Face-to-face
Kiddesigns
KIDdesigns heads to the UK Toy World spoke to Ravi Mashru, managing director EMEA (Ray Consultancy), who is spearheading the launch of KIDdesigns International LLC throughout the EMEA, to find out more about the company’s aims for 2017 Can you give us a bit of background on the history of the company?
Where will retailers be able to view the 2017 range?
KIDdesigns is part of a group that includes SDI Technologies Inc., which first started trading 60 years ago, manufacturing a range of high quality audio products and becoming one of the top audio companies in North America. Capitalizing on its expertise in electronics, the group initiated a highly successful line of Youth Electronics for Playskool in the early 1990’s, which included Mr. Mike, which had been featured in the original Disney film Toy Story. Over the next decade, KIDdesigns evolved into a tier one role play toy manufacturer, securing high-profile licences from Mattel and Disney, with big sellers such as the Barbie Cash Register. A key transformation took place in 2009, when the company took the decision to return to its roots in the Youth Electronics category, in recognition of the dramatic age compression affecting the toy market, with kids moving into electronics at increasingly younger ages. The company invested heavily in its design and production capabilities, with the aim of becoming the leading player in the US market. The company also broadened its licensing base, extending its partnership with Disney, Marvel, Lucas, Universal, DreamWorks, Hasbro and others, capturing a leading market share throughout North America in the process.
We’ll be exhibiting at the London Toy Fair for the first time in the company’s history, on stand B150. We’ll also be showing in Nuremberg in Hall 12, stand I-17. We have an amazing line-up for 2017. Our portfolio of licences is exhaustive, and covers just about every base; major properties for next year include Star Wars, Cars, Power Rangers, Frozen Minions, Trolls, Shopkins, My Little Pony, Moana, Doc McStuffins, Elena of Avalor and Descendants. In addition, there is a wide range of Marvel product, including Spider-Man, Guardians of the Galaxy, Iron Man and Captain America.
What presence has KIDdesigns had in the European market? Up to now, KIDdesigns has achieved prominent placement at key retailers in the UK and Ireland, but has had more limited distribution in other EU countries. However, all that is set to change in 2017. We’re looking to replicate our tremendous success from the US market, so we’ll be supplying the UK and Ireland on a domestic basis for the first time, and carrying inventory locally for the first time. I have set up a brand new European headquarters for myself and my team, which will be based in Leicester, to focus on these new efforts. I am confident that this new arrangement will not only enhance our opportunities with our existing retail partners, but also open new doors with retail accounts who prefer to buy domestically and want to have the option to replenish stocks locally.
Which product ranges will you be focusing on in the UK market? Product-wise, KIDdesigns offers an extensive selection of youth electronic lines including a range of quality Walkie Talkies – the regular models operate up to 150 metres, while the longdistance models work up to an incredible 450 metres. There is also a broad choice of MP3 microphones; singalong boom boxes; a digital recording studio; digital journal; voice changers; alarm clocks; Bluetooth speakers and a huge range of headphones. We’ll also be introducing a licensed selfie microphone, which features KIDdesigns’ proprietary stream -catching technology, which works with an app, allowing the user to record music from any source and to sing along to create a video. The packaging includes a try-me function across the whole range, which is a fantastic feature to aid sales.
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What are you aiming to achieve in your new role? First and foremost, I’ll be working closely with Barry Harding to strengthen our partnerships with our existing UK and Irish customers, as well as starting a dialogue with those retailers who haven’t collaborated with us previously. I have also appointed a new sales director for France and Belgium, as we will also be looking to supply these markets on a direct to retail basis. In addition, we’ll be working closely with the US team to make sure we have the right licences for the UK and European market, and I’ll be looking to appoint distributors in key European territories. Having worked in the youth consumer electronics sector for the past decade, I’m hugely excited to be representing a company with such a fantastic range of products and such a strong portfolio of licences. My goal is to have its products available in all the key retail accounts this year, with the aim of invigorating this product category and enabling consumers to have access to a fresh product line-up.