T HE R EI N VE N T I ON OF B LU E B OX TOYS Inset: Leon the chameleon is the award-winning star of Bkids new sensory range.
A New GENERATION
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ased in Hong Kong, Blue Box has spent the last 60 years quietly getting on with the business of producing and selling millions of toys each year. The driving force behind a number of successful toy brands, the company specialises in designing and producing a wide range of popular products geared towards young children. The team (David Chan, ceo; Alex Chan, coo; Andre Delore, head of Infantino Bkids Europe and Gary Wood, country manager UK and Ireland) is keen to explain how the business is changing and to outline their plans to grow popular brands Bkids and Infantino throughout UK and Europe. Below: The Colour Change Light Up Pal is one of the new lines from Infantino.
Currently, Blue Box is one of the most well-known toy businesses in Hong Kong, working across three key sectors of the toy and nursery industry; private label, contract manufacturing and its own brands. “We are well-known for being experts in high-quality product and innovation,” explained David, “and we have been successful across the preschool market for years. We wanted to capitalise on that investment and take some of the control back for ourselves.” Bkids is Blue Box’s dedicated preschool and toddler toy brand, which launched into the UK market back in 2010. The more recent acquisition of established US baby product company Infantino – with the goal of expanding the company’s expertise
▶ USE YOUR SENSES
The new sensory range from Bkids is a multi-textured approach to preschool and toddler toys. It will launch with 13 innovative new lines retailing from £3.99 right through to £49.99. Leon the chameleon is already an awardwinner, while a clever combination of modern tech and traditional values offer a fully rounded play experience for the child.
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The biggest brand you’ve never heard of. The driving forces behind Blue Box Toys tell PPS why the time has come for the company to start making a name for itself.
Above: (l - r) Thierry Haton, European supplier chain manager; David Chan, ceo; Andre Delore, European general manager; Alex Chan, coo and Gary Wood, country manger UK & Ireland.
beyond toys and across the nursery sector – has proven to be the catalyst for the changing business model. “We want people to know who Blue Box are,” David continued. “We want to continue to build and invest in our brands and Bkids and Infantino complement one another perfectly in that regard.” In the past year the company has made a number of dramatic changes to the way it does business, focusing on the individual domestic needs of each country and the way each particular market operates. At a European level this means that Blue Box will have a head office in Holland and a European central office in Germany, while product design will be centered in France. “ We have taken to heart the old adage of ‘think global, act local’’, said David. “We have reversed the way the business operates and instead have focussed on domestic supply on a country-by-country basis, looking solely at the needs of that market. By splitting out the business like this, we will be able to ensure that we can tailor product to individual markets, but still drive volume by having the right design and the right price for Europe as a whole.” David is quick to reassure UK customers that the result of the UK’s recent EU referendum will not affect
PROGRES SIVE PRESCHOOL
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