Company Profile
DKB Toys
DKB
giving the customer control DKB Distribution and its toy arm, DKB Toys, were founded last year, with the aim of offering a one-stopshop for some of the biggest and best toy brands on the market. Chris Lohmeyer, MD, tells Toy World about the driving force behind his approach to business, how DKB’s in-house brand Crazy Forts could help kids’ mental health, and why he believes the company is set for success.
C
hris Lohmeyer is no newcomer to the toy industry; prior to his current role, he spent four years at Hasbro and was at MGA Entertainment for a further two, where he gained experience working with distributors including A.B.Gee and HTI. Keen to take this experience and build on it his own way, opportunity knocked in the form of Doug Putman, the owner of HMV, the rebranded Alex Global Brands, and Everest Wholesale, a Top 3 distributor in the US
and Canada which enjoys strong relationships with Hasbro, MGA and Melissa & Doug, among others. Doug was looking for someone to set up a new UK-based distribution operation and Chris’ name was thrown into the mix. A big believer in taking (calculated) risks, Chris jumped at the chance to try something new, and hasn’t looked back since. Commenting on the appointment, Doug told Toy World: “I’m delighted to be working with Chris on this venture as he looks to drive the business forward to success in 2021 and beyond.” Named for Doug and his parents, Karen and Bob, DKB Distribution and DKB Toys launched with Chris as MD in 2020, timing, he notes with a laugh, that was ‘not without its challenges’. However, the ongoing situation in the UK, with national lockdown No. 3 currently underway, presents its own set of opportunities. Families are once more stuck at home, looking for things to do with the kids, and we saw the impact this had on toy sales last year. With luck, 2021 may see more of the same, and DKB is poised to capitalise on this demand with a unique system that’s set to make life a whole lot easier for retail customers. “Doug and I are in complete agreement; the goal here is to create a toy and distribution company that offers a service like no other,” Chris explains. “If you’re the customer of any online company, you shouldn’t have to email asking for an open order report or what you have outstanding. It should be the same for our retailers. Open orders should be
Toy World 38
something you can access easily; one click should allow you to change dates, move orders around anything you want to do, you should be able to do quickly and easily.” With this in mind, Chris is putting control back into his customers’ hands by investing a substantial amount of money in ‘Khaos Control’. This is a bespoke back-order system with a plugin for DKB’s website, launching this month, that will manage the company’s existing portfolio of brands and products, and allow for easy onboarding of new ones. Customers will receive email updates tailored to their profile, covering picking, packing, dispatch, delivery – the whole shebang. Chris adds: “As an MD, but also as a salesman at heart, I want the team I’ll soon be recruiting to focus on selling. Salespeople are going into meetings with just one hour to speak to a retailer these days. Khaos Control means that instead of spending the first 15 of those 60 minutes going over orders, they can spend the entire hour doing their job – selling. I think there’s way too much admin in sales, and I’m sure a lot of salespeople would agree.” Chris’ overarching goal for DKB Distribution and DKB Toys, he reiterates throughout our Zoom call, is for the company to become a one-stop-shop for a comprehensive range of best-selling brands, hosted on one simple website, configured for use on a range of devices, where customers can save valuable time and energy – and receive great service. The scale of the website design and functionality means the