Retail News – from the shop floor and store head offices

Game On

An increase in demand for classic toys, a further uplift in interest in toys spun off from films, TV and video games and increasingly tech-friendly toys and games…

Those are among the key drivers spotted by UK-based online marketplace OnBuy, in a whopping rise in its toys and games business, which has seen sales grow by more than 1750% in the past three years.

The marketplace, which has been tipped as one to watch by the Financial Times as one of Europe’s fastest growing, said the key areas outlined above had helped its sales soar.

OnBuy category manager Azeem Sabur said: “The foundation of the toy industry seems extremely stable. Even in uncertain economic times, parents want to provide joy for their children. With our fresh and unique approach to eCommerce, we are providing toy retailers with an easy and fair opportunity to get their products seen by hundreds of thousands of shoppers that are visiting OnBuy daily, all searching for their next purchase.”

OnBuy CEO Cas Paton added: “Our meteoric growth is thanks to our proposition that champions transparency and collaboration. As more retailers are becoming increasingly tired of the negative and competitive experience in the industry, we have fast become a trusted alternative - providing a fair and transparent marketplace that vows never to retail any products, never to launch an ‘own’ brand range, and compete with retailers.

“As a relatively new marketplace, there are still so many opportunities for sellers, brands and retailers to join OnBuy and now is the best time for toys and games sellers to get listed to benefit from incremental sales leading up to Christmas.”

This year’s Oscar winner

“We really want to go to Smyths Toy Superstores!”

The retailer’s mascot Oscar is back and he’s joined by some of the biggest and brightest names in the toy market for its new Christmas ad.

The ad, unveiled on Friday November 4, features the character alongside a line-up to die for, and is part of Smyths Toys Superstores’ Christmas marketing blitz.

Oscar interacts with characters in the full-length one-minute spit, including Ziggy the Robo Dog, SpiderMan, Buzz Lightyear, and Minecraft’s Ender Dragon. The winter theme is played up with the Slashin’ Attack Therizinosauris from Jurassic World Dominion using his claws to shape a snowman and Barbie’s Winter Holiday Fun range, while Squishmallows Squad, L.O.L. Fashion dolls and Harry Potter fare all make an appearance.

It’s part of a campaign that includes TV, YouTube, and social media activity on Facebook and Instagram. Plus Smyths Toys Superstores will also work with influencers to boost views and hold competitions.

A full two-minute version of the song will appear on music streaming sites such as Amazon Music, Apple Music, Spotify and YouTube.

Sinead Byrne, joint head of marketing at Smyths Toys Superstores, said: “We’re so excited to unveil our new Christmas brand ad! With a brand-new song to ring in the holidays, Oscar is back with the best toys from this year. Kids can watch and rewatch the ad, to spot all their favourite toys.”

You can see the ad here https://youtube/0blKD9IVPGk

Toymaster unveils new-look committees

Toymaster has announced a new member committee after merging its two separate committees – previously split into marketing and merchandise – into one.

The new-look member committee, unveiled by the Toymaster Board, is made up of Carl Blatcher, JAC Stores, Isle of Man; Ciaran Fitzpatrick, Banba Toymaster, Dublin; Dave Middleton, Midco Toymaster, Burton and Derby; Emma Dadswell, Toys n Tuck, Southend and Stephen Hartfield, from Kids Stuff, which has eight stores across Sussex and Surrey. Chloe Farrow, Toymaster Selector, is committee co-ordinator.

The organisation also said it had recognised the different needs of its membership, with the board setting up a new committee for its Island of Ireland membership.

This commmitte includes Ciaran Burns, Toymaster, Cookstown amd Lurgan; Ian Bailey, Baileys Toymaster, Gorey; Jean Hodgins, Hopkins, Toymaster, Wicklow; Jonny Rogers, Rogers Toymaster, Portadown and Banbridge with Pat Murphy, Murphy’s Toymaster, Dungarven and Youghal.

The board also paid tribute to departing committee members, noting: “We would like to take this opportunity to thank Chris Blatcher of JAC Stores, Ciaran Burns of Toymaster Cookstown, Steve Kerrison of Kerrisons Toys and John Testori of Bambola for their valuable input, time and hard work on our previous Committees over many years.”

Entertainer’s charity appeal aims for 100,000 mark

The Entertainer is aiming to break through the 100,000 mark of toys donated to its annual charity appeal after announcing plans to once more work with the Salvation Army to help give gifts to underprivileged children.

The Big Toy Appeal has seen more than 92,000 toys given to charity since it launched in 2018, as the retailer encourages customers to buy another toy to donate when buying presents from stores or online in the run-up to Christmas. The Entertainer then matches the gift with another toy itself, doubling the contribution.

The appeal is running online at www. thetoyshop.com/big-toy-appeal and in its stores and will continue throughout the month until November 30.

Gary Grant, founder and executive chairman of The Entertainer, said: “We believe that every child deserves the gift of play and to enjoy the wonder of Christmas. The Big Toy Appeal is all about making the festive period easier for those families who struggle at Christmas by providing toys to open on the big day.

“We’re incredibly proud that each year The Big Toy Appeal has been able to support even more families, with more than 92,000 toys donated since 2018. Every child deserves to know they are special, and The Big Toy Appeal is a chance for us all to work together to help families celebrate the wonder of Christmas.”

Tony Daniels, director for community services for The Salvation Army, said: “The cost of living crisis continues to place family budgets under significant and sustained pressure. Therefore, Christmas this year will be extremely difficult for many families to budget for, given that the current economic crisis show no signs of abating. Clearly, our Big Toy Appeal is needed more than ever and will allow us, partnering with the Entertainer, to bring Christmas joy and support to families who need it most right now.”

New Toymaster member – Music Corner, Gibraltar

Toymaster has announced a new member, one of of its furthest form the UK in the shape of the Gibraltarbased Music Corner. The retailer which has been trading for 24 years, started out life, as its name suggests, selling audio and music-related items. It has, over the years, moved increasingly into toys, starting with trading cards such as Pokémon and Yu-Gi-Oh! and now stocks major brands such as Mattel, MGA, LEGO and Hasbro. It’s now a predominantly a toy retailer, although has stuck with the Music Corner name as it is a well-lnown outlet on the rock. As well as local trade, the retailer also benefits from tourists arriving on cruise ships. A statement from Toymaster said: “We would like to welcome Music Corner to the Toymaster family and wish Naresh, Suresh and the team the best of luck.”

Tonies marks its move into Hamleys

Tonies has marked its move into toy retailer Hamleys with a launch event at the flagship London store, scoring a PR coup that will boost the brand across the board. Celebrities and influencers, competition winners and plenty of children gathered around as I’m A Celebrity winner and author Giovanna Fletcher and Sky TV presenter MC Grammar hosted the event and give the crowd a glimpse into the world of Tonies. The audience heard Gruffalothemed stories from a giant Tonies box. Attendees included Vogue Williams, Binky Felstead, Ali Bastian and Perri Edwards The move into Hamleys is the latest step in Tonies’ development, with the brand still celebrating NPD figures that show it is the fastest-growing toy in the market, and further consolidating its growth. Tonies partnership and PR Pinky Laing said: “We are so proud of our new partnership with prestigious toy store Hamleys. I remember running around Hamleys as a child, and so to see our products being stocked on the very same shelves is a dream come true. “Working with Hamleys to create our new tonies display in-store has been amazing; the team have been an absolute joy to work with, and just like excited kids, we are all looking forward to Christmas!”

The Retail Barometer

A new regular column in which retailers and more tell us about the positive – and negative – things happening in stores around the country. All comments are provided anonymously, but verified and checked by us at TnP…

To have your contributions potentially included, email tim@lemapublishing. co.uk with what’s doing well and what’s doing not so well in stores, what’s making you happy, confident and optimistic for the future – and what’s giving you cause for concern…

Pokemon cards - often mentioned by retailers across the board, as Pikachu and pals, is the phenomenon that refuses to die, and continues to excel at retail. “Pokemon trading cards continue to be big sellers for us.

Other pocket money toys - All those ones

on the counter continue to perform well, as noted by one of our contributors, who said: “It always amazes me at the volume of bottles of bubbles, stickers and Hot Wheels cars that we sell!’’

Independent retailers – One of our retailers

(an indie, in case you couldn’t guess), believes that more could be done by suppliers and the wider industry to capitalise on the current increasing vogue for consumers to turn to indie stores and away from giant multiples… They said: “The proportion of shoppers who prefer to use an independent retailer over a multinational is rising rapidly; consumers want to support smaller operations like ours over larger retailers especially at Christmas. I just can’t understand why the big brands in our industry don’t lean into this more; it would be refreshing to see them proactively working on what support they can offer independents.’’

Tonies – Featured on our news pages previously after strong NPD performances, these are becoming increasingly important at retail.

Supply chain issues – everyone’s keeping an eye after the pandemic and Brexit-related issues that caused problems in recent years, but, fingers crossed, these are now fewer and further apart than previously.

Jigsaws – it’s not too much of a puzzle as the Covid-inspired fillip for this sector now seems to have dissipated. It’s not across the board though, there are still some selling and, moreover, a few retailers have mentioned a recent uptick in arts and craft sales, another lockdown favourite. Increased costs – whether it’s real or imagined, everyone is talking about increased costs. For some retailers, it’s inflationary pressure on not just prices in stores, but rents and costs too. For others it’s the press continually talking about inflation. The former side is, of course, having an effect, and the constant coverage for the problems potentially to come may now be affecting consumer confidence too.

RETAIL NEWS Picking the Christmas hits

As retailers line up to issue their predictions for the seasonal hits, TnP assesses what they mean for business and how they can secure column inches

“It’s a very early start,” laughed Hamleys buyer Karen Dennett. The buyer is part of the Hamleys team that had just unveiled its top 10 Christmas toys listing at the retailer’s legendary, flagship store on London’s Regent Street.

Hamleys was among the first in a raft of retailers to issue top 10s predicting what they thought the biggies would be at Christmas.

These top 10s and crystal ball gazing seasonal charts have become an increasingly important tool for retailers and suppliers alike, especially when national press and newspapers are increasingly reliant on this kind of chart to fill up their publications when newsrooms are more and more scarcely staffed.

They make for great copy, great conversation pieces and are always an interesting read, for starters.

“We’ve been constantly thinking about this since January,” said Dennett, speaking to TnP at the well-attended press launch early one autumn morning in the capital’s West End. “We’ve been debating it for quite some time, even right up to the last few days. We wanted it to be bang up to date.”

It’s not just the buying team putting it together either, as she explained: “Within the buying team we put together a shortlist, but then ask within the whole Hamleys business. It’s very wide and we want to get different opinions. It’s not just one person, we’re taking everything into consideration.”

This included, she added, the current economic climate, a factor all retailers have had to think about when putting together their Christmas top 10s this year.

“Everyone is very conscious of what’s going on. We’ve gone for a more iconic range and evergreen items, things that aren’t just for the festive period,” she said. “We wanted things that are played beyond Christmas and for the whole year.”

For Hamleys – and the other retailers releasing top 10s – the publication of its seasonal predictions also marks the beginning of the festive period. The retailer is quietly confident about Christmas this year, despite the dire economic situation. “We are optimistic,” she said, “we’ve had good sales this summer.

“Footfall in Regent Street is definitely back to how it used to be [prepandemic]. Sales over the year have been higher than we expected. And we don’t think supply chain will be too much of an issue. We’re quietly confident.”

Back to the top 10, and as TnP exited the building, we picked up an early edition of that day’s Evening Standard, London’s free ‘local’ newspaper. There, in the paper, was its coverage of Hamleys’ top 10 already, proving the worth of it. Agency attendance, from Bloomberrg, Reuters and the PA, as well as newspapers such as The Sun, also showed the worth of Hamleys’ enterprise.

Hamleys top 10 toys 1. XShot Skins the Last Stand 2. Playdoh Ice Cream Truck 3. Roller Disco Peppa 4. CoComelon Boo Boo JJ Doll 5. One Trick Pony Game 6. Disney Lightyear JetPack Buzz 7. Barbie Cutie Reveal Doll 8. Hamley Bear Panda Plush 9. Tick Tock Brick Knock 10. Jumping Sumo

Victoria Kay, head of buying, Hamleys : “Recognised brands dominate the Top Ten Toy picks this year, with products that will resonate with parents just as much as children this Christmas. We are confident that by selecting these products, parents will be making a wise investment in gifts that will be played with well into the future. With iconic characters featuring in the list, we know we have chosen the very best, most wanted toys, from strong brands that will be cherished by families as they grow.”

Toys R Us top 10 toys for Christmas

Barbie Cutie Reveal Doll 1 – Bunny Mouse in the House Stilton Hamper Hotel Heroes of Goo Jit Zu Marvel S5 Versus Pack LEGO City Stuntz Double Loop Stunt Arena Striker Jet Pro Little Tikes Cozy Coupe Dino My Very Own Fairy Jar Little Live Pets Petal the Panda Play-Doh Kitchen Creations Ultimate Ice Cream Truck Playset Simply Magic Marvin’s Amazing Magic Tricks

Marketing and ecommerce director Mike Coogan: “This year’s top toys list offers a huge variety of new products, ranging from toys inspired by the biggest TV and gaming franchises to bizarre – but crucially, fun – pooping animals. Our predictions for the top toys this Christmas are based on our experience and expertise in what parents buy for their children, offering not just a shopping list, but an insight into shopper behaviour.”

Smyths Toys Superstores Top toys 2022

1. WWE Wrekkin’ Rampage Rig Vehicle Playset 2. Ziggy the Robo Dog 3. Nikko 1:12 Remote Control Rock CrushR 4. Jurassic World Dominion: Real FX Baby Blue Dinosaur 5. Barbie Cutie Reveal Winter Sparkle Range 6. Squishmallows Chewbacca 7. L.O.L. Surprise! O.M.G. LaRose & Missy Frost 8. LEGO 76408 Harry Potter – 12 Grimmauld Place Set 9. CoCoMelon Audio Tonie 10. Smart Ball Skills Training Football 11. Coolmaker Stitch ‘n’ Style Sewing Machine 12. Sink N’ Sand Board Game with Kinetic Sand 13. Little Live Pets – Mama Surprise 14. Fisher-Price DJ Bouncin’ Beats 15. Magic Trace Glow to Show Studio

Sinead Byrne, the joint head of marketing at Smyths Toys, said picking the top toys of 2022 hasn’t been an easy task. “There have been so many excellent releases this year, which made the decision difficult. We have some excellent TV and movie franchises in the mix this year, with the Wrekkin’ Rig and Drew McIntyre figure from WWE. There’s also the Real FX Baby Blue Dinosaur from Jurassic World, a CoCoMelon audio Tonie, and a super-rare LEGO Harry Potter set, featuring your very own Order of the Phoenix HQ. The list also features an RC car and Ziggy – our ever-popular robo-dog. The Squishmallows Chewbacca is perfect for Star Wars fans, and you can ring in the season with the Barbie Cutie Reveal Winter Sparkle Range! Our Top Toys list has so much to explore – to delight people of all ages this Christmas.”

OnBuy’s predicted Christmas bestsellers

1. Barbie doll and accessories2. Barbie Princess Adventures

Prince Ken 3. Colgate Barbie Kids Battery Toothbrush 4. Nintendo Switch 5. LEGO Star Wars Imperial Shuttle Liam Tickner, category manager at OnBuy said: “Barbie is an iconic toy, which has kept multiple generations entertained. Although the doll fell out of favour with children in the 2010s, recently Barbie has seen a surge in popularity, and our trends insight points towards her topping the 2022 Christmas toy charts”