Rubies Brand Profile Company Profile Moose
Rubies all dressed up and somewhere to go Dress-up specialist Rubies continues to go from strength to strength, having signed a raft of new licensing agreements this year, released numerous costumes and accessories based on the world’s biggest properties, and appointed Tim Mulhall, formerly of Hornby, as its new chief executive officer. Toy World caught up with Fran Hales, head of Portfolio, to find out more about how the company is changing the way it’s perceived by both consumers and the trade and why he believes the dress-up and roleplay category is the gift that keeps on giving. First of all, how has 2023 been for Rubies: what were the standout highlights of the year, and is it looking like Q4 will be a strong one? There are a fair few highlights to shout about and celebrate, including, most recently, being presented with no less than three Dad’s Choice Awards. Since we kicked off 2023 with a trio of very successful showcases at Toy Fair, Nuremberg and Spring Fair, it’s been non-stop for everyone at Rubies. We have established and developed
Toy World 36
our 365-degree plan to provide dress-up and play value all year round, not just in key sales seasons. The strategy will see us provide retail solutions across Europe via a selection of licensed and non-licensed products for our consumers. We’ve also celebrated landmark years with partners such as Disney and Warner Brothers, as we keep moving forward with new development in our current collection and the growth of our licensing portfolio, with the introduction of Hasbro and the World of David Walliams.
