THE MD INTERVIEW YOGI PARMAR
Billed as Jersey’s only remaining family-run toy shop, Bambola has been trading for almost 60 years and joined Toymaster in 1989.
‘An ever-changing
retail world’ This month TnP talks to Yogi Parmar, managing director of buying group Toymaster, about the challenges and opportunities facing independent toy retailers and suppliers
What’s your background? I worked at Texas Homecare head office from 1984 to 1988 and then at Booker Cash & Carry head office from 1988 to 1990. I joined Toymaster in November 1990.
Tell us about Toymaster.
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Preparations are already underway for the Toymaster May Show to return in 2022
Toymaster Ltd formed in 1989 when a number of regional buying groups merged. Toymaster is here to support independent toy retailers in the UK and Ireland, and currently we have 140 members with 260 stores.
What are the benefits of being a Toymaster member? There are many benefits, but the main ones are that we provide members with access to all the key toy
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Year-round window displays are available to all Toymaster members at no charge. These support product launches and new film and TV-related products, along with the ranges that are key to Toymaster members. Pictured is the May 2021 Mattel window feature
suppliers, and we negotiate terms for our members on their behalf. We also handle the invoicing and payments to suppliers centrally via a secure internal website: in a nutshell, we do the admin behind the scenes so our members can focus on the front of store. We also run a year-round marketing programme to support our members, with catalogues, promotional flyers and window features, with the support of our suppliers. Communication is key, and we encourage members to get to know each other at regional meetings and at our May Show. Our internal web forum is the icing on the cake as it allows members to reach out to each other and share knowledge. We provide the tools to help our members - but they still make all the key decisions about which ranges to stock and how they decide to run their businesses.
What does your role entail? My role is to seek ways to help our members trade more profitably, and to ensure the smooth running of the group as a whole.
What have been your career highlights of 2021 to date? The Northampton [central office] team coming back to work in April to support our members was an emotional moment, and I’m proud of the commitment and hard work they have all put in. All our members’ shops reopening: we are very proud of our members who worked six
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or seven days a week during the pandemic to make a sale and be available for their community. Members created retail websites, engaged on social media, and connected to their local communities to make the ‘Shop Local’ message their own. And finally, Ciaran Fitzpatrick from Banba Toymaster in Dublin standing up for independent toy retailers in Ireland over larger retailers selling ‘nonessential’ goods.
Apart from Covid, what are the biggest challenges and opportunities facing toy retailers and suppliers? Initially it was Brexit but now it is container issues. This is also resulting in price increases and availability issues. However, we believe that with a big chunk of the population staying local this summer, this will be positive for our stores. We also see a challenge in terms of footfall on the high street. A number of major retailers are closing stores to focus on their online businesses. This will have a short-term impact on footfall - but it also creates an opportunity for towns to reinvent their high streets and shopping areas with an environment where independents, including local toy shops, can flourish.
How do you see Toymaster developing over the next 12 months? We are building on our relationships
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