Special Feature - Retailer of the year

Toy Retailer of the Year 2023 finalists

The winners of the prestigious Toy Retailer of the Year Awards, including Overall Toy Retailer of the Year 2023, will be announced, along with other special BTHA awards, on Tuesday 23rd January at an evening function of the first evening of London Toy Fair.

BTHA chairman Simon Pilkington commented: “Congratulations to all 2023 Toy Retailer of the Year finalists, all of whom have demonstrated outstanding commitment, excellent collaboration with suppliers and dedication in difficult trading conditions over the past 12 months. They are all very deserving of our shortlist for 2023. We look forward to announcing this year’s winners during Toy Fair 2024 alongside the Toy Retailers Association (TRA), which will also announce the Toy and Supplier of the Year winners for 2023.”

The finalists shortlisted are as follows, and you can find out more about them below:

Independent Toy Retailer of the Year (single store)

• Fagan Toys, County Mullingar, Ireland

• Toys ‘N’ Tuck, Southend on Sea

• Toytastik, Chepstow

Independent Toy Retailer of the Year (multi store)

• David Rogers Toymaster

• Toy Barnhaus

• Midco Toys

Multiple Toy Retailer of the Year

• SMF Toytown

• Asda

• Smyths

Omnichannel Toy Retailer of the Year

• Smyths

• Argos/Sainsburys

• The Entertainer

Online Excellence Award

• Argos

• The Very Group

• Amazon

Independent Toy Retailer of the Year (single store)

Fagan Toys, County Mullingar, Ireland

Fagan Toys is a family-run business in Ireland which first opened in 1979. The store has become an integral part of childhood for families in the Midlands as a go-to destination for a wide range of toys and games, including popular brands like Lego, Barbie, VTech, Play Doh, Playmobil, Kinetic Sand and the largest collection of board games in Ireland. The knowledgeable staff at Fagan Toys help customers to find the perfect toys for different ages, interests or special needs. The toyshop also offers toy demos every weekend, allowing children to try out the toys before making a purchase. The company takes pride in its gift-wrapping service, with a nominal fee that goes towards supporting a local charity. Fagan Toys is deeply involved in the community, sponsoring local children-related raffles and organising an annual Shoebox toy appeal. During Christmas, the store transforms into a festive wonderland, with a Santa post box, visits from Santa and a late-night shopping experience for parents. This special event includes exclusive offers, party food, drinks and the famous Fagan’s Christmas Raffle, where guests have a chance to win €5,000 in prizes and goody bags. The bright yellow shop in the heart of Mullingar town stands out with its eye-catching window displays. Designed and installed by a talented in-house team, the shop window has won numerous awards, including the best display in town during Christmas. In 2022, Fagan Toys received a national award for the best window display during Fleadh Cheoil, a popular music festival that attracted 650,000 visitors to the town.

Toys ‘N’ Tuck, Southend on Sea

Toys ‘N’ Tuck first opened in South Woodham Ferrers in 1993 and operated five stores across Essex at its peak. Today the company is based at its flagship store in Queens Road, Southend.

Last year, Toys ‘N’ Tuck hosted the most supplier instore events it ever has and also worked more closely with suppliers on increasing window support to entice customers. The toyshop has been integrating further into the community, most recently by sponsoring the local Christmas light switch on event which saw thousands of people enter the town to support the local businesses.

Toys ‘N’ Tuck won the award for Toy Retailer of the Year in 2022, in a year which was its best ever for trade.

Toytastik, Chepstow

Since opening its doors in 2015, Toytastik Toy Shop has been more than just a retail space; it has become a vibrant hub for the community in Chepstow, South Wales. The family-run store is dedicated to community engagement. The team actively supports local School PTA's, nurseries, charity and organisations by participating in various fundraising initiatives. The team also hosts regular family and adult games days and evenings, creating opportunities for social interaction and friendly competition, along with showcasing the many great games on offer from the games’ suppliers. Toytastik has a dedicated play area and demonstration area allowing customers to interact with the toys first-hand, gaining a deeper understanding of their features and benefits. Store staff are passionate about ensuring that every customer leaves with the perfect toy, game or gift, and are always on hand to offer personalised recommendations. The store also actively engages with its customers on social media by responding promptly to inquiries, addressing concerns and fostering a sense of community. It posts fun and valuable content, runs engaging contests and collaborates with suppliers and social media influencers to connect with its target audience and build brand loyalty. Toytastik’s commitment to environmental sustainability is also deeply ingrained in the business practices. The team works closely with suppliers to source eco-friendly products and ensure that their manufacturing processes align with the Toytastik values. Toytastik believes that environmental responsibility is not just a choice; it is an essential part of being a responsible business.

Independent Toy Retailer of the Year (multi store)

David Rogers Toymaster

David Rogers Toymaster, run by Jonathan Rogers, has three stores with a vast range of toys, games and baby products. According to Jonathan, the business’s customers always mention the size and scope of its shops along with staff knowledge, customer service and helpfulness serving customers near and far. David Rogers has a large social media presence with regularly updated videos explaining products and other vital information while also working alongside influencers to promote its brands and products. A live blog is also run with a local blogger with a half hour podcast showing and talking about the latest toys and the toyshop’s favourites. The business has more than 40 years of experience serving thousands of customers each year. In the leadup to Christmas, David Rogers also ran several evening shopping events, opening up its Bambridge and Portadown stores until 9pm on Fridays to allow for Christmas Club and late-night shopping, which went down very well with the local community.

Midco Toys/Midco Toy Planet/Freak Treat

Having opened its third store, Freak Treat, in January 2023, Midco Toys has seen massive expansion since coming out of the Covid restrictions, with turnover doubling and profits being at an all-time high. Midco, owned by Dave Middleton, aims not only to stock traditional and popular toys but also to excite customers with new and different products they will not find anywhere else. The business interacts with more than 30,000 followers on social media platforms on a daily basis, usually several times per day. Demos run instore every week to show customers how to use different products and allow them to experience them before they commit to buying. Character visits and instore activities are also run regularly in collaboration with companies including Paramount to bring the Ninja Turtles in and Jazwares for Squishmallows events. The growth of the business has meant a new management team has been implemented, with over 50 years’ experience in toy retail combined. All employees have an active interest in the products sold and have their own areas of expertise. Midco works closely with suppliers to operate a monthly window programme to highlight and promote products. Throughout 2023, Midco worked with suppliers to achieve exclusives and first to market opportunities too, not only for the business but the whole independent trade, most recently with Bandai on Littlest Pet shop. Every year, Midco works with local charities and schools including working with local charity Derek’s Tree every Christmas, giving to children who otherwise would not have Christmas presents.

Toy Barnhaus

Toy Barnhaus was born in 2009, founded by Mark Buschhaus and Stephen Barnes after both had been made redundant from Woolworths. There are now seven Toy Barnhaus stores in the southeast of England which are all located in high footfall locations in shopping centres. The business uses its key gondola ends to highlight new and promotional lines. The team looked carefully at price points last year, along with prices from suppliers, and focused on key ones, such as £9.99, £14.99 and £19.99, even if this meant taking a tighter margin. 2023 also saw the business put more emphasis on events in the shopping malls including several Lego Take & build Events, which were inundated with visitors, along with Giant Figure Hunts, which have driven footfall into stores and generated excitement. Toy Barnhaus opened a new online warehouse last year, to help grow its online operation. It is all integrated with the Crawley store which has helped to send out more than 4,000 parcels in November alone. Already, the business is looking for potential upsizing of two of its stores over the next year. For Mark and Stephen, a key part of their business is their people, and they have ensured to invest in staff over the past year, paying in excess of the minimum wage, with managers also receiving similar percentage rises. Toy Barnhaus began working with a local charity at Christmas to help them source toys for underprivileged children, worth over £60,000.