Q&A
Schleich
Made to measure This year has seen a great deal of change for Schleich UK, with a new country manager - Thomas Randrup – joining the company, along with new faces on the sales team. With the extension of core properties within ranges including Horse Club and Eldrador Creatures, and a new year of activity in the planning, Toy World caught up with Thomas to find out more. Wildlife 4x4 Jeep and the Farm and Tree houses are doing well, and our Dinosaurs collection is always in demand and is key for any stockist. Of course, the year of the unicorn has also had its upsides for bayala, and the unicorns within the collection have sold extremely well, opening up the fan base for the property.
What impact have you noticed from the closure of Toys R Us – have other retailers stepped up to fill the void?
How has 2018 been for Schleich? It’s fair to say it’s been a bit of a whirlwind introduction to the world of Schleich for me, and I’m looking forward to 2019. In terms of trade for 2018, it’s been decent year for Schleich in what has been, overall, a difficult year for the market. Our core collections have been very well received, and the new play sets in each range are in high demand. Now it’s time for us to build on this.
What have been the standout performers so far? Horse Club, Farm World and Wild Life are the top performing areas, the success of which can be attributed to the depth of the collections and the fact that this is what we are renowned for. The 2018 play sets, such as the Horse Club Caravan and Large Stable, new
Toys R Us was without doubt an important customer for Schleich, but we are fortunate to have a wide and loyal distribution base. In order to fill the void, we have been able to increase offerings elsewhere. It is important to remember that we can create bespoke solutions for retailers that make for great theatre in-store, and we have definitely seen an increased appetite for this as retailers seek to make themselves more of a destination.
How can retailers maximise sales of the different Schleich ranges? Attractive displays and variety of products that suit each particular setting is essential. The bespoke way in which we deal with our customers means that we can create something which is perfect for that location, whether it’s large model theatre, such as the Lions, Tigers and even Dinosaurs that can be placed in store, right down to smaller offering for smaller footprints.
How important is in-store theatre across your category? It’s very important, and creates the magic of
Toy World 56
visiting a toy store that can often be missing for today’s children. Imagine being four years old and visiting a store that has a lifesize Lion surrounded by a massive array of replica figurines. It’s a ‘wow moment’ that keeps customers coming back and picking up a new piece every time. Of course, we know we can’t offer a life-size lion in every space, but that’s why we create Schleich events such as in-store Dino hunts too.
Are you excited about what is coming up in 2019? Absolutely. We have some dynamic growth targets over the coming year so plenty to get stuck into, and it’s likely we’ll need to strengthen our team further in the near future. We have new products launching in January across all of our categories, so we hope to make a very strong start to the year. For Farm World, there are all new animals to discover, plus ready to go play sets such as the new Puppy Pen and a working Horse Stable. Wild Life will see new animals join the line-up, and this year we have a play mat that will provide the perfect back drop for playing with them. The Schleich Horse Club remains a big focus for us, and we will build on the considerable success we have already achieved in establishing it in the market. Key new pieces such as the Rider Cafe and Playmat will complement the existing range perfectly. In addition to all the new products, we also have some key events to look out for; watch out for our Red Rabbit event in spring plus many other promotional opportunities. We will also be investing considerably more in our marketing support from 2019 onwards, as we look to significantly raise the brand profile of Schleich in the UK. All we can say is watch this space.