THE YEAR AHEAD
25 FOR
25 industry executives from across the baby, nursery, preschool, retail, publishing, childrenswear and toy categories share what they are most looking forward to as we move through 2025, what they think the key challenges will be and where they see growth coming from.
PHIL CASSIDY, MD, CASDON “While this year has come with its challenges, the market remains resilient and our role-play toys continue to stand out, making up a huge part of our success. We’re proud to hold six out of ten of the bestselling toys in this category, reflecting our values of creativity and hands-on learning. While our bestselling role-play lines remain at the heart of what we do, 2025 will be a year of growth and Above: Phil Cassidy. innovation. We will launch three new licences and enter new territories outside our traditional preschool role-play space. Adding to our existing portfolio of global brands, we’re thrilled to reveal the new Build-a-Bear range, with a collection of six SKUs including a miniature Stuffing Station. This year will also see the introduction of the iconic brand Heinz into the Casdon family. Another collection of six SKUs brings together our muchloved tagline to always 'live playfully' with a range of role-play food toys including an American Diner Set, as well as a British classic - Fish & Chips Takeaway Set. We expect to see continued popularity of toys that mimic real-world activities and tasks.” HELEN ROBINSON, HEAD OF SALES, UK AND IRELAND, HAUCK “Here at hauck we are looking forward to the continuing evolution of the ranges we select for the UK. We have moved retailer mindsets and repositioned the brand firmly in the middle ground from where we deliver a quality and value proposition with our award winning products. That position in the market brings the challenges of hugely successful competitors, but the breadth of our offer certainly helps, as does our focused participation outside of pure nursery and Inset: Helen Robinson. preschool retailer routes to market. Here’s to 2025.”
DAMON MARRIOTT, HEAD OF PRODUCT MANAGEMENT, JOIE BABY “2025 is set to be an exciting time for us at Joie. We will see our refreshed signature Above: Damon range hit the Marriott. shop floors, along with our new launch items entering the range. Challenges will be ensuring we can keep the optimum prices for the customer, as many will still be suffering with the ongoing cost of living crisis. Our growth will undoubtably come through from the new product launches, entering into new and expanding our key categories, while our existing portfolio hopefully continues to grow in each sector.” Below: Jamie Jillard.
JAMIE JILLARD, MARKETING DIRECTOR, GREEN SHEEP GROUP “2025 is an exciting year for us here at GSG; with a new product launch in March and further growth internationally, it is set to be another strong year. As with 2024, we expect the challenges of presenting real value to the customer to remain. Value does not come down to the price in isolation, it is the entire proposition. As premium brands, we need to continue to invest in our brands, products and the experiences we give to expecting parents so that they feel supported as they take their first steps into the world of parenting. Expecting parents want to buy products they can feel good about; being assured that they have done the best for their little one, got great value and that the products represent and fit into their lifestyle. So, while initially this may be viewed as a challenge, the move towards premium brand demand and consumers wanting to ‘buy once and buy better’, provides growth opportunities for brands that are willing to invest and are truly providing ‘value’ to the customer also.”
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08/01/2025 18:26