Talking Shop

Counter measures

As 2022 drew to a close, Sam Giltrow and Suzie Sparkes spoke to indie retailers up and down the UK to find out how Q4 ended up, how their year overall had gone and how they were feeling about the year ahead.

Julie Logan - The Olive Branch, Castle Donington

Christmas trading this year was unpredictable; we were rushed off our feet one moment and then quiet the next. Normally we can predict when our busiest times in the shop will be, but this year was much more random. On the whole sales were steady, but I think people were taking much more time to browse and shop carefully for perhaps fewer but very wellchosen gifts.

Plush toys sold particularly well this Christmas, both generic ranges and licensed characters like Paddington. We’ve also seen strong sales from multi-sensory toys that promote exploration and learning. The Baby Einstein musical range from Toynamics has proved especially popular.

Board games and card games always sell well at this time of year, especially traditional games like Snakes & Ladders and Draughts, and this Christmas was no exception. Games from TV programmes seemed a popular choice for presents, and licensed titles like the Horrible Histories board games and the Roald Dahl puzzles from Paul Lamond (University Games) sold well.

We have a lot of people who shop with us who are buying for their grandchildren, and they like traditional products and classic toys that are built to last and stand the test of time. Lines from Galt, and Orchard Toys sold well, as always, and wooden toys remained as popular as ever.

We added Magformers to our range in 2022, and it has sold very well. We brought a selection of sets in as we like to offer new STEM products that fit in with our concept, and it has been really well received, with customers coming back to extend their range. We are always looking for new suppliers to keep our offering fresh, so are pleased that this addition has proved popular.

We are very lucky to be situated in the heart of a lovely market street, in a growing village, with lots of wonderful neighbouring small independent businesses that make Castle Donington a great place to visit and to shop. We are very grateful to have so many loyal customers.

We market ourselves on social media and have noticed an increasing number of customers who tell us that they have found us online and made a special trip to visit in person. New customers appreciate visiting a traditional toys shop, as there aren’t that many anymore. They like coming in for a browse and enjoy getting the toys out of the box to have a proper look at them. We do have a website and sell on-line, but the bulk of our custom comes from footfall in the physical store. A post-covid increase in in-person sales, combined with recent closures of other bricks and mortar toy shops in the surrounding areas, means more customers are travelling to find us, which is terrific news.

After a successful Christmas, we are looking forward to 2023.

Angela Dunkley - First Stop Stationers, Reigate

We are primarily a stationery shop but have a good-sized toy department within the store. Located on the High Street in Reigate, we have a school and a college near to us which helps drive footfall when the children are on their way home. A branch of Morrisons just behind our shop means people can park for free and pop in after they have done their grocery shopping, and we are very lucky to have a local, loyal customer base.

Overall, trading was slightly down on last year in terms of footfall and transactions, but toy sales enjoyed a strong December again; people will always buy for their children.

Games are a key part of our product offering; our best sellers are traditional lines from well-known and trusted brands like Orchard Toys and Galt, both enjoyed fantastic sales throughout December. Mexican Train and Flags of the World from Tactic Games have been consistent best sellers for us all year and proved especially popular this festive period. Rubik’s Cubes, which we order from John Adams, really took off in the summer and continued to enjoy good sales throughout the Christmas period. It’s always exciting to see an older, traditional product enjoying a come-back. Jigsaw puzzles are also a key part of our line up and were especially popular this Christmas, especially children’s puzzles from Orchard and Galt. We also stock puzzles from Ravensburger and Gibsons and both of these brands enjoyed excellent sales right up until Christmas too.

We stock educational and creative products from Great Gizmos, a range which has been popular again this festive season. Top Trumps from Winning Moves is always a top seller and performed brilliantly in December, the packs are lovely stocking fillers and there’s such a wide range to choose from. All in all, the toy side of the business was very positive this Christmas.

Mandy Harrop - Gosling’s Toymaster, Marple, Cheshire

We had quite a slow start to our Christmas period, but it picked up as time went on. In the previous year, November was busy as people were concerned about stock and another potential lockdown, but it was the opposite for 2022.

We had a striking Christmas window display from Toymaster which made a big difference as it helped to draw in the customers. Many people were worried about the postal strikes and the possibility of ordering online and not receiving their presents on time, so they were preferring not to risk it and came into the shop to buy their presents.

The most popular toy, and the one everyone was asking for, was Gabby’s Purrfect Dollhouse from Spin Master. We had a lot of phone calls from people chasing it, and it sold out very quickly.

We sold a lot more games and jigsaws this Christmas than we usually sell. The Orchard Toys games were our biggest seller, and the Smart Games range was also very popular for older children.

Looking to the year ahead, I don’t feel particularly confident as we have no idea what is going to happen with the economy, but children do seem to be the last to feel the impact of cost savings, so hopefully people will still be buying toys.

It was a lovely surprise to be nominated for the BTHA Retailer of the Year (single store) award. We make an effort to play a big part in our community, such as getting involved in the local carnival, and are quite well-known in the area. It’s great to get the recognition.

Aston Bull - Non Such, Kingsbridge, Devon

We are situated in a tourist location in South Devon, we sit on an estuary which comes in from Salcombe. Christmas trading was busy this year, comparable to any other year. The cost-of-living crisis hasn’t really been reflected yet in terms of footfall and sales, so we do feel quite lucky.

Geographically, we are a small town, quite a distance from any bigger towns. The closest is Exeter or Plymouth and that’s quite a journey, so people do tend to stay local, which of course benefits us. Demographically, we have an older generation buying for their grandchildren; this type of customer doesn’t tend to shop on-line, they like to come into the shop and browse the products, so we are benefiting from that too.

We sell a vast range of products for such a small shop; soft toys, baby toys and wooden toys have all sold extremely well this Christmas. All price points have been selling - even rather large expensive items; I sold a £55 soft elephant in the second week of December, which I wasn’t sure I would sell at full price before Christmas.

We like to stock items that the major retailers don’t sell and the things that aren’t so apparent on online channels such as eBay and Amazon. There is also another toy shop just up the road and a games shop, so we try to not overlap with the brands they are selling, which then benefits all of us.

We see great demand for ranges like Hape, Papo and Brio – this is the type of good quality and trusted brand we like to stock. We do find the products keep going up in price and when that happens, we worry they won’t sell anymore, but as they are such good quality and our customers trust the brand, sales continue to grow, which is fantastic.

I’m happy to say that Christmas 2022 was very positive, and we are looking forward to continued success in 2023.

Natalie Maides - Aladdin’s Cave, St. Sampsons, Guernsey, Reigate

Christmas trading was very encouraging; we had good footfall and we were very happy. The big sellers for us were the solid brands such as Mattel’s Barbie and Hot Wheels, and Lego, especially the Harry Potter range. Sales of Squishmallows and Pokémon were also phenomenal, but we had anticipated this and were well-stocked. I think we have a pretty good read on the market and the lines we thought would perform well did so. In terms of licensed product, kids are now so much more engaged with content on social media, which helps drive sales across a wide variety of lines.

As always, Christmas was also great for sales of family games, and we put a focus on this with our merchandising. It is always the classics which do well, such as Jenga and Monopoly.

We are looking forward to seeing what’s on offer at Toy Fair. We will be seeing what new licences are out there and how existing licences are going to be developed. We always go with an open mind, and we are very fortunate to have a good relationship with our suppliers, so we take guidance from them.

We were thrilled to be nominated for the BTHA Toy Retailer of the Year (single store) award again, which we won in 2015. It’s great to know, after the last couple of years we have had, that we are doing a good job and are appreciated.

We’ve been revisiting our merchandise selection and our instore layout, doing more with demos and we’ve been featuring more interactive displays. We also try to be mindful of what’s going on in terms of competitions and promotions. Customer service remains a key focus, and this has been very important during our Christmas trading period. We just keep trying to evolve and to ultimately do our best.

Kate Hateley - group toy buyer, British Garden Centres

Our toy sales are 10% up YTD compared with last year (Jan-Dec), so it’s all looking very positive despite everything. At the end of the day, Christmas will always happen no matter what, and parents and grandparents will always buy for the children – why should they miss out?

As Garden Centres we benefit from good footfall as customers come and see us for various reasons, including restaurants, grottos, ice rinks and an array of retail categories. Our customers now understand that our offer of a toy department in a lot of our centres is strong and will remain in place all year round.

Our best-sellers have been Goo Jit Zu & Mash‘ems (Character), Misfittens and Fisher Price Classic (Basic Fun), The Dyson range (Casdon), Hot Wheels (Mattel) and David Walliams games (University Games).

Sales have been consistent across our 40 or so suppliers and we committed early to stock to ensure we didn’t miss out, which has worked in our favour. The World Cup helped late sales of Smart Ball (Golden Bear) and Kickerball (Character), which would perhaps normally be more of a summer line.

Being Garden Centres, toys will slow down for us in the new year as more seasonal categories such as gardening and outdoor living take precedence. But I think it’s important we focus on maintaining a strong offer of core ranges, back our winners and ensure we cover all the main toy categories, catering well for our traditional customer base and demographic.

Toy Fair will be about looking ahead and catching up with all suppliers as well as searching for some new ones to fit in well with our current offer. I’d like to extend our offer of educational, traditional and craft ranges so that will be on my shopping list.

Kamlesh Amin - JJ Toys, Gerrards Cross

We had a steady Christmas with sales building up gradually to Christmas Eve. The most requested toys were Moose Toys’ Little Live Pets Mama Surprise, WWSurprise and Squishmallows, from Jazwares - with Squishmallows, anything we put on the shelf goes.

Lego, as always, was a big seller, particularly the Star Wars and Technic ranges. Despite the £169 price tag, we sell a lot of the Lego Technic Ferraris as they appeal to adult consumers, so we always keep them in stock. Our other hero product was Pokémon cards, but that will be no surprise.

Funko Pop! Vinyl figures have also performed strongly, with sales steadily increasing. We had a big range in for Christmas and the Star Wars and Marvel figures were the most popular. Among our biggestselling games this Christmas were The Sock Game and new game Karen, both from Asmodee.

I’m looking forward to attending Toy Fair and seeing what’s coming out this year. I will be looking out for that next hero product, whatever it may be. I like to change my ranges around as it keeps the shop fresh and entices customers through the door. We also move stock around the shop regularly, so customers don’t get used to seeing the same product and just walking past it.

I was also very excited to be nominated for the BTHA Independent Toy Retailer of the Year (single store) award, even though it is not our first time, as we won the award in 2016 and have been shortlisted a few times. We have been in the trade for 40 years, so it’s very nice that our efforts are still recognised.

I think we get nominated due to the personal service; our knowledge of the products, knowing what the customer wants and getting the right product mix in. We listen carefully to our customers and what they ask for, and then act fast to order the product in whatever the craze may be.

Donald Nairn - Toys Galore, Edinburgh

Christmas trading was not as easy as in previous years, people were being careful about what they spent, but it wasn’t as awful as we anticipated it might have been.

Squishmallows continued to be as popular as ever, as did all soft toys, and we had strong sales in Galt toys, puzzles and games. We also found people were coming to us for quirkier items like Fart Ninjas from Funrise, which did amazingly well - they sold like hot cakes. We also enjoyed fantastic sales in the arts & crafts category, and a surprise product that was incredibly popular was Eugy 3D construction models, from Brainstorm.

As usual, big brands like Lego, Playmobil, Hasbro and Mattel all sold well, with Barbie lines in high demand, as well as Spin Master’s Gabby’s Dollhouse. Supply hasn’t really been an issue this year, we still had some Squishmallows left in stock in December and some Gabby’s Dollhouse for the last week. Pokémon also enjoyed fantastic sales over the Christmas trading period, as it did throughout 2022. Going back five years, we would have ordered a quantity of Pokémon and it would have lasted us for a month - whereas now it sells out in a week. We used to only buy war games from Asmodee, but our business with them as a supplier has dramatically increased. Considering the cost-of-living crisis. Christmas sales were not as terrible as they might have been. For the previous two years we have had very good Christmas sales: last year people were paranoid about going back into lockdown, so they got out to the shops whilst they still could. It also helps that we are in quite an affluent area that had money to spend. This Christmas, trading was never going to compete with that, but we’ve seen a return to pre-pandemic levels. We have an online website which we set up during the pandemic so we could still trade, but we have found balancing that side of the business with the store a bit of a struggle. I think for 2023 we are going to look at the website again and perhaps concentrate on selling a range of products on there that aren’t so easy for customers to get on Amazon. With this new focus, I think it will work better.

Lindsay Meyer-Nicholas - Toyville, Bedminster, Bristol

This Christmas, we had a slower start than usual – I thought coming out of Covid it would be busier, but I think the cost of living has affected things. It picked up in the last couple of weeks, but this was very late. Among our biggest sellers for Christmas were Pokémon cards, Yoto Players, Ty’s Beanie Boos and Squishmallows, which are still incredibly popular. We also sold a lot of Eugy, especially the Chameleon. It’s a range we haven’t been stocking for long and I have been pleasantly surprised to see how well it performs.

We also sold a lot of games, especially the more complicated ones including Bristol 1350 and Wavelength, and jigsaw puzzles – Ravensburger puzzles sell extremely well for us, particularly the more c ontemporary ones. Fidget toys too have been as popular as ever, and we had a lot of requests for Bandai Tamagotchis.

I’m looking forward to seeing what will be new in 2023 and hope to attend London Toy Fair. I’d love to find some blind bag collectibles which are less action and fighting and something cute instead. We were recently nominated for the BTHA Independent Retailer of the Year award. I have no idea who nominated us, but it was a nice surprise and the first time we had been put forward. I guess we must be doing something right.

Lindsey Birney - Mr Wolf, Hexham

We have recently undergone a major renovation and our store footprint is now much bigger than it was. We have doubled our square footage and we have also opened a teenage gift shop, so we have had a busy year.

This Christmas we found the average spend dropped slightly, however footfall and transactions increased, so year on year we are trending upwards, which is encouraging. People have definitely become more keen to shop local, rather than getting into the car to drive to the city centre. Our customers told us they wanted to get as much as possible locally in Hexham. This shift started after the lockdowns and is fantastic news for us. It continued for the locals who looked to cut down on the expense of a day out for Christmas shopping; now, staying local saves them a fair bit in petrol.

Although there is a lot of parking around the store, the infrastructure in Hexham means it is easy for people to walk everywhere. We offer free local deliveries, although not that many people have asked for that post pandemic.

Hexham is one of the oldest UK market towns, all centred around the historic abbey and we are on the Hadrian’s wall route, so we also get a lot of tourist trade. It is a very picturesque, historic shopping street and we are in a listed building making it a lovely place to shop, so we also benefit from people coming to Hexham for a day out and doing some shopping while they’re here.

Without a particular fad product that streaked ahead this Christmas, we’ve had a really nice spread of different products that sold well. The big winners were soft toys and board games; in particular, Sleeping Queens by Gamewright and Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza by Blue Orange Games (Asmodee) have both had fantastic sales. Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza is really easy to learn, and people enjoy playing it when they have visitors over - it isn’t the kind of game that causes huge arguments.

We had a major surprise in the number of kaleidoscopes we sold. We had to order in more stock in the second week of December as we were almost sold out. We are a traditional toy shop, and this type of product is just the kind of thing we like to stock, but even we’ve been surprised by the number of requests we had for ‘old-fashioned’ toys like spinning tops, jack-in-a-boxes and marbles at Christmas.

We took a lot of risk this year by moving premises, but it has paid off for us. We are so happy in our new premises and Christmas trading was fantastic, so we are very pleased, feel very positive and are looking forward to an exciting 2023.

Paul Carpenter - Totally Toys, Bristol

Last Christmas, people were buying earlier in November as they were panicking about stock shortages, and we had our biggest November ever. We didn’t think we’d achieve anywhere near that in 2022, but we came close, and we also had a very successful December. If you compare the two months against sales in 2018 and 2019, pre-Covid, we have done very well.

Our biggest seller this Christmas, and a bit of a surprise, was the Eugy range from Brainstorm. Sales were incredible, with the Chameleon being the most popular character. The kits are at a great price point for stocking fillers, as it’s such a good quality range and kids love to collect the creatures. Many of our customers are trying to avoid plastic packaging and like the fact they are made from cardboard and are recyclable.

Plush was also a solid category for us this Christmas, as it is all year round, and we sold a huge amount of Ty Squish-a-Boos. In terms of games, the Orchard Toys range was one of our biggest sellers along with what I think is a cracking game: Dog Man, from University Games.

I am positive about 2023, as I always am with every year, and think toy shops will continue to do well, despite the current economic crisis. There will be less money around, for sure, but anything for kids usually gets affected last.

I’m not sure what will be big sellers this year, but we have a 4ft bay of Paw Patrol toys, from Spin Master, and that is always a good performer. I’m sure this will be helped even further with the new movie release; parents already buy into it because their children watch the series on a regular basis. We also stock a lot of children’s jigsaw puzzles, which is a steady category and Character’s licensed range is a good year-round seller.

I think it’s important listen to what my customers want as they are often on the ball, and it’s a great way to pick up on, or confirm, current trends. I also love reading Toy World to keep up with what’s new in the market and find it really interesting to read comments from other retailers who have very similar shops to us, to find out what is selling well for them.

Following the last couple of years with Covid, when people started buying more online, I was a bit worried that would become the norm and affect our business, but it hasn’t – we consider ourselves blessed that people have come back out and found their independent toy shop again. It’s nice that a lot of people visit us with an open mind and know we are there to guide them with their purchases, which we are always happy to do.