Talking Shop

The toys of summer

UK indie toy retailers are used to dealing with the ups and downs of the British weather, coping with the demands of rainy days, heatwaves and everything in between. Here, Sam Giltrow catches up with a selection of toy shop owners to find out how their summer season is going.

Mike Masey & Teresa Carter - Chocoloons, Coleraine, Co. Londonderry

We opened Chocoloons in October 2017 as a pop-up shop which was only supposed to be for 12 weeks, but we never closed! We decided to take the plunge and launch a permanent independent toy shop. With no background whatsoever in toys, we relied on our passion to create a child friendly space in our local town centre.

The business developed and the shop grew until it was bursting at the seams; even then, customers were asking for products that we couldn’t fit in. Like many toy shops, we had a really good year in 2021, so we negotiated with the shopping centre to relocate to a bigger unit, where we officially opened at the beginning of June. Going from 960sq ft to 2,200sq ft saw the sales floor double in size compared to our previous store, and there is so much more we can do with the space. We have kept the smaller shop as a confectionery-only store, as the American candy we used to stock there remains popular.

We try to be more diverse than the larger toy retailers in the area and have been able to bring in some different brands, particularly with products such as sensory toys as we try to meet the varying needs of children. During lockdown, we set up a website and delivered locally free of charge. We take a Chocoloons pop-up shop to events at local schools, as well as things like Christmas light switch-ons and even big music festivals; it’s important to us to be a part of the community.

Since taking on the bigger premises, we have introduced a selection of outdoor toys, many of which we get from MV Sports & Leisure and One For Fun. We have added Schleich to our offering and expand some ranges from other suppliers. We have been able to reintroduce Playmobil, which we had to stop stocking in the original shop due to the space limitations, but we’re delighted to be working with the team again; they have been really supportive of our new store. We have also grown our range of eco-friendly toys. There is a clear demand for more sustainable toys, so we make sure we have options that are non-plastic and have always stocked a good selection of wooden toys.

A lot of customers describe our shop as a treasure trove; as well as carrying the high-profile brands that you can find in any toy shop, we have tried to work with other, smaller UK-based businesses because we believe that small businesses should support each other.

We are located near the Giant’s Causeway, so we expect to be very busy over the summer holidays. The tourists visiting the area mean our summer season is always better than our Christmas period.

Our current best-selling toys, by far, are Squishmallows from Jazwares. We have been stocking them for four years now, so have built up a good customer base both in-store and online. Soft toys, in general, are consistently strong sellers for us and we also sell high volumes of Ty and Pokémon plush. We try to offer a plush element for all our big, licensed ranges and find these are very popular.

The pocket money section continues to be hugely popular – we had a phenomenal year in 2021 with the fidget toy craze and that has followed on through to this year. I think the demand is a knock-on effect of the current economic climate. We have also seen buoyant sales from dinosaur toys due to the latest Jurassic World movie, particularly the range from Mattel.

We have a real passion for what we do, and we love to see the children’s smiles when they come in and spend their own money. We are looking forward to developing our new shop even further. We have a room at the back which we would very much like to turn into an experience/crafting area for children. More floor space will also allow us to bring in bigger items for Christmas, which we weren’t always able to do at the other store. I think we were considered a pocket money destination before, but now we can offer so much more.

Rachael Sankey - Harold’s Toy Store, Church Stretton

We only opened in April, and the first few months of trading have been fantastic – we’re very pleased with how the business has taken off. It was my husband William’s idea to open a toy shop; it all happened very quickly - we were able to open just a few months after making the decision. He wanted to start a new local business and a toy shop appealed because he’s really interested in a lot of the products we sell. There hasn’t been a toy shop in Church Stretton for some time now, so there was an obvious gap to fill.

Our best sellers currently are anything Lego and Pokémon. We have also seen very strong sales across our Schleich range, and radio-controlled cars have been popular too. It’s great to see brands like Pokémon, which has been around for so long, still doing well and creating a buzz with customers. The Booster Packs are a real footfall driver; as they are pocket money priced, we have children coming in every week for them, and they appeal to the older collector too.

One of the positives to come out of the pandemic – if there is such a thing – is a renewed interest in activities that can be done at home, and hobbies, model making and playing board games had a resurgence while everyone had so much time on their hands. Having found something they enjoyed, this interest has continued.

We stock a range of Hornby products including Airfix kits, and we have been pleasantly surprised how popular these still are with all age groups. One of the messages we wanted to get across when we first opened the shop was that we are not just selling toys for kids – we don’t believe anyone who says they’re too old to come into a toy shop. There’s no age limit; everybody can play and we have made sure we stock product that is aimed at the adult market, such as some of the more sophisticated radio-control vehicle ranges, as well as bigger Lego sets. There’s something for everyone.

Our more mature customers also enjoy our range of Hornby trains (although kids love them too). We live in an area where a lot of retired people come to live and there is a lot of interest in train sets within that community. People love a good train set because, if you look after it, it can last a very long time and can be passed down to future generations, so it’s more of an investment than a throwaway purchase. Some people are very into the radio control market too and like to purchase a quality vehicle that they can maintain and mend with tool sets.

We are still finding our way in terms of stock. We missed most of the toy fairs this year because we hadn’t opened at that point, but we plan to get along to more trade shows at the start of next year, so we can do more research and expand our offering. We feel it’s important to have a varied and interesting selection for customers, so that as well as having lines they specifically come in for, we have some items they may not have seen before or thought of. Everyone likes to discover new things.

But some people know exactly what they want, and we have been asked a lot for Nerf Super Soakers, which have now arrived. Having seen our three sons have great fun with these, especially in the summer, we are confident they will be a hit, along with Nerf blasters. Hot Wheels is another range that we have brought in following repeated enquiries. It’s important to listen to customers and make sure we stock what they’re looking for.

Even though we have a bright shop front, we’re located in a side street, so it has taken a lot of effort and promotion to make our presence felt as a new business in town. Although it’s still early days, feedback has been really positive, and an article in a local publication has raised awareness. Being featured in the magazine has prompted a lot of older people to come in and buy gifts for their grandchildren.

We are looking forward to the summer holidays, when hopefully we will be even busier, and we are already planning ahead and thinking about what we need to stock for Christmas, as customers have told us they’d like our shop to be their one-stop-shop for Christmas shopping, which is really nice to hear. I think people much prefer to see things in the flesh - and also see what else we have in stock while they’re here.

Donard McGreevy - McGreevy’s Toys Direct, Westport, County Mayo Stretton

We’ve been really busy throughout all the hot weather we’ve been having lately, and long may it last. Bubbles, pools and buckets and spades have been flying out the door, because we are located near a beach on the west coast of Ireland. June was a wash-out, so it’s great to finally see some fine weather.

McGreevy’s has been in business for four generations, first starting as a grocery store. When my dad took over in the late 1950s, he started selling toys. Now the entire first floor is dedicated to toys, and we expanded the department during the lockdowns, when we had the chance to do so. We recently became a Toymaster member and are very pleased with how that’s going. One of the main reasons we took the decision to join was to give us easier access to a wider range of suppliers. The other was the central invoicing system; we receive just one invoice each month rather than lots of individual ones, which makes our business much more efficient and is saving us time already.

The Toymaster community seems very friendly, and everyone has been very welcoming. We have been contacted by all sorts of retailers, some of whom have been members for years, offering to help and give us any advice we may need, which is great.

Our current best-sellers are Squishmallows and Slime Party, which is a Toymaster exclusive and has been performing brilliantly for us. I thought slime was done and dusted, but this range is absolutely flying out of the door. Lego is still going strong as always, particularly the bigger Lego Technic sets such as the F1 cars, which are popular with older children and adults. We’ve also seen excellent sales from Keel Toys’ Keeleco plush range, which our customers love. As well as the soft toys being at a really attractive price point, they satisfy the eco credentials that have become so important these days, being made from recycled plastic bottles.

Now that we are a Toymaster member, we are excited to introduce new suppliers and brands that we wouldn’t have been able to stock previously, extending our range further. We are really looking forward to the months ahead and being able to offer customers more choice. We think the new Barbie lines will be a great success and have high hopes for Moose Toys new Octonauts range, which is coming out soon. If it’s anything like the last one, it will sell really well.

Squishmallows is still in very high demand, and I think the range will only continue to grow and perform well, while everything related to Pokémon is still selling almost as soon as we put it on the shelf. I thought the brand would peak last year, but it just seems to get stronger and stronger.

We are looking forward to a busy summer: here on the coast, we are blessed with great summer trade – it’s like having two Christmases.

indie viewpoint

Mark Buschhaus and Stephen Barnes - Toy Barnhaus

Sunshiny days

When we were writing last month’s column, we were hoping that the weather was going to improve, and although there were a couple of false starts in June, summer has now well and truly arrived. We are writing this on the hottest day ever in the UK, in the coolest room we can find, just to have a break from the heat. When we dreamed of summer weather, I don’t think we quite were envisaging these temperatures…

However, the good news is that the hot spell has been great for sales. Coming at the perfect time - just as kids are breaking up for summer - demand for outdoor products has gone through the roof, rather like the temperature! We had some stock of pools left over from last year and had purchased more in the autumn to beat the price increases on this year’s stock, so we have been able to offer a god selection while being competitive on price and maintaining a good margin.

The area where we have struggled to keep up with demand is water guns/water balloons, where demand has been phenomenal. By sourcing a wide range from various suppliers, including Hasbro, we have managed to keep in stock. One of the joys of being an independent retailer is having that flexibility to adapt when demand changes. We are proud to say that in 13 years of running Toy Barnhaus, we have never run out of paddling pools during a hot spell. This is a great position to be in compared to when we were at Woolworths, when all we would be asked every few minutes was, “Have you got any paddling pools?” after selling out of our tiny allocation.

Moving away from the hot weather boom, trade has been excellent over the last month – and on other categories, not just outdoor. The new Pokémon Go Trading Card Game launch was a success; although stock on some lines sold out within a couple of days, there wasn’t the same scramble as during the Pokemon Celebrations launch last year, when there was so little stock that customers were getting frustrated.

The other line that has absolutely flown over the last month is KAP Toys’ Stranger Things capsules, which is in our Top 5 bestsellers. Jurassic World has also performed really well, across Lego, Mattel action figures and the Funko Pop Vinyls too.

Plush is a category that has grown massively for us over the last few years, and the first line we have to mention is Squishmallows. It has been phenomenal for the last couple of years, and there really is no sign of it slowing down. Jazwares introduces a new wave of every couple of months, with truly strong designs; there are very few slow sellers in the assortments. This gives us the confidence to order in decent quantities, knowing that we will not be left with one particular SKU. The ability to keep the brand feeling new and fresh, with minimal promotion, is fantastic, and although stock is always tight due to the massive demand, we receive a good selection from Jazwares each month to keep us stocked up and our customers happy.

The good thing is that Squishmallows has been incremental growth for the plush category, without cannibalizing sales across other brands. Ty remains a key part of our plush offering, and the stands the team supplies are a wonderful way to display the range, from Beanie Babies, Beanie Boos to the Squish-a-Boos. Once again, fantastic design and regular new introductions help keep the offering updated and varied for our customers, encouraging repeat store visits. We have installed a bespoke, large display stand which is a great focal point at the front of our store, even though we did struggle to get it up in the lift! We also see very strong sales from our range of traditional plush from Keel Toys and licensed plush from Simba.

Wooden toys is a growing category for Toy Barnhaus, and an area where we plan to expand our offering along with demand, which is noticeably increasing. Wooden railways remains a key area, especially Brio. Ravensburger has done a great job of developing the brand over the last few years, and sales have reflected this. It’s a trusted heritage brand that most of us grew up with; the quality is well known, and the product looks great on shelves in store. We have also begun to stock more Melissa and Doug toys, now distributed by DKB, to cover educational toys and other classic wooden toys. This looks great on shelf too and is becoming another area of growth.

Ok, that’s all from us, time to find an ice cream before we melt – although by the time you read this, I am sure the good old rainy British summer will have returned.