Feature
Pocket Money & Collectibles
Pocket power While some categories saw sales surge in 2020 due to lockdowns, others, such as Pocket Money Toys and Collectibles, slowed down. However, a few factors mean a turnaround is on the cards for 2021. Rachael Simpson-Jones speaks to suppliers in this category to find out what the year has in store (and in-store).
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he closure of non-essential shops has impacted numerous consumer behaviours. In toys, one of the biggest casualties of this has been the Pocket Money and Collectibles category, which – up till March 2020 – was performing incredibly well. By March 2021, we were reading in last month’s issue that toys priced at less than £5 lost almost £30m in value terms in 2020, and were showing a volume decline of -22%, with 1.2m fewer units being sold. Ouch. Still, it certainly can’t be said that all brands within this category have fared poorly over the last 12 months. Surging interest in STEM toys during lockdown, largely due to homeschooling, resulted in a year-on-year increase in value and unit sales of Hexbug, Innovation First’s innovative robot collectibles. Retailers have also been reporting strong sales of Schleich throughout the year, irrespective of whether stores were shut, making it another brand that has very much bucked the trend. “This year we are launching three new collectible concepts, all at sub-£5 – bayala unicorn foals,
Eldrador Mini-Creatures and Schleich Puzzlemals,” says Paul Dearlove, trade marketing manager, Schleich UK. “All are based on popular Schleich properties, so there is already established consumer demand and retailer confidence; we aren’t relying on licensed properties or totally unproven concepts. The bayala unicorn foals, in foil bags, are based on the hugely popular bayala unicorns. Likewise, the 17 collectible Eldrador Mini-Creatures blind bags are based on the existing four worlds of Eldrador, and the mix-and-match Puzzlemals are part of the hugely popular Farm World and Wild Life ranges.” We’ve also been reporting on the phenomenal response to the Pokémon Shining Fates expansion in recent weeks. With demand from fans at fever pitch in what is the franchise’s 25th anniversary year, Asmodee says every wave brought in has been sold out before arrival – and this is with toy shops still closed. “The 25th anniversary year is attracting extra attention as people continue to discover and rediscover their love for the evergreen Pokémon brand, with some notable coverage of the Trading
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Card Game from popular YouTubers in recent months also contributing to demand,” explains Roger Martin, Hobby & Independent Channel director for Asmodee UK. “In Shining Fates specifically, many of the ‘.5’ releases - those that sit outside of the game’s usual blocks of four expansion sets per year - stem from expansion sets that had originally only been available for purchase in Japan. This drives excitement among consumers, as they have already seen an outline of the content and are hungry to get it in the UK for the first time. Shining Fates booster packs also give fans the chance to find a very exciting Charizard VMAX chase card, making it another very tempting proposition.” The early release of Shining Fates meant the Sword & Shield 5: Battle Styles expansion – which will feature the new Single Strike and Rapid Strike gameplay mechanic for the first time - was pushed back to mid-March, when expansions traditionally come out in the first week of February. This means that retailers benefitted from a second new Pokémon release just weeks before they can reopen their stores. The reopening of non-essential retail will surely
