From the publisher

I sometimes envy those people who have a gentle introduction to the New Year, returning to work after an extended festive break and having a week or two to gradually get back into the swing of things. It’s rather different in the toy community. The week after Christmas is a pivotal trading period for toy retailers, with an increasing number of children receiving money or vouchers in lieu of presents. Meanwhile, for suppliers, even before the Christmas decorations have come down, they are diving headlong into preparing for Toy Fair Season.

And for a select handful, the first week of the New Year sees a trip to Hong Kong thrown into the mix for good measure. This year, I made the trip for the first time since 2020 – you can read my thoughts on how the January Hong Kong event has evolved post-pandemic in this month’s Allegedly column.

I was told in Hong Kong that 2024 is the Chinese Year of the Dragon - apparently, one of the most powerful and luckiest animals in the Chinese Zodiac – so let’s hope some of that power and luck rubs off on the toy community. After an unpredictable and sometimes frustrating 2023, we could do with it.

2024 has certainly started with a bang, following the news that Tesco’s trial partnership with The Entertainer to run its toy departments will now be made permanent. That’s a major coup for The Entertainer team, who will no doubt be fired up for the next stage of the partnership. And it’s massive news for the UK toy community as a whole…

Barely a week went by last year without someone asking me whether I had heard how the Entertainer / Tesco trial was going. Indeed, whenever I spoke to Gary Grant, I raised the question as to whether it was likely to be extended, only to be repeatedly told that he didn’t really know.

With the festive season behind us, I wondered if I would get a call from Gary with an update, which finally came in the first week of January. And the news was exactly what Gary and his team had been hoping for all along: the Entertainer’s relationship with Tesco is to be expanded to its entire 750+ store estate in the UK as well as key stores in the Republic of Ireland, while it will also be supplying a toy range to Tesco stores in Central Europe. Toy suppliers’ direct relationships with Tesco will end on 30th October, after the transition period is complete – although the process is already very much underway, with Tesco buyers cancelling Toy Fair appointments and even autumn winter orders which has been raised.

To say this is a massive development for The Entertainer would be the understatement of the year: when the trial was first announced and I asked Gary what impact it would have on the business if it was ultimately expanded to the whole Tesco store estate, he admitted it would be a complete game changer – “the biggest thing to ever happen to The Entertainer”.

Both the Republic of Ireland and Central Europe are completely new markets for The Entertainer – and to roll out The Entertainer branded toy departments to over 750 stores with incredibly high footfall levels is a massive opportunity. That rollout will start in March, and I understand it is likely to take around 6-7 months to convert all the stores: some have only 2-3 bays, but others will have up to 25 bays.

Understandably Gary is beyond excited: “It’s good for both Tesco and The Entertainer. For the partnership to work, that has to be the case. I think it’s also good for the toy industry as a whole, and an amazing opportunity for our 1800 staff to grow their careers with the joint operation.”

Of course, not everyone will be as thrilled as Gary – some suppliers have long-term relationships with Tesco and may not operationally be as close to The Entertainer, while clearly the margin requirements of the two retailers are at opposite ends of the spectrum. Gary’s message to those people is unequivocal:

“I say this to all current suppliers of Tesco’s toy department, and anyone else who wants to be part of it in future - come and talk to us. Geoff Sheffield is the man to talk to. He will be available to sit down with every supplier to discuss what the future looks like and to look at where there is common ground. Even if you don’t currently deal with us, the door is not closed.” I have a feeling that Geoff is going to be a very busy man indeed in the coming months.

I also think this development highlights the fact that unless a grocer (any grocer, to be fair) is prepared to put in place a team of specialist, dedicated toy buyers who stay in their roles for several years, learning the intricacies of the toy market and building strong relationships with suppliers, it will be a challenge for them to reach their full potential. As one supplier said to me when the news was announced: “It’s great that Tesco consumers will finally have a product range curated by people who are passionate about the product.”

As much as toy companies and retailers have been busy in the first few weeks of the year, so too has the Toy World team –pulling this issue together before we head down to London Toy Fair. As well as rounding up all the latest news from the world of toys, this edition also includes a preview of the toy section at the forthcoming Spring Fair, which will open its doors on 4th February at the NEC in Birmingham. There is also a special feature on Sustainability, covering eco-friendly toys and initiatives, which starts on page 44.

The Toy World team looks forward to seeing you in London, Nuremberg or Birmingham, and we’ll be back at the start of March to round-up everything that’s happened over Toy Fair Season.