15 minute read
Talking Shop
Talking Shop The future’s bright
As indies round up how 2024 concluded, all eyes are on the future as they make plans to maximise sales in 2025 and share tips on what makes their business a success.
Liz Amphlett - Toytastik, Chepstow
Christmas sales were up for us, which was fantastic. Our figures were higher than expected, so we consider ourselves very lucky and very pleased. We relocated to a new store front last year, which is in a better location. The old building was deteriorating, and we knew that this would be a better location for our kind of business; the street that we moved to is lined with independent shops and we fit in perfectly. It has been a wonderful move. The decision was made for us because of the state of the old building, but we had been on the lookout anyway, and luckily something came up at the right time.
We have a captive audience in quite a small town, so our regular customers know us and have stayed with us despite the move. We left signage in our old premises for a good three to four months to make sure that customers were aware of the new location. We also pick up a lot of passing trade from visitors to the town, which helps to boost footfall.
Looking at the big sellers over the Christmas period, we did very well with Smart Games’ logic games, Tonies and Big Potato Games. Plus-Plus was also a fantastic new addition for us last year – definitely a winner. But across the board, sales have been really strong.
2025 has had a decent start; January is usually a strong month for us, and this year was no exception. There are plenty of children with a lot of Christmas money and, as they go back to school, the birthday parties start up again. Although it’s a complete contrast to the busy month of December, business has still been pretty steady and I’m feeling optimistic that we can maintain this level of trade. We’re very lucky that this is a great location, and we work hard to keep our range fresh; we’re always on the lookout for new things that we know our customer base would like.
We’ve been established long enough now to have a good relationship with our suppliers, and this helps us keep up to date with new products from the brands we already stock. Our supplier base has become pretty steady – we know what works and what doesn’t – but we’re open to introducing the occasional new supplier if the product is something that little bit different. Last year we started working with Cubika, which is a Ukrainian company that we’ve had great success with. Our range is fairly traditional, and we tend to avoid bigger brands like Lego and most licensed products, with the exception of Tonies characters which have proved extremely popular.
We have a very positive relationship with the reps from the companies we work with. One of the joys of being an independent is the opportunity to really build up that relationship, which is lovely. Our suppliers know we have a steady, family run business and we have wonderful relationships with our agents.
As customers enter the shop, there’s a pocket money-dedicated area, which is always fully stocked with a variety of different pick-up lines under £5. There are finger puppets from The Puppet Company, little card games, nail stickers – it looks good and always attracts attention. It’s the first thing customers see as they come in, and children love it – plus, it means that most people can pick up a little treat and not spend a fortune.
We host games nights in the local community, in conjunction with organisations like the PTA of the local school and the Women’s Institute. At the end of January, we held our first one of the year at one of the local schools, which raised money for the PTA. We provided a wide selection of games for everyone to enjoy; not to sell directly on the night, but as a marketing exercise. It’s a great way for people to try out the games, then they know they will be able to find the games in our shop if they enjoyed them. We’ve been doing this for a few years now after we were originally approached by a local pub, which is where other organisations heard about us. Games nights are always popular and can be very lucrative fundraisers - so they are just a really nice thing to do. We take appropriate games for the age range and the number of people, and make sure we know how to play beforehand so we can go around the tables, help everyone and let them get to know us.
In 2025, if things continue as they are, we’ll be very happy. We know it’s challenging out there, so we make sure we have affordable toys that last. It is important to us that people trust our judgement and therefore trust the toys we sell. We also try to source as many sustainable toys and games as possible and ensure the brands that we stock are conscious of what they supply.
We’re very optimistic for independents in 2025. Every year, we keep growing and going from strength to strength, and I believe a lot of that is down to our personal touch. In the toy trade, there’s a place for everybody, especially in small towns. Despite reports in the press about dying high streets, we’re finding in our little town that the independents are doing very well indeed. People appreciate good quality toys that last, thoughtful customer service and product advice, and long may that continue.
Brian Buckby - Blewetts of Hayle, Cornwall
JJanuary, February and March are typically quiet for us here in Cornwall, except for the half-term holidays in February. During this down time, we sometimes host colouring competitions, which bring a lot of traffic into the shop, and it’s always interesting to see the kids’ artwork and forge a personal connection with the customers.
We don’t bring in many new ranges in the first quarter. We’ve already pre-ordered plenty of Lego, as it sells well all year round and helps keep us going in the quiet months. Speed Champions is the best-selling range for us by far, and Star Wars, Harry Potter and the Lego Botanicals are very popular. I’m also looking forward to the Lego F1 range that is coming out in March; I’m pretty sure that will be a hit. Otherwise, we’ll sell through what we have in stock and will be waiting until the Toymaster show to see what’s new.
We cater to all ages, so I stock a wide range of different products. The kidult market has been a big category for us over the past year, especially with Lego. I would say 40% of Lego sales is kidult and 60% kids.
We tend to do a lot of our buying at the Toymaster regional show and the May Show. The May Show especially is great timing for us; because we are a coastal shop, the summer months are really busy – every day for six weeks. We need to get a lot of stock in ready for June, July and August, so while I’m in Harrogate, I’m always keeping my eyes open for anything new.
Last year, I found Beyblades from Hasbro and we did really well with the range at Christmas. Having been in business for 43 years, it’s nice to see these kinds of toys make a return. Last year was quite a year of nostalgia, with the likes of Tamagotchi, Spirograph and other classic toys that were originally popular years ago making a comeback.
We use Facebook to promote ourselves; one of my employees oversees that as she knows far more about it than I do, and we rely a lot on word of mouth – people know us in the local area, and we have a strong reputation, which counts for a lot.
In terms of licensed toys, we like to stock ranges based on the major movie releases of the year, while evergreen brands like Transformers and Jurassic Park always sell well. I make a list every year of all the upcoming films and decide which one I think is going to do best. Then I make sure we have the product to back it up. Sonic and Moana 2 were really in the public eye last year, so it was important to bring in stock to cater to that audience. I’m looking forward to seeing what the big blockbusters will be this year. As we bring in new ranges for 2025, I’m open to working with new companies. If a phonecall from them sparks interest, I’ll ask for a brochure so I can take a closer look.
I’m always keen to try something different, but if I’m going to bring a new line into the shop, it has to be something that I like the look of and have a good feel for. With 43 years of experience, you can’t get it right every time, but you get a good sense of what you think will sell.
If I was to offer my advice to other indies, I would say the most important thing is to keep an open mind. Don’t get sidetracked into doing the same thing all the time, and letting the range get stale – as well as all the evergreen best sellers, keep up to date with upcoming films, new products and new companies to work with.
Suppliers can support us by providing more reps and more catalogues. I prefer that way of doing business to online, but it’s getting harder every year with fewer reps coming in. They’re so useful to talk to, and they can provide so much more information and advice than a website - and you can’t beat having a catalogue in front of you with the price list. Character Options is a good example of how to send friendly and knowledgeable reps to the store, and Kandy Toys provides a really great brochure that’s especially designed for my business. In turn, I like to support the companies who take the time to come and see us.
Simon Steel - Toy City, London
Although sales were slow to pick up at the beginning of the festive season - possibly due to the late school holiday break for children - we were delighted to see an uplift during the final two weeks before Christmas.
Hasbro’s Nerf and Zuru’s X Shot blasters were both popular and picked up as December went on. As well as toys, we also stock fireworks, and sales of these between Boxing Day and New Year’s Eve helped us to end the year on a positive note.
We had some strong sellers during 2024 that we expect will continue to perform well this year. Lego products sold exceptionally well last year, and Lego remains a key range for us. Classic sets, particularly Lego City, see high demand all year round, so we always keep these in stock. Lego Champions and Lego Botanicals are flying off the shelves and have become our top two Lego bestsellers.
We’re also seeing high demand for pocket money toys, and collectible items which come in blind bags. The Sylvanian Families Baby Collectibles range by Epoch has proved incredibly popular, as children like the surprise aspect that this range provides. Most of the Sylvanian Families range has also sold consistently well throughout the whole of last year, and we’re optimistic that this will continue throughout 2025, as customers add to their collections.
The Trading Card Games category remains a key driver, and our Pokémon TCG stock has been enjoying great success. I’m certain that the hype will continue this year, which is why I have made an order for the Pokémon Prismatic Evolutions Elite Trainer Box, which I anticipate will be extremely popular with customers.
On the licensing front, I believe that Spin Master’s Ms. Rachel line has significant potential this year, given the licence’s incredible popularity in the pre-school market. I have been researching all the products within this line so that I can order those I think will work best. Bluey collectible figurines and plush continue to sell well; it’s a very popular licence with both kids and adults, and I look forward to increasing my offering of Bluey licensed lines.
As the new year kicked in, we began implementing changes that will help improve our business in different ways. For example, I will be reaching out to wholesaler Grant & Bowman to explore how we can work together to improve our buying process. I am always changing and updating the look of my store and its displays, and this is an approach I will continue. I enjoy trying different strategies and rearranging stock to highlight different ranges, putting focus on new lines we have introduced. I love seeing how my customers will respond, and generally, they welcome this and react positively to anything new.
Besides taking on customer feedback to ensure that I am stocking what my clientele is requesting, I will also continue using social media platforms, including Instagram and YouTube, as research tools to help me stay up to date with all the toys that are doing well. Family YouTube channels are a great way to find out which toys and games are going viral and are worth stocking. Trade fairs and magazines such as Toy World are also a great way for me to stay in the loop about any new products and companies that are launching and worth trying out, and I will continue to keep an eye out for new releases throughout the year.
indie viewpoint
An encouraging start to 2025
Now the dust has settled on what can only be described as a challenging year, we can look back and be satisfied overall with what we achieved and how we came out in the end. Christmas did come eventually, although it certainly arrived late, with the final four days before the big day seeing massive sales volumes. We found the period immediately after Christmas to be very strong, receiving record amounts of vouchers back in the days following Boxing Day, as lots of kids spent their gifts and the money they’d received.
Although the environment in the run up to Christmas was very promotionally-driven, we at Toy Barnhaus held our nerve on markdowns and did not bring forward our sale as many retailers chose to do. We have been disciplined in our buying over 2024 and had a lot less to mark down than we did the previous year. This strategy has paid off – it has helped our margin overall and especially through the key selling period, and also leaves us relatively clean coming into January, ready to take in new lines.
Pocket money showed very healthy growth and helped with the margin as well. We had a great range made up of lines from Kandy, HTI and One for Fun that we were able to keep in stock throughout the festive period for pick up lines and stocking fillers. As we previously mentioned, despite no really hot products/crazes for Christmas, or throughout 2024, there were still a decent number of lines that sold very well, including the Interactive Stitch Puppet from Wow Stuff, the 1% Club Game from John Adams (Ideal) and a host of Wicked and Moana 2 lines.
As we write this month’s column, halfway through January, it has been an encouraging start to 2025, with trade up both instore and online. The new Lego January releases have been a major driver of sales - there have been even more new lines this year, and some stronger ones than last year. With some kids holding back their Christmas money and waiting for them to come out, this has helped January sales immensely. Looking ahead to Valentines Day, the new flowers from the Lego Botanical range are already popular, and we expect them to be a hot gift for 14th February. We are confident that we will sell as many Lego flowers as a florist this Valentines! Also, prior demand for the new Pokémon Prismatic Evolutions has been off the charts, with customers reserving whatever they can from us. We knew we would sell out quickly, but it was great to have that demand in January to help footfall. This has also given a big boost to Pokémon TCG products generally. The new Sylvanian Baby Blind Bag series also arrived in January, and that has proven to be very popular.
By the time you read this, we will have been to Toy Fair and will shortly be heading to Spring Fair, so we will hopefully discover a lot of new ranges to help drive demand in what we expect to be a challenging first half of the year. We mentioned last month that new challenges from the Budget will begin to affect us from April, so anything to help try and provide some demand will really help us to manage the cost increases that we are going to have to face.
