NEWS
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The Toy Fair’s ONLY official daily paper
Y DA
DAILY
Wednesday, January 23, 2019
Don’t m
iss!
• Glitz a nd glam ou • Big int erview w r of awards nig ht • Showit stoppin h Siso Toys UK g produ cts
Full of Character and L.O.L.s aplenty MGA’s L.O.L., Character Options and The Entertainer triumphed at this evening’s annual Toy Industry Awards winning Toy of the Year, Supplier of the Year and Toy Retailer of the Year, respectively. BTHA Golden Teddy Awards were presented to Simon Kohler of Hornby Hobbies and Stuart Crawford of MV Sports for being ordinary people with extraordinary talents who have been dedicated to the toy industry for many years. In this case both individuals have made huge contributions during The Entertainer sco oped Retailer of the Year careers which have spanned more than 40 years each. The awards were presented at the gala event held in Olympia’s Apex Room following the first day of the 66th annual Toy Fair.
UK toy market is top banana! There’s no doubt it’s been a tough year for toy retail, but the UK still held its position as the number one toy market in Europe. Though sales dropped seven per cent for the year, it still brought in a whopping £3.3 billion, outstripping other major markets on the continent. Bright spots in the year saw collectables grow an impressive 32 per cent – with one in every four toys purchased a collectable figure, squishy or MGA Surprise.
ur s o y Tr ment eri nd p x e t sta a
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Bandai, Upper Level 600
NPD’s Frederique Tutt, unveiled the UK’s performance yesterday. “Brexit is still taking its toll on retail and the current mood on the high street,” she said. “But if you look to France and the US, political uncertainty is also having an impact.” The downfall of Toys R Us also took its toll. “The toy specialists have done incredible jobs to adapt, soak up a large portion of that business, and offer consumers better toy shopping experiences.”
Pretty in pink Amy Childs doesn’t want to “shut up” about prams because she’s determined to tell the world they should be affordable and glam. TV personality and mum of two Amy popped up on the Roma Prams stand, Upper Level 144, yesterday, to help promote the Amy Childs’ Collection of full-sized and dolls prams. Known for her The Only Way Is Essex catchphrase “shut up”, Amy couldn’t stop talking about the super-glam collection in an array of stylish designs including polka dots, frills and plenty of pink. She says the perfect pram should be “ergonomic, comfortable for baby, have good suspension, be affordable and look really really glamorous – I love pink and I adore really girly designs”.
New TV advertised sets for 2019 New branding for AW19