The Big Interview: Rainbow Designs

GOING FOR GOLD

2021 marks the 50th anniversary of Rainbow Designs and, while special events to honour the golden landmark have needed to be put on ice for now, there is still much for the company to celebrate. PPS catches up with md Anthony Temple to find out more.

“Istill can’t quite believe it’s 50 years since this remarkable journey of Rainbow Designs began,” comments Anthony Temple, md of the classic character toy and gift specialist.

Founded by entrepreneur Mike Mutters in 1971, Anthony acquired the business in November 2005, a day he describes as “without a doubt, a defining moment in my career”. Since then, the company has delivered four-fold growth in its overall sales, changing from a distribution company to an innovative in-house product development business with direct sourcing and has a much-deserved reputation in the industry as a home of exceptional quality product. It has focused on the growth of key and national accounts, in addition to retaining and expanding its independent retailer network.

Understandably, Anthony is “immensely proud” of the heritage and values that the team has built. “I am especially proud of how we have strategically shaped and expanded Rainbow’s established ‘Home of Classic Character’ status with unique best in baby and nursery soft and developmental toy collections across all of our prestigious brands, while staying current and moving with today’s retail landscape,” he tells PPS.

Top: A new Always and Forever Winnie the Pooh collection is launching this autumn. Above: Anthony Temple, md, Rainbow Designs. Left: Guess How Much I Love You is a heritage classic.

The company weathered the storm of last year, arming itself with new skills in the process and Anthony says it is in a good place, ahead of budget expectations and “confidently on course to get back to our successful 2019 levels, with a fair wind”.

Plans for any major anniversary celebrations, however, have needed to be put on hold due to the pandemic. “We were planning to celebrate our golden landmark with a special event at Toy Fair earlier this year, but sadly it just wasn’t meant to be,” says Anthony. “In the circumstances, it would have been difficult to celebrate properly under the restrictions… so we have decided to follow the example of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, that delivered a successful and heart-warming Games a year late. I would say it is never too late to celebrate and so we do still plan to continue our milestone celebrations into 2022.”

Like many businesses in the preschool space, Rainbow Designs has remained busy with virtual showcases and previews on Teams and Zoom and has continued to provide support for its customers. “Communication has been a focus for all, but it is how we communicate that is important,” Anthony explains. “We quickly noticed that people, and in particular our independents, needed more than an email or newsletter – they wanted to talk, they wanted that reassurance of a familiar voice and so we’ve picked up the phone and now with the lifting of restrictions, where possible we have been getting back out there to visit our retailers. With trade fairs beginning to open their doors again, we are looking forward to catching up with many at Autumn Fair and had it not been for the pandemic, and the uncertainty of trade shows and travel in general, we would have been at Kind + Jugend, so everything crossed we can be there in 2022.”

Another challenge is shipping and container availability, in particular freight cost rise “extortion” as Anthony describes it, which he believes will inevitably bring price increases across the industry. “We cannot see this situation changing for the balance of 2021 and into 2022, and so we are just working as smartly and as strategically as we can to ensure we have the right product in the right place at the right time to ensure we can deliver on our promises.” Now that Rainbow Designs has reached its 50year milestone, looking ahead to what can be achieved in the next five years is the next marker. Anthony concludes: “Rainbow Designs, as The Home of Classic Characters, is a brand which I am immensely proud to have played a part in building. We are excited to nurture and grow further and I’m looking forward to seeing what we can achieve in the next five years. See you in 2026!”

BRAND VALUES

“All our brands represent classic, heritage, quality and style, that’s what uniquely makes them a Rainbow Home of Classic Characters’ licence opportunity,” Anthony explains to PPS. “When considering new partnerships there has to be a synergy with our business values.”

Winnie the Pooh – himself celebrating a milestone anniversary this year, 95 years – certainly meets these criteria, and the character is a key part of the Rainbow Designs’ portfolio. A new Always and Forever collection is launching this autumn, inspired by the woodland scenes from AA Milne’s stories and the nostalgia around the property.

Anthony continues: “In addition to new arrivals, we are focusing on building and nurturing our core classic brands, continuously refreshing and enhancing with new design innovation and new products, adding to our successful, evergreen bestsellers that include our beautiful nursery collections: Once Upon a Time Peter Rabbit and Signature Peter Rabbit collections, Guess How Much I Love You and The Very Hungry Caterpillar ranges.”

Above: The Very Hungry Caterpillar is one of Rainbow Designs top selling nursery ranges. Below: The Once Upon a Time Peter Rabbit and Signature Peter Rabbit collections show how Rainbow Designs constantly refreshes and enhances its ranges.