Indie Viewpoint

Here comes summer

As we write this, the countdown to the Toymaster show has begun. Unlike previous years, this will be the first year we are going via train, after a nightmare drive back last year. Hopefully it will be a nice calm trip up there, and with the extensive amount of socialising we do in Harrogate, it will be most welcome to take it easy on the way back.

Sales for the end of April were a bit disappointing, after a strong start. One factor was the good weather over Easter, compared to rain last year, which meant people were getting out and about. The lack of Pokémon trading card stock is hurting, as the market is completely empty at the moment. One line that has really saved us though was the Sculptured 3D Dragons and Eggs, which has been a phenomenal seller having gone viral on TikTok.

The Lego F1 range is still selling really well, with the Ferrari the top seller, along with Williams. The Lego F1 Collectable Cars have now been released, and although they are not quite as popular as the Collectable Minifigures, they are still in our top sellers. The Minecraft Movie has given a great boost to Minecraft sales in general, with the action figures from Mattel, Lego sets and even things like drinks bottles proving very popular. We extended our range of Stitch products prior to the release of the Lilo & Stitch live action movie, including the Wow! Stuff Disney Stitch Chatty Puppetronic, which we get from DKB Toys and really like the look of.

Pre-school toys is a huge category for us, but over the last year, sales have declined significantly – and noticeably in licensed lines – but the one standout is Bluey. We are hopeful that Peppa will see an increase with the birth of her baby sister this year. Core ranges such as VTech and Fisher Price continue to sell well, but at lower price points for this time of year. We have extended our range of Dolu pre-school, as they have some great priced core toys with good margins, and these are working well.

At the other end of the age spectrum, the kidult market still seems to be growing and growing; from Lego, where the F1 range has been extremely well received, to collectibles like Pokémon, Yu-Gi-Oh! and Funko, and licensed football ranges are selling more and more. In the kidult category, you have to be careful to get it exactly right, and stock what the customer is looking for. They are very discerning; they know what they want, and do not want an alternative. Plush has seen growth through the kidult market too, especially ranges like Squishmallows and Ty which are highly collectible for adults. We are moving our stores around to reconfigure and extend the kidult area to help draw in new customers, as it really is the largest growth area for us right now.

Arts & Crafts is a strong area all year round, and one of our bestsellers is the Loom Bands Case. So Slime kits from Canal Toys are also very popular. The Sticki Rolls range from Character continues to sell well, along with Spirograph from PlayMonster. These core ranges sell well all year round.