Company Profile - GP UK/Flair

A fresh start for GP UK

Toy and licensing stalwart Edward Catchpole took on the role of country manager at GP UK (formerly known as Flair Leisure) in September, and he has big plans for the UK business. Talking exclusively to John Baulch, Edward shares his vision for the coming years, as the company looks to extend its global footprint and become a major player in the toy market outside of its Southern European heartland.

You’ve been spending time away from the toy and licensing business in recent years – what was it about this role which tempted you to return to the fold?

I joined the business in September, although I had been talking to them for quite a while about how I could help the company on a pan-European and global basis. I have always been interested in roles where I can make a real difference. I worked really closely with Giochi Preziosi during my time with Disney, and I was impressed by the people, the products and the way they conducted business.

GP is one of the last major European toy companies – it is still family owned and run, and it has very distinct and different values to many of the global corporate toy companies. I passionately believe that having strong European toy companies is important for the health of the toy community.

The company’s potential is huge – there is a real opportunity for growth, not just in the UK and Europe, but globally. There is an incredible array of talent within the team, and tremendous heritage across its brands. For example, GP is the largest doll manufacturer in Europe, yet the company has virtually no business in the doll category here in the UK.

GP should undoubtedly be one of the top toy companies in Europe, and should be strengthening its presence across the globe – and I see the UK as a very important stepping stone into the US market. The company is ambitious, and I have been brought in to help them achieve their ambitions. And everything I do here in the UK market will have both a European and global perspective.

GP has an extensive product portfolio – but does it translate across all global territories?

The breadth of brands in the GP portfolio is enormous, but the company has sometimes struggled with focus in the past. What I want to identify is which brands represent the best chance of transforming this business. You have got to have a strategy – there is no empty shelf space at retail. We have to be able to justify why a retailer should give us shelf space, as opposed to one of our competitors.

We have developed a three-year strategic plan, highlighting where we need to focus our investment, resources and people. The essence of everything we do is aspiring to exceed the needs and expectations of our consumers, this is creating value – and maximising value capture to invest back into the business for the future.

How has GP found the UK market in recent times?

It's no secret that Flair has had a challenging time over the past few years. Thankfully, we have delivered great business with some of our distribution brands, such as Monsterverse from Playmates – it’s a fantastic range, and will remain absolutely core to our operation moving forward. But we can’t purely rely on distribution brands; over the coming years, I see us placing a much greater focus on the brands we own, and particularly where we have high quality content supporting our range, as is the case with Gormiti.

I am delighted that we have just finalized a deal with the BBC to broadcast Gormiti programming next year – and we will also be launching Winx Club on the BBC in 2025.

As someone with extensive experience in the world of licensing, what role will licensed ranges have in the range moving forward?

In addition to our own brands, we have secured a couple of top-tier licences, which we are really excited about. We recently signed a deal to become the master toy partner for Hello Kitty, and we have been having many conversations with Sanrio about how to grow the business and make it a long-term success.

We have devised a multi-layered strategy: we want to drive collectability, partner closely with key retailers, embrace seasonal opportunities, extend distribution and expand the brand’s appeal to a new audience. A key element in that approach will be the launch of a brand-new sub-brand, 4SF. Basically, SF stands for super fans. We want to deliver a range that will appeal to the ultimate Hello Kitty super fan; the kind of people who live and breathe the brand.

We have also signed a deal to become the master toy partner for Smurfs across Europe. I genuinely believe that Paramount has done a great job with the new movie and it has a real chance of connecting. It’s full CGI, and the script and characters are very funny and engaging. There is also five years’ worth of content to follow the movie, so it is set up for long-term success. We are expecting 2025 to be a big year for the brand, with strong foundations in place to drive business over the following years.

The other brand in our licensing portfolio is Masha and the Bear. In the short term, we’ve consolidated the business around Amazon, and we’ll look to nurture the brand, let it grow and gradually build momentum. Hopefully one or two key retailers will want to join us to expand Masha’s retail footprint as we move forward.

Outside of licensing, what do you see as the other gems within the portfolio that are ripe for development?

Flair has always had a great reputation for innovation. We want to bring that reputation back to the fore. Take Plasticine, for example. It’s an amazing brand, and one of the few in the toy market which truly appeals to consumers from 6 -60. And yet it has had zero innovation for over 20 years. That’s all going to change in 2025; we will be initiating a major Plasticine relaunch at Toy Fair, with something that will be seen as very disruptive in this space.

I see great potential to reinvent brands in the new era of social media. Plasticine is a highly creative brand, and it fits perfectly into that space. There’s a real opportunity to segment the brand to appeal to different age groups. This is not just a repack – we are going to give the brand the tools to challenge the incumbent brands. The UK will be the first territory to launch the new range, after which it will roll out across Europe in 2026 and 2027.

In addition to expanding the product range, what other changes can we expect to see from GP moving forward?

I have adopted a philosophy throughout my career: good design is all about meeting the needs and expectations of our consumers. The first door to get through is retail. Once you have met their needs, you have to meet parents’ expectations. Perceived value is key here: whether they have spent £10 or £100, they want to purchase a product which is good for their child and one that their child will love. Finally, of course, you have to satisfy the end user, whether that’s a child, tween, teen or adult. If you can exceed expectations at each of these levels, that’s what drives success.

I’ve been brought into the GP UK business to address some of these issues and build a resilient robust business – for good and tough times. The UK is an incredibly tough and competitive market, but I have inherited a great team. We will be recruiting more people and building an organization that is structured to deliver our plans.

What’s the rationale behind the change of name from Flair to GP UK?

Our ambition is to be one of the major toy companies across Europe, and ultimately across the globe. If we are going to build a global company, is it right to have different names? The advantage of having a single corporate name is huge. So, we’ll be shifting the focus from Flair to GP UK, although it’s an evolution which will probably take 2-3 years to fully transition. The Flair name will live on as one of our core brands, alongside Famosa, Feber, Trudi, Plasticine and others.

The company is starting to think about adopting a global approach to product development and strategy, which will be an important step on our journey. The owner is a truly inspirational individual. He has built an outstanding business, both in supplying and retailing toys; GP remains the largest toy retailer in Southern Europe.

Over the last decade, each individual territory has been in control of its own operation.  But with the globalization of brands and consolidation in the distributor sector, the next evolution of GP is to think and act like a global company. I may be running the UK business, but at every turn, I need to think “does this work for the whole of Europe?” Ideally, 70-80% of the product line should be pan-European – then we can move stock across borders and truly chase opportunities when they arise.

We want to retain the best of what Flair did in the past but take it to a whole new level. I can see where this company can go, and the potential is massive. I think it is all going to be great fun. You’ll see at Toy Fair that we’ll be approaching things very differently; we know we’ve got to start thinking and executing in a new way, and we will. I hope all retailers will come along and see for themselves how the GP business is evolving.