6 minute read
Retail Interview – Louise Moss at the Yorkshire Wildlife Park talks about the destination’s themed toy offering
Animal
attraction
TnP talks to Louise Moss, retail general manager of Yorkshire Wildlife Park in Doncaster, about the leisure destination’s themed toy offering
Tell us about Yorkshire Wildlife Park.
Yorkshire Retail Park [YWP] opened in 2009 on the site of a former farm attraction and riding school. Famous for rescuing 13 lions from Romania and bringing them back to Yorkshire, YWP has grown year-onyear and now has about 850,000 visitors annually. Home to more than 400 animals with 70 different species, YWP is well known for its spacious reserves, the country’s only polar bears, and its conservation and welfare work. Louise Moss
What sets it apart from other wildlife parks?
YWP was set up and designed as a walk-through safari park - different from a lot of other zoos. The reserves are large, and the animals are in naturalistic groups where possible, with carefully designed viewing aimed to give a clear sight of the animals without fences in the way.
Where possible, guests walk among the animals in areas such as Café-Bistro and live entertainment including the Uproar! Play Barn.
The Yorkshire Hive is a bit like a cruise ship - with retail, accommodation, entertainment, and eateries - all in one place - which guests can dip in and out of. Its target audience is people coming to YWP for a day visit, people travelling from further afield who are staying at the hotel, and locals who pop in for a couple of hours.
Located inside YWP is the Safari Store (546sq m), with a vast collection of animal-themed merchandise - gifts, toys and distinctively wildlife-themed homeware. When we were building the first phase of the hotel, we opened up a temporary Safari Store within The Yorkshire Hive in April 2021, straight after the lockdown restrictions were starting to be lifted.
Since then we have continued to grow. We opened a second Safari Store (501sq m) in The Yorkshire Hive in November 2021 followed by the Pangea Dinosaur Store (144sq m) in The Yorkshire Hive in May 2022. This has shelves packed full of Jurassic gifts and goodies including soft toys, T-shirts, puzzles and more.
Our toy range is a “ vast, varied and bespoke array ”
Lemur Woods, South America Viva (which includes creatures from the wilds of Latin America) and Wallaby Walkabout. YWP has some of the world’s most beautiful and at-risk species, with conservation at the heart of all its activities. It is also home to the WildLife Foundation: a charity that raises funds to carry out conservation and welfare work around the world.
What is your retail offering?
There are three toy stores at The Yorkshire Hive and YWP. The Yorkshire Hive is a free-admission shopping complex located adjacent to the entrance of YWP, which comprises a select mix of independent shops and boutiques focused on artisan food and drink, locally sourced produce, homeware, cards and accessories, children's clothes and gifts, collectable artwork, and wildlife photography.
It’s a destination in its own right for local people and visitors to the YWP who go through the Hive on arrival and when leaving. It is also where the Hex Hotel is located, along with the Evolution themed restaurant, Wilds
Did You Know?
Yorkshire Wildlife Park has some of the world’s most beautiful and at-risk species, with conservation at the heart of all its activities. It is also home to the WildLife Foundation: a charity which raises funds at the Park to carry out conservation and welfare work around the world
How would you describe your toys range?
assortment comprises various toys, soft plush, imaginative, creative, bespoke, and personalised products to cater for all our visitors. Zoos and wildlife parks have the widest demographic of all leisure attractions, so it isn’t just about children. We currently stock more than 10 well-known brands, all of which have their own key place within the stores. In total, we deal with 50-plus suppliers.
How do you find products?
NEC trade shows and rep visits. I also research product development for all the stores and reach out to potential new suppliers that could develop the product offering that I’m looking to grow.
What's your selection criteria?
The main criteria for all our stores is to ensure product support, enhance customers’ experiences, and allow them to hold onto those memories from the day they visited us.
What lines have you started stocking recently?
We have increased the bespoke branded YWP range of magnets (which feature our own animal pictures), homeware and stationery, which has seen a large uptake in recent months - proving that customers are looking for products that will provide a lasting memory of their visit. Also to ensure we can provide an excellent offering to our customers. We are looking forward to stocking new bespoke merchandise and, of course, Christmas products.
Personalised decorations always do very well in the couple of months prior to November and December. Then we see a shift onto plush and gift options as we near the holiday season. Our customers are always looking for something that is a little bit different.
popular right now are our bespoke clothing and soft plush (particularly the Polar Bear, Red Panda, Giraffe).
Do customers ask for ecofriendly products?
We pride ourselves on increasing our eco-friendly product offerings and merchandise them throughout all the stores to give our customers options and choice on the products they wish to purchase. This has received fantastic feedback and a 100% rating for a customer experience visit.
Are you looking at expanding into new categories?
We are always looking to broaden our horizons as regards new categories and products, ensuring they complement the Park’s offering.
How is trading for you?
It’s challenging, owing to the current financial climate. We were affected by stock shortages, but to combat this I have worked with our key suppliers that supported us well throughout the pandemic and created forward potential orders, which are adapted weekly and monthly.
Last year was an anomaly due to Covid restrictions. So, when we were allowed to reopen, customers loved the freedom to spend and enjoy themselves. This year, with the cost-of-living crisis, visitors have become more selective.
How are you preparing for Christmas?
Preparations always start straight after the latest Christmas holiday season What’s next for Yorkshire Wildlife Park?
There is further expansion planned at the Yorkshire Hive, with more rooms due to be built at the Hex Hotel and additional retail units due to open and, of course, more animals planned for the YWP.
What’s the most rewarding aspect of your job?
Being able to provide customers with a lasting memento of their visit, while also leading my very talented team in progressing the growth and power of what good retail should always be. I’m extremely proud to have a team that really does strive for development and the positive impact we have on making a real difference for our visitors and animals - while also being heavily involved in the progression of YWP’s retail function, which has seen huge growth in the last year.
What's the most challenging part of your job?
I’m always striving to be ahead of the curve on new and exciting products to complement YWP’s growth.
