Trade Talk - suppliers reveal their predictions for the second half

Calling all suppliers and distributors! We’d love to hear your views. Get in touch with Clare@lemapublishing.co.uk to have your say!

Trade talk

JULIA LOESER

Science Kit sales, marketing & PR manager Thames & Kosmos

This month, we fi nd out what retailers are ordering from our suppliers now toy shops are open, as well as the toys our suppliers have kept from childhood

Since the reopening of non-essential retail, are you enjoying a boom in orders?

It’s been encouraging to speak to our bricks-and-mortar customers who say their loyal customer base has been returning steadily since reopening. In particular, their young customer base is excited to see toys again in action. I’d say the trade is cautious but also keen to bring in new and exciting stock, mostly within the £15-£25 price bracket.

Have you noticed any interesting trends?

Our medium price point ranges such as FEAK continue to be popular. Within the range, we’ve had a hotly anticipated restock of our best-selling Rubber Band Racers, Solar Powered Rovers and Ultra Light Airplanes, which at £16 can be played with indoors or out, providing educational fun while not breaking the bank. Sales in the run-up to the May half term have been steady.

What are your best-selling products at the moment?

Last month the hotly anticipated CREATTO series 2 range hit our warehouse and immediately proved a hit among end-users and infl uencers alike. The kits range from Mini to Maxi and allow children from the age of eight to make, play and display their 3D light up creations. Within our board game range, the EXIT – The Game titles continue to be best sellers with our fi rst new title of the year, The Gate Between Worlds, slotting perfectly into the intermediate diffi culty level. Our next new arrival in the series, The Cursed Labyrinth, is due in July - and pre-orders are already coming in thick and fast for this novice level adventure.

What lines do you expect to do well in summer and autumn?

Sales of our FEAK range will continue to be steady. We think the upcoming summer holidays will see a lot of families holidaying at home and let’s face it, the weather in the UK is rather unpredictable, so the FEAK range is perfect to keep children entertained when indoors. And the Squishy Organs from the range include a bouncing brain; what’s not to like?

Within our board game range, we are introducing a hotly anticipated English Language EXIT – Advent Calendar with pre-orders fl ooding in. The German language version was a sell-out last year and we can’t wait for the arrival in the summer as it will offer EXIT – The Game enthusiasts a new escape room dimension in the run-up to Christmas Day!

Finally, have you kept any toys from your childhood?

I still have my fi rst teddy bear - which was a dog. He’s lost his eyes and is a bit battered (spending his retirement in the loft) but he always reminds of my grandparents and the silly voices my granddad used to make.

PHIL RATCLIFFE

Joint managing director MV Sports & Leisure

Since the reopening of non-essential retail, are you enjoying a boom in orders?

Our order book is very strong. The challenge has been to navigate supply chain disruption and bring in as much stock as possible to service the high demand. “Our order book Have you noticed any interesting trends? is very strong. Customers are ordering much further out, to The challenge have the best chance of securing stock. We’ve has been to also seen a big uplift in our own brands such navigate supply as Kickmaster, Hedstrom, Stunted, uMoVe and chain disruption Wired - continuing the trend from last year. Classic licences have seen an uptick this year and bring in too, especially on preschool. as much stock

What lines do you expect to do well in as possible to summer and autumn? service the high

Hedstrom and Kickmaster in the summer demand” (swings, slides, trampolines, goals) and Wired and licences in the autumn particularly higher value items such as bikes, go karts, e-scooters and battery operated ride-ons.

Finally, have you kept any toys from your childhood?

Very few, as my mother gave or threw them all away. Some battered old

Matchbox cars and a handful of boxed games are all that’s left. My kids have more than fi lled the void, and most of theirs are in the loft!

DAVID MORDECAI

CEO H.Grossman

What are your best-selling products at the moment?

Pushpoppers. These are fl ying out. We have already had nearly 3 million items ordered with more on the way: a real pocket money winner.

What lines do you expect to do well in summer and autumn?

Scooters are in big demand at the moment, and we see this continuing through the rest of the year - together with anything related to the fi dget craze.

Finally, have you kept any toys from your childhood?

Subbuteo brings back so many memories.