The Big Interview - with Bandai UK CEO Nic Aldridge

Building a solid foundation

This month TnP talks to Bandai UK CEO Nic Aldridge, who is celebrating 20 years in the toy industry

What’s your background?

I’m a toy industry lifer! I started my career at Vivid Imaginations in 2001 working across various operations, sales and marketing roles. I then moved to Flair Leisure Products as their marketing director in 2011 before I joined Bandai in 2017.

Tell us a bit about Bandai UK.

We are the UK toy division of the Bandai Namco Group, which is a huge multinational, multi-industry entertainment group with an annual turnover of over $7bn.

What changes have you made in light of the restrictions that Covid-19 has created?

From day one of lockdown in March 2020, we moved to working full-time from home. Our offi ces are based in Richmond with many of our team taking public transport, so we wanted to make sure everyone had the safest working conditions possible, and in the short term that was working from home.

We’ve spent a lot of time and effort We’ve spent a lot of time and effort ensuring that our offi ces are Covidsafe, and we are now open again for limited numbers to be working in the offi ce together.

The toy industry “ definitely follows the maxim of 99% perspiration and 1% inspiration ”

How much of your workforce are working from home and what challenges does this present?

The whole team have been working from home with minor exceptions of reopening or reclosing, depending on the government advice. All in all, the team has performed exceptionally well given these challenges. But there is nothing like the personal touch for team spirit, so being able to go back into the offi ce again will defi nitely improve working conditions.

What opportunities has the pandemic created?

Some of our science and educational properties have really thrived CoComelon Musical under lockdown conditions, Tractor: Watch your which has been a real positive child re-enact one for us. In our plans and strategy of their favourite for 2020 we had a strong focus CoComelon videos for ecommerce development, - Old MacDonald - so we were in the right place with the CoComelon and time to capitalise on this Musical Tractor. planned focus. Suitable for children How has Brexit aged from 18 months, affected your business? little ones can Like everyone else who play and learn exports to Europe, we about farms, encountered some diffi culties animals, and at the start, but we seem to tractors. have navigated these now. It has defi nitely added another layer of cost and administration to our business, which isn’t particularly welcome!

so we were in the right place and time to capitalise on this planned focus. affected your business?

How do you see the company developing over the next developing over the next 12 months? 12 months?

Although 2020 was a very challenging year, it was a year of growth for Bandai. This has led us to build a very solid foundation for 2021 and beyond. We are in a very fortunate position where a number of our brands are really fi ring so we are carefully planning strong growth over the new few years. Will you be looking to expand into other categories in the near future?

Our core toy categories are boys, girls, preschool and science/educational and these will continue and, where possible, expand. We also have a very strong kidult business, and this will be another key focus of growth and expansion for us over the next few years.

What are your core goals for this year?

To build on the solid growth of 2020 and achieve further strong growth in 2021.

Where do you see opportunities for growth?

We have huge opportunities with Tamagotchi, which has been growing in popularity again over the past few years, plus, we have a new product launch - Tamagotchi Pix - and the 25th anniversary to talk about! Both our CoComelon and Miraculous business goes from strength to strength and keeping up with demand is going to be the big challenge! Plus, our kidult business with collector/specialist retailers reopening for business will help us drive continued growth here.

Miraculous Kwami Surprise Miracle Box: This toy provides children aged four-plus with unboxing magic as they search for and collect the six precious Kwami and their jewels. All the blind miracle boxes come with a miraculous map and a Kwami collectable.

Tell us your views on the economy and how you think this will affect the industry.

Rising costs throughout all areas of the value chain will mean that RRPs will have to rise in the near future. It’s always a thorny subject to get through but one that will have to be addressed by all of us. This will provide challenges at all levels: suppliers, retailers and consumers.

We will also have to be more responsible as an industry about the ecological impact of toys, whether that be in packaging or in the product itself. So we will need to consider the impact and cost of sensitively managing these topics.

During your time in the industry, which retailers have impressed you most and why?

The four retailers that have made the biggest shifts forward in my time in the industry are (in no particular order): Smyths, The Entertainer, Toytown & B&M Stores. All these retailers have shown huge growth and entrepreneurship over the past 20 years.

It’s great to have seen their development over the years, navigating the challenges that have been presented to them and growing their real estate. They continue to be at the forefront after Toy Fair. Needless to say, it was a daunting task as the pile was huge!

of development of retail within the toy industry and are proving to be strong partners in supporting our development as a business.

At the very beginning of my career I was the customer services executive for The Entertainer when I worked at Vivid back in 2001! So I can very well remember their growth over the years.

What’s the biggest change you’ve seen since you joined the industry 20 years ago?

The change in the retail environment with the loss of huge players in the industry like Woolworths and Toys R Us, combined with the growth of ecommerce.

What’s your earliest memory of your toy career?

I joined Vivid as a customer services temp for two weeks back in February 2001 - I had to put on agents’ orders

Harumika New Age TieDye Single Torso Set: New

Age Tie-Dye lets you create your own looks, whether for lockdown or future festival seasons. Suitable for children aged six-plus, The Single Torso assortment comes with a torso, stick, 10 pins and three fabrics. Rising costs “ throughout all areas of the value chain will mean that RRPs will have to rise in the near future. It’s always a thorny subject to get through but one that will have to be addressed by all of us ”

National Geographic Explorer Earth Science Kit: In this kit you’ll find everything you need to conduct experiments that will teach you about rocks and minerals, volcanoes, vortexes, tornadoes and more. With fun hands-on experiments like digging up mineral specimens, growing a real crystal, building and erupting your own volcano, and creating tornadoes with different fluids, it’s sure to prompt curiosity about how our Earth works. The kit is suitable for kids aged eight-plus.

What do you miss from the early days? And what don’t you miss?

I both miss and don’t miss the exceptionally boozy Toy Fairs. They were fun back then, when I could cope with less sleep and hangovers, all those years ago!

What’s the most rewarding aspect of your job?

Building our fantastic team here at Bandai and developing our brand portfolio - both of which are now delivering some outstanding results.

What’s the most challenging aspect of your job?

Managing the team remotely during Covid has proved to be a big challenge but we’re definitely holding in there!

Tamagotchi Pix: Suitable for children aged six-plus, Tamagotchi Pix is the newest generation of your favourite interactive virtual pet. For the first time ever, the Tamagotchi device has a camera and touch buttons. While maintaining its core Tamagotchi attributes of nurturing, communication, portability, and gaming, your virtual pet is better than ever!

What advice would you give to someone starting out in the industry?

Work hard! The toy industry definitely follows the maxim of 99% perspiration and 1% inspiration. Build your network wherever and whenever you can, as these will become trusted allies and friends over the years to come. And follow the trends, as this is a fashion business after all - can you spot the trend before someone else?