Toy World Magazine April 2022

Welcome to the April issue of Toy World – at 204 pages, comfortably the largest April issue we have ever published. The fact that we have been able to pull together an issue of this magnitude at this time of year is testament to the magnificent efforts of toy suppliers, who have continued to bring great new products to market, despite all the challenges of the past few years. I can say with some certainty that very few people in the toy community have been resting on their laurels – the toy market will always be driven by ‘new’, and thankfully those innovative, groundbreaking launches just keep coming. And while they keep coming, we’ll keep highlighting them.

This month’s product category features cover some of the market’s most diverse and competitive categories – Games & Puzzles, Pre-School and Pocket Money Toys & Collectibles. In addition, we have several special articles that we think you are going to love. 2022 marks Bandai’s 40th anniversary in business, and it was great to sit down with Nic Aldridge and the UK team to hear how the company reinvented itself after the loss of Power Rangers. It’s an inspiring tale, offering hope to all of those companies who lose big ranges or distribution deals – these things happen, and there is always another opportunity or route to success around the corner.

Another article we are extremely excited about represents something of a first, not just for us but I believe for the global toy trade press as a whole. Despite many challenges, the specialist toy retail channel continues to thrive…. both here in the UK and around the world. But how do the experiences of toy retailers in different countries align– and how do they differ? We wanted to find out, so we set up a zoom call with our US retail columnist Rick Derr from Learning Express and award-winning UK indie Dave Middleton from Midco Toys. Both are passionate, committed toy specialists, and both aren’t afraid to be open about their successes, and equally pull no punches when it comes to talking about some of the challenges they face. Our editor Rachael refereed the discussion, and you can read what they both had to say in the refreshingly honest, noholds barred piece, which starts on page 38.

Overall, it has been a lively start to the year for the toy community - which is good, because it helps to have something positive to focus on instead of the heartbreaking situation in Ukraine or the fact that Covid cases are once again on the rise in the UK (even though this is being kept off the front pages by the lunacy we are witnessing in Eastern Europe). Covid

may not have disappeared, but over the past two years, we have found a way to co-exist with the virus. That truce has often been uneasy, and the government’s economy first handling of the pandemic may have proved controversial at times, but ultimately, it feels like we are coming out the other side, having managed to strike a reasonable balance between health and the economy most of the time.

Contrast that with what is currently happening in Hong Kong and China – the latter territory has been in the news recently, as cases of the Omicron variant have rudely chosen to ignore the Chinese government’s insistence on zero covid and are popping up across China with increasing frequency.

A strong sense of deja-vu is creeping in - we have been here before. I just hope this situation doesn’t spiral out of control this time round. A lot of stock arrived too late for the Christmas period last year, and there has been no shortage of promotional activity at retail since Christmas, presumably in an attempt to move a lot of that product through. However, if we end up with further supply chain complications this year, maybe those retailers and suppliers who chose to sit on stock rather than discount it to shift it will be glad they remained patient.

I am sure we were all hoping for a quieter year this year – a bit of a return to normal. Instead, as we approach the end of a first quarter that none of us could have predicted, I think we all recognise that this is going to be another year full of challenges – many of which will be way beyond our control. Oil, gas and petrol prices are spiralling upwards at an alarming rate, just as extra tax and national insurance contributions and reduced benefits kick in. Add inflation at a rate none of us has experienced in the past couple of decades and it is clear that this is going to have a significant impact on the disposable incomes of many households. The prevailing economic winds are going to severely test the theory that the toy market is immune - or at least heavily resistant – to such financial turbulence.

However, we have weathered some pretty lively storms over the past few years, and I genuinely believe we can weather what ’22 has in store for us. There are some positives from the events of the past two years, and one is that many parents have spent more time with their children, and hopefully they have seen at close quarters just how much joy and comfort toys can bring to their kids in difficult times. Maybe this will make them feel that buying toys is a good thing, and something to continue doing as long as their financial circumstances allow. I do hope so.