From the publisher

The UK has been enjoying something of a long, hot summer so far this year – perhaps it hasn’t quite hit the heights of the legendary summer of ’76, but we’ve had several prolonged bouts of good weather, which always helps the mood of the nation.

Indeed, it has been so warm that Greggs issued a profit warning, as people haven’t fancied consuming pies or sausage rolls in this heat (to be fair, I can’t say I blame them). A timely reminder that one retailer’s joy can be another’s frustration when it comes to external factors influencing trading conditions. Indeed, a seaside-based retailer we spoke to for this month’s Talking Shop section admitted that he prefers slightly less glorious weather, as people tend to stay on the beach or in the park rather than go shopping when it’s hot.

That said, for many toy retailers, the current summer sun coupled with a plethora of brands and ranges that are in demand are putting them firmly in the ‘joy’ camp. According to the latest Circana article, which can be found on page 34, UK toy sales are currently running at +8% YTD for the first half of 2025 – the strongest first half growth since 2020.

Of course, it’s the second half of the year where the big swings can occur – either way. We can’t second guess what might happen with the economy, especially the autumn budget statement – if the government is forced into tax rises to balance the books, it won’t be great for consumer confidence in the run-up to Christmas. Conversely, this year’s crop of summer blockbuster movies has been extremely well received (critically and at the box office), so there should be a decent tail there to take advantage of. And there will be a lot of great new toys hitting shelves in the coming months, so, all things considered, I am still cautiously optimistic about prospects for the second half.

Away from the trading environment, it has been a sad month, with the passing of two global toy community legends – Peter Brown and Alan Hassenfeld. Peter was a bastion of the UK toy scene, loved by everyone – I have never heard anyone say a bad word against him. In a long and illustrious toy trade career, there can be few in the toy community who didn’t come across Peter, and he truly was one of the industry’s icons.

You only have to look at all the heartfelt comments about Peter on the LinkedIn post I shared to let people know the sad news – they all talk warmly about him as a person, not just a senior figure who was successful. That to me is

the mark of the real impact someone makes on the toy community – not just how good they were at what they did, but whether they leave a lasting personal impression and a legacy. Peter certainly did that, and memories of him will live on for a very long time.

Alan was another legendary toy man – his vision and passion were key factors in the rise of Hasbro. But those who knew him well, especially in later years, will appreciate that it was his kindness, generosity and unwavering commitment to philanthropic causes that truly defined him as an amazing human being. I loved that he always had time for you, no matter where you were in your career path – he would stop and talk to me long before I was a ‘someone’, and I will certainly miss those chats at Toy Fairs around the world. We mark the passing of both great men in this month’s news section.

Elsewhere in this issue, there is plenty of great content highlighting new product ranges launching for the back end of the year. Our product category features shine a spotlight on the Plush, Wooden Toys and STEM / Educational sectors, while we also offer a sneak peek at some of the toy and game companies that will be exhibiting at September’s Autumn Fair.

As this issue goes to press, there is still no news on what tariff Chinese goods will face in the US going forward, but Mexico and the EU have both been told they’ll be looking at a 30% tariff from the start of August. Several US toy businesses work with factories based in Mexico, while there are still plenty of toy manufacturing facilities based in the EU, so there will be quite a few companies disappointed at this latest announcement. However, it does seem as though Trump is not going to give up his tariff plan easily, and ultimately it will be US consumers who have to pay (while the US government coffers will reap the benefit). Given that, I am surprised there hasn’t been more of a public outcry in the States – although perhaps retail prices need to rise more sharply for that to happen? US suppliers and retailers have been making stringent efforts to avoid major price increases, but perhaps in doing so, they’ve unwittingly stopped consumers from realizing what is really going on. Is it too much of a risk to let prices rise steeply, and hope that the resulting public reaction would cause the President to reconsider his strategy? Are retailers prepared to take some short-term pain for long term gain, or is that just too much of a gamble?

Meanwhile here in the UK, we’ll just keep on keeping on, and hopefully the second half of the year will be as successful as the first six months.