Talking Shop - Playroom special

That’s my department

This month, Sam Giltrow spoke to members of Play-room, the toy division of AIS, which counts garden centres, department stores and indies among its retail base, to find out how their toy offering is bringing in customers.

Gerald Ingram - director, Planters Garden Centre, Tamworth

Planters Garden Centre has been trading for 31 years, but it was only on our 30th anniversary that we opened the toy department. Even though we had always dabbled with a few toy lines, it was the first time we had the big brands. There’s lots to attract families with children to visit the centre; our popular grotto at Christmas brings about 4,000 children through the doors every year.

Two years ago, we took over an aquatic franchise and consequently reduced the floor space of the existing aquatic centre by half. This freed up a substantial area, a large proportion of which we used to create a dedicated toys and crafts section, which covers about 100sq m in total. The toy section is not on a main thoroughfare but has been positioned by the aquatics as our perception is that young families are attracted there, so they will share customers.

We met with Aimee Hill at plaY-room (the toy section of AIS) who came out to see us and gave lots of guidance on some of the best sellers to stock. We have been a member of AIS for about five years; we originally joined with our housewares to access improved discounts from suppliers, many of whom we were already dealing with. To have the support on the toy side has been very useful.

We carry a wide range of Schleich models – farm animals, dinosaurs, fantasy and horses – and the entire range has sold particularly well for us from the start. In fact, like a lot of stockists before Christmas, we couldn’t physically keep the stands stocked.

We put in five metres of gondola units of Playmobil, which is also selling very well, and we have added a display of Epoch’s Sylvanian Families. Winning Moves’ Top Trumps is also a good seller for us as a handy pick-up line, and in terms of larger items, we see strong demand for outdoor play equipment, plus things like sand play and water play.

Our thinking was that, because we have an older clientele, we wanted to offer lines that they would recognise and that they would buy to treat their grandchildren, as well becoming a destination to bring their grandchildren to visit. It’s not quite pocket money price points, as most purchases are treats rather than child-led, but a lot of our range wouldn’t break the bank with an average price of around £10-£15. We’re not trying to compete with the toy shop in our local retail park: we try to offer something different, being a destination. With aquatic and pet sections, a big children’s play area plus miniature golf and a sky trail, we can offer a lot for families.

When families come to the garden centre, they do make impulse buys. I wouldn’t say they are necessarily coming to buy the latest toys, it’s more about picking up the occasional line, but we have enough of a selection for the children to want to come back. Grandparents can also be confident they will get a quality toy as a gift for their grandchild.

Overall, the toy department is doing very well, and we are very pleased with the effect it has had on our overall business. Basket spend has definitely gone up at the garden centre since we introduced the toy department.

During the Covid lockdowns, we felt very privileged that we were allowed to stay open when other shops were shut. It’s hard to say if our toy sales were better than expected because it’s a fairly new department, so we don’t have any historical data to compare sales with just yet. However, in the local area, we were definitely seen as a place to go - and for those not able to shop online, we were probably the only physical outlet for toys locally.

We are looking forward to getting back out there to shows, including the Independent Toy & Gift Fair in September. Nothing beats talking to suppliers and being able to physically see and touch product – it makes a huge difference.

We are constantly reviewing what we offer and carry out performance reviews based on square metre footage. Physically, we haven’t any more space to expand, so it’s a case of analysing what return we are getting from each square metre to work out where we need to reduce or add lines. As long as we get that mix right, we are very optimistic that the toy department will continue to perform well for the rest of the year.

Katie Eckley - director of operations, Old Railway Garden Centre, Brecon

We have always sold toys at our garden centre, but we expanded the section considerably just over three years ago. It was a section we felt we could improve on; because we are based in a rural location, there aren’t many other options in the area for buying toys.

When we joined Play-room, we discovered so many ranges that we hadn’t previously been aware of and also received a lot of useful advice. Our main suppliers include Britains, Bruder, Gibsons, Orchard Toys, Lego and Schleich, plus a wide selection of pre-school for our younger customers. The Schleich range, which we have only been stocking for 18 months, has quickly become one of our best-sellers. It’s good product; solid and built to last, and also collectible, with new additions regularly being made to the range.

We have seen our online toys sales growing exponentially, and puzzles in particular have been flying. We already had a transactional website, but when the pandemic hit last March, sales started scaling up and it really took off. This is partly because garden centres in Wales were forced to close, unlike in England where they could continue trading.

Customers have come back to the centre now, but they used to spend a long time browsing and are not doing so as much; most visits have become shorter. They are also visiting less frequently, but when they do, they are spending more. Given our rural location and the lack of other retail outlets around, when people have gifts to buy, they come and buy across the different departments, including toys.

For 2020, we had a big sustainability plan, however with the pandemic, it had to be put on hold. But going forward, when comparing suppliers for next year, our decisions will not be all about price. We will also look at the service and the ethos behind the company, and

what measures it is taking to improve and reduce waste. We have been impressed at the changes Gibsons has made to its puzzles; the company now offers a great eco-friendly range. Also, Keel has a range of ecofriendly plush toys which we’ll be expanding in time for Christmas.

In terms of the year ahead, we are feeling positive, and this has been reflected in our buying where we have increased volumes, especially for Christmas ranges. I think everyone will want a big Christmas this year after missing out last year, so toy sales are bound to do well.

Like many retailers, however, we have been worried about the recent shipping problems. We have gone with the mindset that it’s better to be looking at stock rather than looking for it, so have improved our storage facilities to hold more inventory.

I am looking forward to getting back out there and seeing what suppliers have to offer in person. Ordering from a website just isn’t the same, as we have found out the hard way; some of the purchases we have made were not what we thought they would be. I can’t wait to get back to trade fairs and actually see product close up.

Zac Chapman - buyer, Oldrids & Downtown, Lincolnshire

Oldrids has been with AIS for over 30 years and within Play-room for as long as I have been buying toys, which is the last five years. Being part of Play-room has been really helpful for the insight and knowledge that people have been able to share with me as a newcomer to toys. I have been on the committee for the last two years and it has been fantastic to be able to speak with experienced buyers who are in similar positions in department stores and garden centres. Play-room gives us opportunities with some different products and a bit of an increased margin at times, which is never to be sniffed at.

Our toy section tends to stick to the more commercial lines; we make sure we stock the brands that people expect a leading department store to have and try to offer a wide ranging selection. We place an emphasis on established brands like Hasbro, Lego, Playmobil, Gibsons and VTech, to show that we are a comprehensive toy department. Our customer base is dominated by parents and grandparents, so gifting is a big part of our business, and we try to cater for that market as much as we can.

We offer toys in our garden centre as well as in store, where they are positioned next to the school uniform and clothing departments. This means we get a lot of impulse buys, as well as people coming in specifically for toys. We have some product on the till areas and little CDUs that have smaller pick-up lines; we find these are very effective as people stand waiting to purchase.

Our biggest seller, perhaps unsurprisingly, is Lego – particularly the Harry Potter, Technic and Speed Champions ranges – and new launches such as Super Mario have been popular. Lego is a reliable go-to brand for many customers, and the range covers a lot of bases with everything from considered, higher-priced purchases to gifting and impulse buys for lower price points.

We traditionally sell high volumes of jigsaw puzzles from Gibsons, and it was fantastic to see the range perform so well during the pandemic, when we were only able to trade online. Our online sales on Gibsons were fantastic and those numbers have carried on in store since we re-opened; it has always been a strong brand for us.

Our baby and pre-school area has always been popular too, and lines from VTech, in particular the Toot-Toot range, stand out as best sellers. Plush is also a big area for us, as it lends itself so well to gifting, and we carry a wide range. Natural- looking animal plush sells particularly well, especially in our garden centres.

With many families taking staycations this year, we are bringing in board games earlier than usual because I think there’s going to be a market for them over the summer. Our best sellers range from the classics such as Hasbro’s Monopoly and Cluedo, to newer titles like Asmodee’s Dixit and Wingspan, which are gaining quite a following.

Now that things are getting back to normal, we are hoping that it’s going to be a bumper rest of the year, especially Christmas when people can finally come together again. I have been working with suppliers to get stock in early; I expect there will be shortages later on due to shipping issues. We are confident that as long as we can get the right stock in, we will have a great year.

indie viewpoint

Footfall’s coming home

Another month ticked off and somehow, we are already into the second half of the year. As we write this month’s column, the next major milestone coming up falls on the 19th July, with almost all restrictions in England being repealed. This has thrown up many new decisions to take about how we run our business going forward. We are advising our staff to wear masks whilst on the salesfloor, and also advising our customers to do so. With the infection rate still rising, we feel this can only help to try and make staff and customers feel safe. The rising infection rate also brings up issues with staff having to self-isolate if they have come into contact with someone with the virus, a situation we expect to continue and even increase going forward, providing yet another challenge to our business.

However, there is the potential for us to visit an actual physical show, Autumn Fair, in early September. This is something we would love to do in principle, but we will have to make a final decision nearer the time. If infections are still rising, then we have to consider whether it is wise to make the long trip, and potentially come into contact with lots of other people. We would dearly like to see some physical product, but currently there are many extra factors to take into account.

On a positive note, having now been open again for three months, we really are pleased with how trade has been. The footfall levels are holding, and growing, especially at the weekends. Even with one of our stores, Crawley, being on the doorstep of Gatwick, we have not seen sales there suffer to any extent, which is very encouraging.

Since opening, the whole pocket money, and in particular fidget, category has been massive. The pushpopper craze is showing no signs of slowing down at all. There are so many different shapes and sizes arriving from suppliers, helping to extend the range and let children add to their collections. Anything else that you can fiddle with is very popular, including our old favourite the squishy mesh ball, along with stress relief toys such as squishy bananas etc. As we all know, there is enough around for people to worry about, so anything that can help is worthwhile.

The other category linked to stress relief which is has done well is plush toys. This year Squishmallows has been absolutely massive. There is a global shortage of these, so whatever we get sells out in minutes in stores. We expect this demand to continue for the rest of the year, and even the giant ones are popular. Reversible octopus plush also continue to sell very well, and Squish-a-Boos from Ty are enjoying a growing share of the plush business.

We have just about got over the Euro 2020 football, and now turn our attention to the Olympics. With several new sports coming in this year, which will get a massive spike in exposure by being featured, this could add to an already fantastic year for outdoor toys over the summer. The kids are about to break up and staycations will be the most likely family holiday choice this year, so we are optimistic that outdoor sales will continue to thrive. Anything football or bubble related seems to be selling ferociously, and with the weather improving, we hope to clear through some more pools before the summer ends.