Industry Moves

Click welcomes Tony White as new Sales director

Click has announced the appointment of Tony White as its new Sales director. With over 20 years of experience in driving revenue growth, managing high-performance teams and fostering strategic client relationships, Tony will play a pivotal role in accelerating Click’s growth and market presence.

Tony joins Click from Wow! Stuff, where he served as General Sales manager, driving key growth initiatives. Prior to that, he held senior leadership roles at Moose Toys, where he led successful market expansion efforts. With his deep understanding of the toy industry and a track record of crafting innovative sales strategies, Tony is well-positioned to help Click achieve its ambitious growth objectives and expand its market reach.

“Tony’s leadership and industry expertise will be instrumental as we continue to scale and expand our business,” said Lewi Hillier, chief operating officer. “His passion for customer success and his track record make him the ideal leader to drive our sales team forward.”

In his new role, Tony will oversee all aspects of Click’s sales operations, including team management, strategic planning and the development of new business opportunities. His primary focus will be to enhance customer engagement and contribute to the company’s mission of delivering exceptional value to retail partners.

“Click is a business I have admired and worked closely with for several years, so I’m thrilled to join it and lead the talented sales team during this exciting period of growth,” said Tony White. “I look forward to building strong relationships with our partners and driving Click’s success to new heights.”

Luke Hillier, Click’s CEO, added: “I’m delighted to welcome Tony into the Click team. I have known Tony for a long time now; he’s a great operator and his experience and expertise will be invaluable to the business moving forward.”

Wow! Stuff promotes Kaya Leadsford to head of Global Sales

Toy innovation company, Wow! Stuff has announced the promotion of Kaya Leadsford to its new head of Global Sales.

The announcement comes just six months after Kaya joined the trailblazing company as UK Senior National Accounts manager. In that role, she devised and led strategic growth with major customers and developed relationships for long-term retailer partnerships.

Dawn Lavalette, managing director, Wow! Stuff, said: “We’re thrilled that Kaya is on board as our new head of Global Sales. Kaya has an exemplary reputation in the toy and licensing industries – we have some spectacular products lined up for the year ahead which Kaya will be responsible for spearheading to market with her team. Kaya’s proven track record for driving account growth, forging stellar partnerships, and her cohesive approach with the Marketing and Product Development teams make her the perfect fit for leading and managing the International Sales teams.”

With almost 19 years of experience in the toy industry, Kaya’s promotion will support the company’s business growth and brand division development, including the newly created Puppetronics category and its RealFX halo brand.

“I am beyond excited to get my teeth into the year ahead,” said Kaya. “It’s such an exciting time for Wow! Stuff; this new position is perfect for taking my experience and passion, and the business, to the next level.”

For sales, please contact kaya.leadsford@wowstuff.com or call 07817 273 766.

Ravensburger announces new appointments

Ravensburger began the new year with the appointment of a Trade Marketing manager, further boosting the company’s growing marketing team. Lucy Waugh brings with her over seven years of experience in event marketing. Her experience includes a lengthy tenure as Event Marketing manager at the MSG Group, a Domino’s Pizza franchise, where she managed a year-round event calendar.

Lucy will report to head of Marketing and Product Development, Katy Fletcher. She will manage Ravensburger’s trade event programme and develop in-store programmes in conjunction with the sales and wider marketing teams.

“Lucy is joining us at a key time for our business as we continue to grow with new categories,” said Katy. “We’re dedicated to delivering the best-in-class for our customer base, and Lucy will play a pivotal role in maintaining and exceeding the standards our retail partners have come to expect.”

Enrico Tassinari has also been appointed as head of Sales TCG & Hobby Store Channel for Disney Lorcana TCG at Ravensburger, in a global role which will see him drive the brand forward in key territories for this year.

Having started his career in the TCG industry with Wizards of the Coast, publisher of Magic the Gathering, Enrico was responsible for overseeing Organised Play (OP) and distribution networks across some of the key EU markets. More recently he managed the Pokémon licensed merchandising team at Takara Tomy. Before joining Ravensburger, Enrico was head of Sales for EMEA & Oceania at Konami, publisher of Yu-Gi-Oh! where he worked to reset distribution and OP in the EU and Australia, achieving exponential growth in sales and OP metrics across all markets.

“I am excited to join the Disney Lorcana TCG global team and the Ravensburger family,” commented Enrico. “Not only do I get the chance to stay in an industry that I have been part of during my professional life for over ten years, but above all I have a chance to work on a brand that has only recently entered the market and is still in its developmental years. The idea of being part of the team that will shape the future of DLC is just breathtaking.”

Heathside Trading welcomes Matthew Cooper

Heathside Trading has expanded its Business Development team, welcoming Matthew Cooper as its new senior Global Business Development manager. Matthew joins from Paramount, where they have been the UK Toys & Games Licensing manager for the past three years. They bring expertise in licensing popular fandom brands and in understanding kidults and adult collectors and the brands and products they are most excited about.

“We are so pleased that Matthew has joined us,” commented Darren Epstein. “Alongside myself and Kirstie Guthrie, we will have a team that broaches all areas of the licensing and trend field. Matthew’s ability to spot trends and develop lines will be crucial for the business, ensuring we keep bringing hot and fresh products to our customers.”

Matthew added: “Heathside has done a brilliant job in reaching fans of all ages with its award-winning ranges of toys and collectibles. I will be working to build out the portfolio of licences that we work with in order to bring new and exciting products to fans and collectors. I look forward to many exciting conversations at the upcoming toy fairs and beyond and welcome licensors to get in touch.”

Heathside has recently won an award for its South Park collectible figures at the Kidult Awards, under the Khadou brand, and is keen to continue this trend of success. The team aims to deliver best-in-class products that represent the fanbases’ desire for thoughtful and fan-centric products, and Matthew’s appointment highlights its desire to expand Heathside’s portfolio of IP to bring more fan-centric brands to market. Kirstie will remain the point of contact for most licensors.

Toys2market hires Sabrina Hayhoe and Vicki MarlerHausen

Sabrina brings a wealth of sales experience to her new role as head of Sales at Toys2market, having worked at Tactic Games for the last 12 years, most recently as National Account manager. She will be responsible for driving the sales for Toys2market’s portfolio of brands, with a particular focus on developing the Small Foot wooden toy business in the UK and exploring new account opportunities within the toy, nursery and gift channels.

In addition to Sabrina’s appointment, Toys2market has also hired Vicki Marler-Hausen of Elmer Marketing as Marketing and Media consultant to help support the Sales team with key product launches, organise trade shows, and raise awareness of the company and its brands at both trade and consumer level.

James Triptree, director at Toys2market, said: “I am thrilled to bring two people of Sabrina and Vicki’s calibre to work alongside me as we embark on a really busy year at Toys2market. We have been distributing Small Foot in the UK since last spring and are seeing a huge uptake in interest in its wooden nursery and toy range. We therefore need to be fully focused on building this momentum whilst working closely with the Small Foot team in Germany to identify new routes to market. Likewise, our UK distribution business with Bontempi and Multiprint is growing healthily so it’s a good time to be strengthening the Toys2market team and getting 2025 off to the strongest start.”

Sabrina added: “I am very excited to be joining the Toys2market team and to be taking on a fresh challenge in an industry I love. Our 2025 ranges from all our partners are bursting with new products.”

Sabrina can be contacted via email at sabrina@toys2market.com and on 07826 844 824, whilst independent customers can also speak directly to their dedicated Toys2market agent – John Cairns (South), Bob Duxbury (North), Brenda Delaney (Ireland) and Hugh Burnett (Nationwide Nursery Sector).

Zuru appoints Dave Wright as National Account manager

With a wealth of experience in both buying and sales, Dave Wright brings valuable expertise from his previous role at A.B.Gee, where he delivered impressive results and built strong relationships with major retail partners. Zuru says his deep knowledge of the toy industry and understanding of Zuru’s product portfolio make him an excellent addition as the company continues to strengthen its market presence and drive sales growth.

As National Account manager, Dave will work closely with key retail partners and be instrumental in supporting Zuru’s continued ambitious growth plans as one of the UK’s fastest-growing top 10 manufacturers.

Will Collinson, general manager of Zuru UK & Europe, commented: “We’re thrilled to welcome Dave to the Zuru team. Having worked with him through our partnership with A.B.Gee, we’ve seen his expertise and passion for the toy industry first-hand. We’re confident he will play a key role in driving our success and enhancing the service we provide to our valued retail partners.”

To contact Dave, email David.Wright@zuru.com