FEATURE
ON THE FARM
Make hay while the sun shines Four retailers across the UK who are big fans of farm-themed toys tell TnP what they sell and why they love all things rural-related, from vehicles to games and puzzles
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s parents of small children heave a sigh of relief as outdoor attractions such as open farms and animal parks open their doors again, interest in that perennial favourite - the farm-themed toy - is bound to increase. And with the media attention that popular TV series such as Our Yorkshire Farm and Our Farming Life attract, along with kids’ shows such as CBeebies’ Down on the Farm, even towndwelling kids could form a serious tractor habit! From animals and vehicles to themed playsets and puzzles, these unisex toys are a brilliant way to give kids a bit of knowledge about farming and the countryside, while also encouraging imaginative play and roleplay. Julia Lowe spotted a gap in the market 13 years ago when her children Emily, Oliver and Harry (then aged seven, four and one) expressed a keen interest in farm toys. Coming from a farming background and with experience in the web industry, she set out to create Farm Toys Online as a site where, as she says, “parents like me could go to for well-made farm and horse toys”. As an established ecommerce retailer, the business has not had to ramp up digital activity in response to the challenges of Covid-19. In fact, Julia saw toy sale levels near that of Christmas going into lockdown, as parents prepared for their children to be at home. Julia aims to source products that are “more realistic than most farm toys, but not as complicated and expensive as the exact replica models on the market. Our unbeatable range of farm toys includes toy versions of anything you might find on a farm or in a stable - even down to batterypowered wind turbines”. More than 1,200 toys are listed on the website, and Julia works with
JUNE 2021
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Our range of farm toys includes toy versions of anything you might find on a farm or in a stable - even down to batterypowered wind turbines
around 35 suppliers, which are a mix of small UK and larger international companies. Key brands include Siku, Bruder, Breyer and Schleich. “We find the brands that do best on Farm Toys Online are the ones willing to work collaboratively with us to reach mutually beneficial revenue goals,” she says. “For example, as a result of working closely with Siku last year, we were able to grow our sales of Siku toys by a whopping 58%.” So what new products have impressed her so far this year? She “absolutely loves” John Deere-Opoly: a farm-themed twist on Monopoly featuring John Deere tractors. Her best sellers year-round are tractors, remote-control tractors and ride-on tractors. But she notes that demand is seasonal for some items, especially tractor attachments. For example, sales of snow ploughs go up in the winter and hay balers increase in the summer. Jayne Rees, owner of Eve’s Toy Shop at Llandeilo in Wales, is based in the middle of a farming community “where regular customers can disappear - only to emerge weeks
Themed window display by Cachao Toys in London
later, tired and exhausted due to the lambing season”. So for her, “‘On The Farm’ and all that goes with that is a particularly good seller at the shop”. She explains: “Springtime, when the lambs are born, can be a busy time for us as a community with holidaymakers renting local farm B&Bs (around half term) for their children to experience life on the farm. This is especially lovely when the lambs are in the fields and brightly coloured tractors trudge through the town - something boys in particular love. “With that in mind, we have a whole section in the shop dedicated to ‘On The Farm’ with animals from Lanka Kade, Schleich and Haba; wooden tractors and farms by Le Toy Van; and books and jigsaw puzzles by Usborne, Nosy Crow, Jura toys and Djeco. It’s an all-year-round seller for us, so we pretty much cover and love all things farm-related!” City dweller Jennie Hogg, owner of Cachao Toys in north London’s Muswell Hill, is several miles from the countryside but she stocks a mix of Schleich animals; Jellycat farm animals, fruits and vegetables; and farm-themed games. For her, “farmrelated toys and games tie in nicely with Easter and make a great spring window display theme - so I make a thing of them, and they sell.”
Julia Lowe, owner of Farm Toys Online
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