumers to shop local. Small Business Saturday is the first Saturday of December and in the 100 days leading up to it, a different business is championed each day. Our ‘day’ is Thursday 2 December which is great, being just before Christmas. Plus, it gives us a chance to do lots of PR about it! So, here’s to a happy, healthy, and busy Q4 everyone. Good luck, especially to all my fellow indie retailers who I know will be putting in lots of extra hours over the next few weeks. And five gold stars to those suppliers that help support us through their network of helpful reps and helpful ordering systems.

FEATURE

TOYS FOR ADULTS Bandai

It’s not all

about the kids Toy shops can appeal to all ages, says John Ryan, as he urges retailers to consider thinking outside the box and targeting some of their older customers when ordering stock

“

oy shops are for children, sometimes accompanied and sometimes unaccompanied by an adult. They are places that represent a wonderland filled with objects of desire - if they have the right stock in which to spend time and money on something that has always been wanted, or at least since eyes were clapped on a particular item when browsing. But this definition is a little constrictive. Imagine instead a toy shop for adults. At this point, it is necessary to dispel the leap of imagination that some may have made into repositories of ‘adult toys’. X11 in Shanghai is not about this. Instead, this is a large space of around 2,000sq m, spread across two floors, where the prevailing demographic will already have reached official adulthood. The merchandise on offer (because this is, after all, China), consists to a large degree of superhero models, animé and Manga characters, and the whole thing

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Toy shops as a proposition for the young are fine, but just because we reach adulthood, it does not mean that we lose track of our capacity for wonder

is contained within a distinctly futuristic environment that looks a little like a comic book brought to life. And given the propensity of this part of the population to record everything on their phones, there’s even a shiny, metallic-looking tunnel on the lower level with cartoon figures positioned in niches along its length, just waiting for an ‘Insta’ moment to be created and captured. Some of you may now have come to the conclusion that this is a one-off oddity, of the kind to be expected in the megalopolis that is the world’s most populous city. Yet there are in fact 11 X11s dotted around China. What this says, perhaps, is that this is a successful enterprise and its proprietors have spotted a gap in the market and are working hard to fill it. All of which is a long and maybe roundabout way of saying that there is more to the toy retailing universe than the very young, and that the imaginations of older folk can as readily be provided with products that will amuse and divert as their junior cohorts. But could something similar be replicated around

5,000 miles away - in our backyard? The answer would seem to be a qualified yes. Walking around the Somerset town of Frome recently, I came across an indie model store. I was immediately transported back to the age of 14 or 15 when making model plane kits kept me quiet/amused for weeks. Little appeared to have changed, other than that the average age of those perusing anything from a build-yourself early 20th century trawler model to a World War II bomber was considerably older than I seemed to remember. The customers in this shop were not iPhone-toting types waiting to take a selfie of themselves next to a life-size Superman model (yes, X11 has these and you can buy them… at a price), but rather those with a little time on their hands and the patience to use it to create something that would be admired. In truth, there is money in age, but seemingly little enthusiasm to cater for this. Toy shops overwhelmingly target children, as they probably should, but an opportunity exists, nonetheless. So what about a hybrid shop?

toysnplaythings.media 01/11/2021 19:42

Get in on the action! BANDAI UK sales@bandai.co.uk | www.bandai.co.uk Bandai brings one of the most successful manga and anime series of all time to life with its extensive range of Dragon Ball action figures. The range includes everything from super-sized Limit Breaker figures to mini-blind bag collectables. Dragon Stars are the key collectables from the range for the avid enthusiast. These highly detailed and poseable 17cm figures come with 17 or more points of articulation and can be posed in more than 9,000 positions for both play and display. Each figure also comes with a second set of hands and/or accessories for extended play value. Providing an extensive collection, the latest character figures to join the assortment in various forms include Goku, Vegeta, Gotenks, Broly, Bardock, Vegito, and Janemba. Continued development of the highly articulated Evolve Action Figures and epic Limit Breakers Figures brings mass audience appeal to Dragon Ball fans. A new Evolve triple pack, containing Golden Freeza, Goku Ultra Instinct and Jiren action figures, offers retailers added value onshelf for any Dragon Ball collection.

I mentioned earlier that mainstream toy shop visitors tend to be young but with an adult (aka a walking wallet) frequently in tow. Usually, the more senior part of this shopper equation will be tolerating the experience, at best. They may enjoy watching their charges enjoying themselves, but as an experience that relates to them, there is little to be gleaned. Why not, therefore, consider a toy shop of parts? An X11 enterprise may be a bit much, but an in-toy shop area that targets adults would seem like a pretty good idea. Grown-ups are in your shop and, unlike most children, they have disposable cash. They would also like to be diverted. The question is, what should be put in front of them? Is it kits that turn into small-scale replicas of cars, planes or ships; or items aimed at the computer gameplaying generation who have seen characters on their screens that they might crave in 3D? Either, or perhaps both, could be stocked - and it’s down to the individual toy shop to work out

NOVEMBER 2021 Feature Toys for Adultsnm.indd 2

Young at heart SPIN MASTER 01628 535 000 www.spinmastertoys.co.uk Toys aren’t just for children and Spin Master has a wide range of toys, puzzles and games for adults that are young at heart. From household names such as Batman and Meccano to fingerboards from popular brand Tech Deck, Spin Master has plenty to offer big and little kids alike. For puzzles, flip, twist and spin the Perplexus Beast and Perplexus Rebel 360 degrees to navigate the ball along the numbered track. Manoeuvre tricky obstacles without falling off the track in these intense, bendy 3D challenges that are impossible to put down. Skateboard fans of all ages can show off their skills with the Tech Deck 96mm boards 1 pack. Tech Deck brings fans the real deal with authentic fingerboards from real skate companies including Blind, Baker, Primitive, Finesse, Santa Cruz, Plan B, Sk8mafia and Toy Machine. Construction sets such as the Meccano 25-in-1 Supercar playset set are ideal for intermediate or advanced builders. With a six-volt motor, LED light pipes, 347 parts and two tools, builders can have fun assembling and reassembling 25 motorised luxury dream cars.

who their customers are and act accordingly. What’s more important is that you are expanding your offer and appealing to a much broader range of potential customers, while additional sales beckon. This would require a little more research than you might normally carry out and there is always the fear of the unknown. But surely this must be worth some consideration? Toy shops as a proposition for the very young are fine, but just because we reach adulthood, it does not mean that we lose track of our capacity for wonder. Canny toy retailers could do worse than cast an eye over X11 and work out whether there is mileage to be made from doing something similar in their location. After all, we all deserve to be entertained.

Die-cast collectables SIMBA SMOBY TOYS UK 01620 674 778. sales@simbasmoby.com The Jada Toys Hollywood Rides range celebrates the best in action film merchandising with scaled replicas of the most memorable wheels. A must-have in the range are the Batman 1:32 scale die-cast cars. Launched last year to mark Batman’s 80th birthday, this collection comprises six vehicles. Each pack includes a metal figure and a vehicle modelled on Batman’s on-screen appearances. And with The Batman movie scheduled for release in March, fans can look forward to brand new 1:32 and 1:24 scale replicas in S/S22. Another Hollywood Rides line that has been enjoying traction this year, thanks to the release of the F9 movie, is the Fast & Furious diecast collection. Fans can collect popular cars from the eight-film, multibillion-dollar franchise, as well as new additions from Hobbs & Shaw. Then there’s the Majorette range of die-cast vehicles. Small in size but big on detail, these 3in scale cars boast opening doors, suspension, transparent front lights, and interiors. The collection comprises licensed cars including Mercedes, Lamborghini, Audi, BMW, Porsche and more.

01/11/2021 19:42

FEATURE

TOYS FOR ADULTS

Keeping up with the kidults FLAIR 0208 643 0320 | sales@flairplc.co.uk From Godzilla vs. Kong to Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (TMNT) vs. Cobra Kai, all the way through to Let’s Glow Studio, the Flair portfolio packs a whole lot of appeal for adult collectors and social media users. First up, and ideal for adult collectors, is the TMNT vs. Cobra Kai collection. The pairing brings together two of the hottest martial arts properties for the first time, seeing the worlds of the Turtles and Cobra Kai collide. The range launches with an assortment of four two-figure packs to collect. In each pack, there are two fully articulated figures: a Turtle with his signature weapon and a Cobra Kai Figure presented in a recognisable outfit. MonsterVerse is another popular collection for adult collectors. The range now includes a selection of movie figures, launched to support the box office release of Godzilla vs. Kong. The MonsterVerse Godzilla vs. Kong range includes 6in articulated movie figures, which each feature removable chunks of flesh! There are also larger articulated characters available: look out for the 11in Giant Godzilla and Kong assortment and the 13in Mega Godzilla and Mega Kong figures, which have lights and sounds features, and a unique mechanical battle action.

Finally, for adults who love spending time on social media, Let’s Glow Studio comes with the materials and tools needed to create retro-reflective accessories that will light-up in photos and videos, with no app required. Driven by social media trends, including glow stick challenges and the sharing of dancing/fashion content, the Let’s Glow Studio content-creation craft kit is billed as a market-first. The kit comes with retroreflective accessories for hair, shades, nails and more, as well as a LED Selfie Clip, called the StarLight Clip. By attaching the StarLight Clip to any phone, tablet or laptop, users can capture colour changing visuals when the light is shone at their retro-reflective accessories. The StarLight Clip has 16 colour options, as well as four lightchanging sequences, and speed control. Let’s Glow Studio topup packs are also available.

Cross-generational For grownup parties nostalgic appeal BASIC FUN! UK 0118 925 3270 | Tim.Ives@basicfun.com Basic Fun!’s portfolio of brands is packed with cross-generational appeal, with the likes of Pound Puppies, Care Bears and Monopoly Surprise Collectables all popular with an adult audience, due to their collectability and nostalgic familiarity. A smash hit with all ages is Monopoly Surprise Collectables. These blind-boxed collectables are designed with Monopoly enthusiasts in mind. Presenting lots of surprises to peel ‘n reveal, including heavy-weighted, metal, exclusive tokens, unique coins, new Mr. Monopoly expressions, and chase tokens, Monopoly Surprise Collectables are not just fun to collect - they can also be used while playing nearly any version of Monopoly. There are two lines: Monopoly Surprise Exclusive Collectable Tokens and Monopoly Surprise Community Chests.

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H. GROSSMAN 01603 397105 www.tobar.co.uk H. Grossman offers a wide variety of games and puzzles from its Tobar brand from the traditional Draughts, Snakes and Ladders and Ludo to the zany, hilarious Poop Shoot, Poo head and Hoop Head, which can be family games or adapted as party games for adults. Atmosfear is not just a board game, but an amplified experience in-home entertainment with an interactive App that works across your mobile, tablet and home entertainment system. This revamped classic is a game of skill, strategy and suspense, wrapped up in a race against time. With interactive Appbased game play, random selection to ensure a different game every time, and spine-chilling atmospheric digital surround sound and picture, everyone will be shouting “Yes, my Gatekeeper!”

toysnplaythings.media 01/11/2021 19:42

TMNT_Vs_CobraKai_T&P_Nov.ai 1 19/10/2021 17:26:48

CMY

150

PREVIEW

BLE

Exhibitors currently confirmed for BLE. The list features companies from three licensing categories - Character & Entertainment, Brands & Lifestyle, and Art, Design & Image

Licensing live at last!

It’s great to get back into exhibition halls once more, and another show coming back to the ‘real world’ is British Licensing Europe, which takes place from 17 November to 19 November at ExCel London. TnP catches up with Anna Knight, VP Licensing at organiser Informa Markets, to talk about this year’s event

Brand Licensing Europe is special because it’s the only pan-European event dedicated to licensing and brand extension, bringing together leading brand owners, retailers, licensees and manufacturers for three days of deal-making, networking and trend spotting. Being at a live event will be so exciting, and that's something I think we all need after the past 18 months. Creating and building relationships is always done best in-person and we can’t wait to be back at ExCeL to reconnect, network and share a drink again. For many people, BLE will

be the fi rst time in over two years that they’ve met in-person; it will be really special.

So after a most unusual 18 months, what will be different about this year’s BLE? Sustainability is a huge focus for BLE. We have implemented initiatives to ensure our event is more responsible, and you may notice some of these changes on the show fl oor. These include e-badges for both exhibitors and visitors, limiting the amount of paper distribution by reducing printing.

Guess what The character parade will take place twice this year - at 11.30am on Wednesday and Thursday 62

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Creating “ and building relationships is always done best inperson and we can’t wait to be back at ExCeL to reconnect, network and share a drink again

“

What is special about BLE?

We are also introducing the ‘Better Stands’ initiative for exhibitors, which will eliminate single-use stand builds. Being at ExCeL, in-person, is the best and only way to truly ‘experience’ the licensing industry. This year we are showcasing brands in creative ways that will make the products and brands come to life in a way that will truly inspire. The in-person event will very much focus on facilitating meetings between exhibitors and visitors, allowing them to do what’s most important to them: network and sign deals. Additionally, on the show fl oor there will be two brilliant - keynotes, and a series of sessions in the Retail Trends Lounge. The remaining educational content will be available online as part of the BLE virtual follow-up, running from 30 November to 1 December. Even if you can’t attend BLE in-person, the new multi-platform

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01/11/2021 19:35

format means exhibitors and visitors will have access before, during and after the events to schedule and host meetings, watch on-demand content and search and discover the widest range of properties available for licence anywhere in Europe.

This will be the second show at ExCeL - what benefits does it offer visitors and exhibitors? Our move to ExCeL in 2019 went incredibly smoothly. We moved to ExCeL to have space to grow, to give our exhibitors more flexible stand options and meeting spaces but also room to get creative and design activations and new ways to connect with attendees, and for all of the visitor benefits, too, including the catering and hospitality options - and none of this has changed. The proximity to City Airport also makes it incredibly convenient for Europeans, and after all, BLE brings together the entire European industry under one roof. We have agreed a tenancy with ExCeL for the foreseeable future - it’s our home, and we’re looking forward to our future there.

Exclusive retailer content The show will feature exclusive retailer content for this year’s event including five live sessions in the Retail Trends Lounge delivered by George at Asda and Hasbro, Kids Industries, The Insights Family, Black Lives Matter Licensing Movement, and Julia Redman and Nextail Labs. The Retail Trends Lounge programme was introduced to help retailers make the most of the opportunities that licensing can offer, and they are invited to use the space to also host meetings off the show floor. All five sessions, plus the live final of the Kelvyn Gardner License This! competition will be recorded and available to all attendees to watch on-demand as part of the BLE virtual follow-up running from 30 November to 1 December. They are: Wednesday 17 November: A Future Forecast 2022 - Nick Richardson, ounder and CEO The Insights Family The Future Forecast will provide a practical

Team GB to present day one keynote

What is new and should not be missed? There are so many new features: ■ The Sustainability Activation in partnership with Products of Change will be a huge showcase at the front of the show to inspire all towards a more sustainable future. ■ License This! will have three award categories, including a new category focused on product innovation in partnership with Mojo Nation. ■ Licensing U, produced by Licensing International, is also new, with 20-plus sessions offering everything there is to know about the licensing industry, and content accessible on-demand for three months after the event ends. ■ We will also be celebrating our Agents of Change as part of our What’s Next theme. ■ Two amazing keynotes!

What’s your favourite thing about BLE? This is a tricky one, but I think it has to be the character parade. The procession brings such playfulness and energy to the show floor that it’s impossible not to smile. The extra good news is that this year it will be taking place twice – at 11.30am on Wednesday and Thursday.

NOVEMBER 2021 Preview Brand Licensingnm.indd 2

perspective on the opportunities and challenges family trends pose to retailers. The importance of diversity & inclusion in Licensing - Saphia Maxamed, founder, Black Lives Matter Licensing Movement: An introduction to The Black Lives Matters Licensing Movement, the current retail landscape and its lack of diversity. Plant with Peppa @ Asda Catrina O'Brien, retail development director, UK, Europe & Asia Licensing, Hasbro Jade Snart, sustainability and compliance expert, George at Asda: The programme that’s teaching children about the importance of trees in the world. Agility and Creativity in Omni-Channel Retail - Julia Redman, owner, Buyers Eye, Buying & Sourcing Consultancy Friday 19 November: Families, experiences and the importance of toys - Gary Pope, co-founder and CEO, Kids Industries.

ViacomCBS Consumer Products to host day two keynote ViacomCBS will share insights from its corporate diversity and inclusion efforts, along with details of its latest toy research, during Brand Licensing Europe’s second-day keynote. Mark Kingston, senior vice president, international, of ViacomCBS Consumer Products, will lead the keynote and review the impact on culture, community, and industry when there’s a strong commitment to diversity, inclusion and belonging. The keynote will also include Ameeta Held, vice president, insights and business strategy, consumer products of ViacomCBS, who will refer to original toy research detailing the importance of authentic representation in dolls and the impact on choice. Mark says: “As an organisation we are dedicated to creating content that reflects the global audiences we serve, and within consumer products we are especially committed to ensuring our products are inclusive and representative. Our latest research shines a light on the important role that our industry plays in our continued conversation around diversity and inclusion, and I look forward to presenting our thoughts and findings.” Ahead of ViacomCBS’ keynote, representatives from Black Lives Matter Licensing UK will take to the stage to talk about the group’s purpose, goals, and activity in the sector to date.

Fresh from securing 63 medals at The Tokyo Summer Olympic Games, Team GB will present the opening day keynote at Brand Licensing Europe in November, when British Olympic gold medallists Tom Daley and Charlotte Worthington will talk about their journeys to the sporting event. The Team GB keynote will take place on Wednesday 17 November at 4pm in the Platinum Suite of ExCeL London and open with the Olympians’ personal accounts of their experiences before, during and following their gold-medal-winning performances. Tom, Daley, the first Team GB diver to win four Olympic medals, will appear by live video link from Canada, and BMX freestyle gold medallist Charlotte Worthington will appear in person alongside Tim Ellerton, commercial director of Team GB, and Will Stewart, managing director of The Point. 1888 (one of Team GB’s brand licensing partners). A panel session featuring all four speakers will follow. Topics to be discussed include how Team GB are building the brand to inspire future athletes and sports fans; Team GB’s approach to brand licensing with sports and fan communities in mind; and how will Paris 2024 be a new milestone for the Team GB brand and its athletes? Charlotte will join The Point. 1888 on their stand for a meet-and-greet following the presentation at 5pm.

01/11/2021 19:35

FEATURE

LICENSING SPOTLIGHT

Fully licensed Licensed products are always popular, and with the movie business back in full swing, this trend looks set to continue. TnP talks to licensed toy suppliers to find out what retailers can expect from them in the next few months

Llyr Lewis Senior Director, Licensing, EMEA & APAC Spin Master Tell us about your company and its licensed products. In addition to our own IP, we are the entrusted licensee for leading franchises including Warner Bros. Consumer Products’ (DC Universe Wizarding World), FELD Entertainment Inc. (Monster Jam, Supercross), and Riot Games (League of Legends). Our focus is to reimagine where imagination can take us for each one of these properties and ultimately deliver innovative toys and magical experiences for kids and their families globally. Some exciting products to look out for this holiday season in Spin Master’s licensed portfolio include a heroic 83cm tall Batman Transforming Playset, which will be a hit with any Batman fan. Or if you are a huge Harry Potter fan like me, you’ll be looking forward to experiencing the magic of the Wizarding World with the Magical Minis Hogwarts Castle.

What do you see as the big licences for 2022? The DC Universe is heading into a big year in 2022, with no less than four major movie releases within the portfolio: The Batman, Black Adam, The Flash & Aquaman 2. And if that wasn’t enough, the third instalment of the Fantastic Beasts series - Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore - is also set to release in March to enchant audiences, and further drive awareness of and demand for WB’s Wizarding World.

How important is licensing to you as a company, and what can we look forward to in the next year? Licensing is very important to us, and while we have a reputation for developing our own independent IP, we are also known to be a trusted steward of legacy brands. We are constantly seeking and evaluating new opportunities, whether it be established franchises or smaller ‘toyetic’ properties that have the potential to break out. Over the next year, we are excited to be partnering with Universal Brand Development on Gabby’s Dollhouse: a DreamWorks Animation preschool series anchored by an evergreen dollhouse play pattern. Gabby’s Dollhouse toys have already seen exceptionally strong results out of the gate this Autumn in the US, with Gabby fans eager to play, engage and interact with their favourite characters from the show.

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Scott Eden Design Director Wilton Bradley Tell us about your company and its licensed products. We have signed up to licensing deals in the past to support our existing product ranges, such as our Great British Sewing Bee sewing machines and accessories, and X-Factor Mi-Mic Karaoke microphones, as an option within our successful Mi Mic Ranges. We made the decision to invest in officially licensed products for all of our ride-on vehicles - this ensures the best quality and design and gives us exclusivity in the market. We also have the licence for certain product categories with Volkswagen, ranging from lunch boxes to beach towels and sleeping bags. New for 2022 will be a wash bag in the two best-selling colours.

How important is licensing to you as a company, and what can we look forward to in the next year? Our newest licensed range is in partnership with The Great British Bake Off’s Nadiya Hussain. Together, we’ve developed a new product range called Bake me a Story, which contains a range of baking and cooking sets with smaller tools perfect for smaller hands. Part of the Nadiya baking range was based around the idea of family interactions between parents and children, with the whole family coming together to get creative in the kitchen. We saw there was a gap in children’s baking and at a very similar time we started talking to Nadiya, so coincidentally it tied together really well. She’s been very inspiring to work with and very like-minded.

What do you look for when searching out new licence partners? We see licensing slightly differently than much of the toy trade. We choose to work with like-minded, likehearted people and businesses to develop a product together, rather than focusing on the newest movie or YouTube stars.

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Phil Ratcliffe Joint Managing Director MV Sports & Leisure Tell us about your company and its licensed products. With an unrivalled portfolio of classic and hot licences, our range covers everything from a first sit & ride, through trikes and scooters and on to skateboards and bikes.

What do you see as the big licences for 2022? Evergreens such as Paw Patrol, Peppa Pig, Spider-Man, Batman, Disney Princess and Barbie will continue to flourish. However, newcomers such as Cocomelon, Bluey and Lightyear look promising for next year.

How important is licensing to you as a company, and what can we look forward to in the next year? Licensing is important and offers constant variety and innovation as the various licences evolve. Look out for some exciting developments on our Nerf ranges and refreshes to some of our evergreen properties as well as new launches such as Bluey and Lightyear.

What do you look for when searching out new licence partners? In our category the licence usually must have the credentials to succeed in the toy space or is already selling well. We are constantly on the lookout for new licences and shortlist various properties before making a proposal. Key to success are awareness levels, depth and richness of content and success/performance in other countries/sectors.

A collection built on

gaming fun SIMBA SMOBY TOYS UK 01620 674 778 sales@simbasmoby.com

Simba Smoby Toys UK’s licenced lines include several from the realm of console and mobile gaming: Super Mario, Animal Crossing, and Minecraft. For Super Mario - the video game franchise seeing a strong brand resurgence thanks to the success of Nintendo Switch - Simba Smoby Toys UK is set to introduce a new licensed plush collection ahead of Christmas 2021, which will include a variety of different sized plush pals: 20cm, 30cm and 50cm. There will also be five Super Mario 12.5cm Plush Key Chains to collect: Mario, Luigi, Toad, Yoshi, and Peach. Also launching ahead of the festive period is a second licenced plush collection from Nickelodeon: Animal Crossing. This record-breaking game has been embraced by a world in isolation, with a fan base that has come to include many a celeb. And the plush range is sure to have the same appeal, with Animal Crossing characters available as 15cm belt clips, as well as 25cm and 40cm solids. And from the award-winning, blocky world of Minecraft, comes a collection from Jada Toys. Enabling fans to continue the building fun with all their favourite characters, the 4cm tall Minecraft Nano Metal Figures are available as single blind-bagged figures, and as a 20-figure collector’s pack.

Play ideas for all FLAIR

0208 643 0320 sales@flairplc.co.uk From MonsterVerse and CoComelon to Blue’s Clues & You, Flair and Just Play’s licensing portfolio presents something for all ages and interests. First, Flair and Just Play introduces the CoComelon early learning toys, which are designed to extend the CoComelon experience beyond the screen. There’s JJ’s My First Learning Phone, an interactive toy phone that helps children discover core learning and developmental skills through play. It features buttons with more than 50 different learning phrases, songs, and sounds to help teach letters, numbers, colours, shapes and more. There’s also the Musical Learning Bus, which sees JJ take little learners on an educational adventure, with four modes of play: Letters, Animals, Games and Numbers. Finally, don’t miss My Friend JJ: this 3D JJ has four interactive buttons to familiarise kids with colours, shapes, numbers, and letters. Popular among kidult collectors is MonsterVerse. The range now includes a selection of figures launched to support the box office release of Godzilla vs. Kong. The MonsterVerse Godzilla vs. Kong range includes a line-up of

NOVEMBER 2021 Feature LicensingNM.indd 2

6in articulated movie figures including Mechagodzilla, which features a removable ‘battle damage’ piece to recreate the impact of monster battles. There are also larger articulated characters available, allowing fans to recreate battle action on a bigger scale. Look out for the 11in Giant Godzilla and Kong assortment, and the 13in Mega Godzilla and Mega Kong figures, which have lights and sounds features, and a unique mechanical battle action. Meanwhile, preschoolers can’t get enough of Flair and Just Play’s Master Toy line for Blue’s Clues & You. The range covers all core categories, bringing the fun learning show to life for fans. There’s feature plush that captures Blue’s lovable personality. A must-see is PeekA-Blue and Peeka-Boo Magenta - they play an exciting game of peek-a-boo! There is also DanceAlong Blue, who dances along to the show’s theme song, as well as collectable figures and actionpacked playsets including Blue’s House Playset. The roleplay collection includes items that will be instantly recognisable from the show such as The Ultimate Handy Dandy Notebook, Sing-Along Guitar, and Mail Time with Mailbox.

01/11/2021 19:36

FEATURE

LICENSING SPOTLIGHT

Licensed heavyweights CHARACTER OPTIONS

sales@charactergroup.plc.uk 0161 633 9800

Cool camping WILTON BRADLEY

01626 835400 www.wiltonbradley.com Wilton Bradley has partnered with the Volkswagen brand for its official licensed VW camping, festival, and beach product range. A best-selling and award-winning product within the range is the Official Volkswagen Kids Camper Van Tent. Based on the original T1 camper van, this mini version of the 1965 classic is just like the real thing! Unzip the tent out of the matching wheel carry storage bag and the tent ‘pops up’ in seconds: a few poles to install and it’s ready to use in minutes. Taking down is just as simple, and the bag makes transporting and storing this tent easy. Able to accommodate up to three children, the product comes with side and rear doors and even has an opening safari window. Providing UPF 50+ protection, it’s a great choice for parents looking to protect their kids from the sun during a day at the beach, park or even festival. The tent is available in three colours: Dove Blue, Titan Red and Pink.

Character Options’ portfolio of licensed brands, which includes the preschool favourites of Ben & Holly’s Little Kingdom and Fireman Sam, continues to go from strength to strength with a host of new launches. Not to be missed in the Ben & Holly’s Little Kingdom collection is the Big Meadow Campervan. Perfect for imaginative play, kids can take Ben & Holly on a camping adventure with this free-wheeling campervan. It comes with a Ben Elf and a Princess Holly figure, plus lots of camping trip accessories. Children can lift off the roof to begin the fun, revealing the camping equipment stored inside, as well as a hidden bed compartment. Removable seats, a tent, picnic table, blanket, plates, and teapot are included. There are even two bikes that can be stored in a roof rack for Ben and Holly to ride on their trips away. Also new is Holly’s Sparkle and Spell Wand. This toy comes with three play modes: Lights and Sounds, Silly Spells (with three different funny spells) or Colour and Spell, which lets kids make up their own spells. Meanwhile, everyone’s favourite hero next door is back with the Fireman Sam Electronic Spray and Play Jupiter fire engine. Preschoolers can operate the flashing lights and siren sounds, then douse make-believe fires using the pump action water cannon. There’s also an extendable rescue ladder platform, opening panels and doors. An articulated Fireman Sam figure is included, to drive to the next rescue. There’s also the Fireman Sam Fire Rescue Centre Playset, which opens up to reveal the feature-packed firefighters’ HQ. This two-storey playset has a working zip wire, platform with pulley and training dolly, and control centre unit.

Fun for Q4 WINNING MOVES

020 3920 8151 www.winningmoves.co.uk This Q4, Winning Moves will launch James Bond Cluedo, in line with the muchanticipated new release, No Time To Die. Fans aged eight-plus can embark on discovering the identity of the 00 agent killer, where it took place, and with what weapon. It’s perfect family fun round the Christmas table, and a great complement to Winning Moves’ Top Trumps Quiz, Monopoly, 1,000-piece puzzles, and Everyday Assignments and Gadgets & Vehicles Limited Edition Top Trumps. Plus, a 500-piece and 250-piece Among Us puzzle will be available in October and November respectively, with a 1,000-piece puzzle coming early in the New Year. And nothing screams festive cheer like Buddy the Elf. Families and friends can gather to build the new 1,000-piece puzzle, which contains memorable images from the film, while the kids can entertain themselves with Elf Top Trumps Match - the board game that requires players to match five in a row, or steal the game from their opponent with a Top Trumps-style twist.

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toysnplaythings.media 01/11/2021 19:36

Simone Inskip Marketing Manager Casdon Toys

From Care Bears to colourful construction vehicles

Tell us about your company and its licensed products.

BASIC FUN!

We’ve celebrated 75 years in business this year and during that time have established an unrivalled reputation as a manufacturer of best-selling roleplay toys both own-brand and licensed versions of some of the most prestigious household brands. We produce five out of the top 10 best-selling roleplay products in the UK (NPD UK figures: January-August 2021) - each one of them a licensed product. Our range of licensed household products include child-sized versions of the Dyson Ball and Dyson CordFree Vacuums, Henry and Hetty Vacuum Cleaners and Cleaning Trollies, Morphy Richards Kitchen Set and Kenwood Mixer.

From Tonka construction vehicles to a colourful selection of Care Bears plush, Basic Fun! is a perfect partner in licensed toys. Its Master Toy range for Care Bears retains multigenerational appeal thanks to a frequently refreshed product line. New characters added to the range this year include Hopeful Heart Bear, Love-A-Lot Bear, and Wish Bear. New for A/W21 is Togetherness Bear - the first new Care Bears character for a decade. An advocate for friendship and inclusivity, each Bear has a slightly different fur pattern, making it unique. This toy is available as 14in, 24in, as well as 9in Bean Plush. Also new are the 2in micro plush characters. Meanwhile, Basic Fun!’s Tonka construction vehicles place kids at the centre of the action for lots of immersive fun. Little ones will want a slice of the action when they discover the TV-advertised second-half arrivals. From the Steel Classics Fleet, there’s the Toughest Mighty Crane that is almost 2ft tall, with its long movable arm, working winch and grabber. There is also the Steel Classics Tow Truck, which allows kids to add towing a broken-down car to their imaginative play. More licensed action vehicle fun comes in the form of the Dig & Dirt playset, which includes 500g of Tonka Tough Dirt: a mess-free sand compound. Also new is The Claw. With its demo packaging, claw grip wheels and lights and sounds effects, this toy will drive itself off the shelf just like the Steel Classics range!

What do you look for when searching out new licence partners? We have a strong belief that roleplay toys should be lots of fun, while also helping children to discover, learn and develop as they play. So working with licence partners that embrace the same sense of fun, while helping children to learn through play, is always on our radar.

0118 925 3270 Tim.Ives@basicfun.com

Licensed to thrill SIMBA SMOBY TOYS UK 01620 674 778 sales@simbasmoby.com

Start your adventure BRUDER

00353 6763800 www.bruder.de Distributor in UK: Alpha Toys Ltd Camping is absolutely on trend and this leisure theme can now be experienced by youngsters with Bruder’s new Mercedes Benz Sprinter Camper with driver. The MB Sprinter camper has an impressive level of detail and versatility. The driver's cab door and rear doors open. Here, the supplied bworld figure has access to an integrated double bed and large storage compartment. A particular highlight is the newly developed sliding door on the co-driver's side, which provides access to the kitchen unit. The camper van has an extendable awning for sunny days, as well as camping furniture and tableware. Accessories for the camper are the bworld Kayak, which can be transported on the roof, as well as the bworld Mountain bike and bworld Road bike.

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Simba Smoby Toys UK’s licensed offering spans toy categories from die-cast, plush, playsets and dolls to collectable figures. A top choice among collectors is the die-cast vehicle brand Jada Toys. The collection includes the Hollywood Rides range, which celebrates the best in action film merchandising with scaled replicas of the most memorable wheels. Everpopular is the Batman collection, which launched last year with six 1:32 scale diecast cars. Designed to mark Batman’s 80th birthday, each pack includes a metal figure and a vehicle modelled on Batman’s on-screen appearances. And with The Batman movie scheduled for release in March, fans can look forward to new 1:32 and 1:24 scale replicas in S/S22. Jada Toys’ 1:24 scale die-cast range is inspired by Marvel’s superheroes. From Spider-Man to Iron Man, through to Black Panther, Groot, Black Widow and Venom, Jada Toys takes the appearance of each character to deliver a fun, instantly recognisable range. From Q1 fans will also be able to add Loki, Wolverine and Doctor Strange to their collections. Jada’s Fast & Furious collection has also been enjoying traction this year, thanks to the release of the F9 movie.

02/11/2021 09:18

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Toys n Playthings November 2021

Articles inside

Don’t Miss - a sneak peek at unmissable products for buyers

Toys For Adults - a review of products with cross generational appeal

Licensing Spotlight - check out what’s trending in this dynamic sector

Q1 Ranges - a round-up of releases planned for the New Year

Retail Interview - with Alan Simpson, founder and executive chairman of SMF Toytown

BLE Preview - all you need to know about this year’s event

Indie Opinion - Diary of a Toy Shop by Amanda Alexander, owner of Giddy Goat Toys in Didsbury

Trade Talk - suppliers share advice for retailers in light of shortages and price rises

Consumer Insight - The Insights Family shares three key play and retail trends

Cover Story - with Andy Griffin, marketing manager of Reydon Sports

What’s New - fresh launches that you need to get your hands on

Indie Opinion - Diary of a Toy Shop by Hazel McCarthy, owner of Toy Corner in Galway

Retail Opinion - John Ryan explores the role of the showroom model for toy retail

TnP Ambassadors - our tiny testers put two Winning Moves products through their paces

News Special - the return of Toys“R’’Us. TnP talks to Dr Louis Mittoni, CEO and MD of Toys“R”Us ANZ, about plans to return to the UK in 2022

Media News - the multimedia rundown

People News - all the movers and shakers

News - the latest toy industry headlines

Licensing News – what’s hot in licensed products

Trends Column - the U.S. Toy Association highlights toys that appeal to the ‘inner child’ in everyone

Retail News - what’s happening across the retail landscape

Media Analysis - Generation Media outlines the importance of a sound ecommerce strategy

Leader - with Clare Turner