Company Profile - Click

Clicking into place

Toy World caught up with Luke Hillier, COO of Click Distribution, and his brother Lewi, UK Sales & Operations director, to hear which ranges the collectibles specialist is focusing on in the coming months.

How has 2022 been for Click so far?

2022 is shaping up well. Pet Simulator X has surpassed all of our expectations. Looking ahead, the anticipation for Poppy Playtime, Yu-Gi-Oh! and Five Nights at Freddy’s Security Breach is tremendous.

The Pocket Money segment of our core business is stronger than it has been for a while; we are seeing huge growth for Panini’s Premier League Adrenalyn X collection. There’s also great anticipation for the World Cup Sticker Collection - we have more retailers on board than ever before.

We also have several different arms to the business now; we have established a separate operation in Ireland, which is proving to be hugely successful. We have also taken on an additional depot for another part of our business - a warehousing and fulfilment operation, which has been a revelation. Despite having an additional depot, we are already at capacity and have a waiting list of suppliers. We are looking to expand this area of the business by opening our fourth depot in 2023.

It’s an exciting time - in 2021 we grew the business by 448% year, and we are expecting further growth this year.

Which launches are you most excited about in Q4 and heading into 2023?

Pet Simulator X is just going to get stronger and stronger - the range for next year looks exciting, we can’t wait to show retailers in LA this September and then in London in January. Poppy Playtime is a huge success: yes, it’s edgy, but the demand is exceptional. There has been a lot of counterfeit products in the market that we are in the process of clearing up, although thankfully it’s a lot better now than it was. If you have a brand with this level of counterfeit product, it’s a sign of just how popular it is.

Yu-Gi-Oh! master toy is looking strong; it’s a brand with such fantastic longevity, we’re really looking forward to seeing the property develop this year and beyond. Panini’s Premier League collections are growing phenomenally, and then there’s the FIFA World Cup collections. A lot of people moaned when FIFA suggested the possibility of introducing a World Cup every two years - we would like a World Cup every year!

Finally, we are excited to announce our partnership with Moose Toys. We will be stocking the full range of Moose products as of 1st September, which will be made available to our entire independent account base. Moose has many fantastic brands, and we are very excited to be working with the team again.

How do you think that the World Cup moving from summer to winter will impact trading card sales?

We feel really positive about it. Based on the stats we see after every World Cup, the following year’s Premier League collection always grows because consumers have caught the collecting bug, so there’s no reason why they can’t work side by side. The peak sales periods - particularly for Premier League - may differ because of the pause in the season, but we are expecting growth across all of these collections.

What’s happening with price points in the collectibles market?

Price points are tough: having to explain why a £9.99 line is now £12.99, or a £3.99 range is £5.99 or even £6.99 is frustrating. No-one wants to go down this path, but it’s necessity. Despite the increases, Pocket Money as a whole has seen unbelievable growth this year - we have expanded our range in this area considerably and will continue to introduce more pocket money lines in 2023.

Do you think toy retailers are becoming more open to a broader range of collectibles, especially some of the edgier ranges?

Some most certainly are, but inevitably others can be less open. What kids are watching has changed so much over the last 10 years. We have to adapt, and understand what kids want. What are they watching? What games are they playing? What are they discussing with their friends? As a business, we spend a lot of time tracking this information - YouTube in particular is so influential right now.

What was the thinking behind your move into the games market?

We’ve been selling Panini’s Adrenalyn XL TCG collections, so it has been on our radar for a while, but we felt now was the right time to introduce the Official Adrenalyn XL Board Game. Panini liked our idea – the team has been incredibly supportive, and the game will launch shortly. The reaction from customers has been brilliant.

Finally, I am sure a lot of people will want to know how your father Mark is getting on, following his retirement?

We miss having him around of course: Lewi and I have gone from seeing him every day to seeing him maybe once per month. I had a beer with him the other evening and I asked him if he missed work - it was a short and simple “No”!

He misses the people of course and seeing the team every day, but he’s kept himself so busy. It was the right decision for him. He’s equally delighted for us, of course, although trying to talk to him about work is challenging - he’s more interested in telling us about his next camper van trip.