COMPANY FOCUS WILTON BRADLEY
The showroom near Exeter has separate access to the rest of the business
Full steam ahead!
Three Wilton Bradley directors discuss the company’s products, plans and projections for 2021 Can you tell us a bit about Wilton Bradley and the scale of the business? Ross: We specialise in the design,
Sales director Ross Bradley
development, distribution and marketing of consumer products in the toy, sports and outdoor leisure markets. We supply our own brands and products to a broad range of customers, from independent and multi-national retailers to distributors. We also design, develop and manufacture OEM products for other brand owners. While product design and development are at the centre of what we do, we also distribute a number of market-leading brands in the UK. We are proud of the fact that this year marks 25 years of working as Bestway’s UK office, one of the world’s leading inflatable and leisure brands.
What changes have you made in light of the restrictions that Covid-19 has created? Ross: As Covid-19 continues to present
Buying director Carl Bradley
Design director Scott Eden
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new challenges, we’ve introduced a number of strategies to help our customers view our exciting new 2021 ranges. We are offering live video conference presentations from our showroom, allowing buyers to meet their salesmen from the comfort of their own homes to review the products and ask questions live. We have also created new recorded video presentations for every new product, allowing customers to revisit certain products and watch at their convenience. The videos were created by the Wilton Bradley buying team, who share their detailed knowledge and explain the specifications of each product line. While we are encouraging customers
to meet virtually, our showroom will be open when legally allowed for customers to visit in person who feel they cannot effectively review the products virtually. The showroom can be accessed directly without coming into contact with other areas of the business and is kept safe with increased cleaning and PPE.
What have been the company’s most successful products in the past year? Ross: With the launch of the new electric range, our Xootz brand has had a real buzz around it this year, which has led to considerable growth. At the forefront of this charge were our Elements kids’ electric scooters, which have been one of our best-selling products across the group, as well as the award-winning Typhoon Power Drifter, created using in-house tooling and design. Our electric ride-on range has also been a driveaway success. This range of exclusive, officially licensed electric ride-on models allows kids to experience the thrill of getting behind the wheel of their very own electric ride-on car. Many of these products were recognised for their design and innovation, bringing home some of the top awards in the industry. Our Typhoon Power Drifter won the Top WOW factor within the active category in the Right Start Awards. Additionally, our Xootz Bubble Scooter and Mi Mic & X-Factor Karaoke Disco Cube Speaker both won Gold in the MadeForMums Awards.
How was trading for Wilton Bradley in 2020? Ross: The past 12 months have been exceptionally strong for the Wilton
Bradley Group. Today we supply a range of more than 4,000 products to more than 30 countries, employing 125 people across the UK and in Hong Kong. We are eager to continue this momentum into 2021, with lots of exciting new products for retailers to see and clear direction for our brands and ongoing new product development. This year we will be celebrating our seventh year of having a permanently manned showroom in Hong Kong, helping to serve our global customer base and enhancing their sourcing capabilities, with four full-time staff working in the showroom. We were also proud to be recognised in the London Stock Exchange Group’s ‘1000 Companies to Inspire Britain’ report last year, which acknowledges the fastest-growing businesses across sectors and regions that have achieved ‘significant performance not only in consistent YOY revenue growth but also against sector peers’.
What are the team’s ambitions for 2021? Ross: The toy industry continues to be an exciting sector to be a part of heading into 2021. As our new products arrive in stock and land on shelves, we will continue to stay supportive of our lines in stores, while displaying our products well online.
What’s the biggest challenge and opportunity facing toy suppliers? Carl: In a normal year, we plan our buying trips around various trade fairs which generally align with our development timeline. We have multiple members of the team travelling to attend these exhibitions, looking to source new products and seek out new
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