Games & Puzzles top games,” Jeremy said. “However, Tactic’s medium to long term focus is our core games collection such as the Alias range which, once established in a market, is an evergreen which is good for the retailer and good for us.” Other companies are reporting growth in their educational board game ranges, with parents seemingly keen to mix learning with the fun and interactivity that the games can offer. Roger Martin, on the other hand, strongly believes that board games are not the only products in the categories that are making a comeback, having evidenced that the demand for jigsaw puzzles is also steadily growing, particularly amongst older generations: “The biggest interest in jigsaws is amongst the over 50s, as this age group has more disposable income and is growing rapidly. This is great for retailers, as these customers may buy something for themselves while popping in to toy stores to buy gifts for their grandchildren. However, growth amongst younger adults is evident too, and companies are picking up on this with particular artists, such as the Pets Rock brand, meeting this demand.” “Despite its traditional image, there is a lot
of innovation within the jigsaw market, and it’s not technology driven,” Roger added. “This innovation gives retailers a chance to engage with their customers - Schmidt Spiele has spent two years creating a 1,000 piece jigsaw of such high quality that it can be picked up and carried around a room.” Stewart Middleton, managing director at Jumbo Games, has also recognised the opportunities that lie within the adult and collector puzzle market. “We have seen lots of development in our adult puzzles, especially in our Wasgij collection, by choosing topically relevant themes to suit the unique puzzle concepts and the high level of detail and humour,” he said. “We are also releasing over 40 new Falcon puzzles this year to keep collectors happy and to offer something for everyone.” “In terms of growth, a number of areas are looking positive with plenty of new and relaunched licences in the market, which will help drive the children’s pre-school sector,” he added. “Products with added value, such as our Giant Puzzle & Colour, value packs such as the Jumbo Bumper Puzzle Pack and our 4-in-1 puzzle, all offer tremendous play value at a low
price point.” Whereas it is obvious that board games and puzzles sell well in the winter months and in the lead up to Christmas, companies such as Jumbo are also keen to make sure that its products have year-round appeal in stores. “Jumbo’s puzzles sell all year round; we are currently seeing strong demand due to the long evenings and bad weather keeping people indoors,” explained Stewart. “New releases and licensed products also help drive sales out of season, and seasonal and occasional promotions, such as the ones we have planned this year, certainly help retail drive sales in the summer.” All in all, the trends and developments of the game and puzzle categories indicate that we may well be entering a golden age of board games. Even in the midst of a digital era, their timeless traction means that both children and adults alike still see the appeal in getting together over a bundle of laughs and a board. Over the following pages, Toy World presents a selection of products on offer from a range of companies working in the game and puzzle categories.
Bananagrams 020 7298 9500 | www.bananagrams.com Bananagrams is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year, and to mark the occasion the brand has launched a new game, Bananagrams Party. This new edition features 13 Party Power tiles. Each player must race to complete their word grids but will now face challenges and forfeits throughout the game. From balancing the pouch on their head, to completely destroying an opponent’s word grid, the new Party Power tiles add a new dimension to the classic game. Players can mix up whichever Party Power tiles they like. Bananagrams has also recently launched a revamped version of the travel game, Zip-It. Zip-It is the speedy no-space word game for small spaces. It is compact enough to enjoy on an airplane tray-table, and can be played virtually anywhere. Players simply throw their cubes and use the letters to make a word grid as fast as they can, whilst their opponent is racing to do the same. Zip-It comes in a unique travel pouch that lets players keep track of who is winning.
Accentuate Games 0330 400 4162 | www.accentuategames.com Accentuate, the guess-the-accent party game backed by Peter Jones, now features 90 different quotes from famous movies. Players can pick a card and must then read the movie quote aloud in a randomly selected accent. Team mates have 30 seconds to guess the accent, and can now earn points by identifying the movie for one point, and the film’s year of release for two points. There are 30 different accents from around the globe, a third of which are homegrown British accents. The new game is compatible with the existing Film Quotes Expansion Pack, which features a completely different set of 90 movie lines. To keep the game challenging and to appeal to a broad age range, the quotes have been taken from a spread of movies spanning eight decades, including My Fair Lady, Ghostbusters, Jaws, The Graduate, Monty Python and The Holy Grail, Casablanca, The Devil Wears Prada and Back to the Future. Accentuate is also compatible with the new Song Lyrics Expansion Pack, which has just launched, an energetic new way to extend the game-play. Featuring 90 different lyrics from an array of famous songs spanning six decades, players can win points not only by guessing the accent, but also for correctly identifying the artist and song.
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