Special Feature - Retailer of the year

Toy Retailer of the Year 2024 finalists

This year’s winners of the prestigious Toy Retailer of the Year Awards will soon be revealed at the annual evening event on 21st January at London Toy Fair, along with a host of other BTHA Toy Industry Awards recipients. And the nominees are…

Independent Toy Retailer of the Year (single store)

• Argosy Toys

• Jadlam Toys & Models

• JJ Toys

Independent Toy Retailer of the Year (Multi Store)

• David Rogers Toymaster

• Starlings Toys

• Toy Barnhaus

Toy Department of the Year

• Daniel Department Store

• Jarrolds of Norwich

• Thompson Bros (Esher) T/A Garsons Garden Centre

Multiple Toy Retailer of the Year

• SMF Toytown

• Smyths

• The Entertainer

Omnichannel Toy Retailer of the Year

• Argos / Sainsburys

• Smyths

• The Entertainer

Online Excellence Award

• Amazon

• Argos

• The Very Group

Independent Toy Retailer of the Year (single store)

Argosy Toys, Westcliffe-On-Sea

Based in Essex, Argosy Toys is a 3,600 sq ft shop just 25 minutes from London, run by Paul and Thomas Wohl. Spread across two floors, the shop has been family owned since it opened in 1947. Thomas’ family are the fourth owners of Argosy, after his grandparents bought the property in 1987.

A model steam train runs around the ceiling of the store, with 14 metres of Lego on the upper floor, including a large range of pre-loved sets, and a wellstocked collection of Pokémon behind the counter. Argosy sells primarily in-store, covering a wide selection of categories, including Arts & Crafts, Science & Nature, Outdoor Toys, Collectibles, Plush, Role Play and Baby & Pre-School.

Paul recently spoke about the trials that Argosy has experienced in 2024, stating that it was one of the toughest years for the business. However, he has said that the store’s dedicated customers are what have kept the business afloat.

Jadlam Toys & Models, Glastonbury

Russel Rowe and the team at Jadlam Toys & Models have successfully turned an empty warehouse space into a successful toy and model store, which sells a large selection of products and serves its local community.

Jadlam has traded online for many years and had planned to open a physical store for some time. With the purchase of its HQ, which could accommodate its entire online infrastructure, office space and a 4,500 sq ft store, the team could make this a reality. This new space allows Jadlam to focus on hands-on and interactive experiences for its customers from many brands across the toy and hobby industry. There is even ample off-street parking for easy access to the store for shoppers.

As a cross-channel retailer, the store provides its customers with the ability to shop in-store and online, with thousands of products to look at in-person and a further in-depth online inventory.

JJ Toys, Gerrards Cross

2024 was a strong year JJ Toys, following the shop’s move to a bigger and newer storefront in the centre of Gerrards Cross in Buckinghamshire. JJ Toys has been serving customers for 33 years, and with this move, the team hopes to bring even more to its community.

A new gelato counter at the front of the store has been a hit with locals, attracting new customers and increasing footfall. With this addition, JJ Toys hopes to expand its shopping demographic and age range.

The new store gives customers access to better and closer parking, and the expanded space makes it easier to showcase products and brands. The new layout gives shoppers access to more brands, ranges and choices, and there are more FSDUs, discovery tables, and pop-up ‘quiet spaces’ as a result. JJ Toys has even been able to introduce new outdoor play tables.

JJ Toys takes pride in offering its customer a handpicked range of toys, dolls and games that focus on quality, safety and sustainability. Working in partnership with Buckinghamshire-based eCommerce business, Yipp-e, JJ Toys now has a much more effective way of selling these products to online customers via its upgraded website (www.jj.toys).

Independent Toy Retailer of the Year (Multi Store)

Starlings Toys, Norfolk

Starlings Toys was established in 1912 in Sheringham and has since become a specialist source of quality toys and games. After 112 years, Starlings remains a family business with a strong focus on customer service, value for money and a passion for toys present across its five stores.

The team is not afraid to make changes to the business, introducing new categories and processes, piloting most of them on a smaller scale prior to implementing company wide. Recent new categories have added significantly to the bottom line, helping to attract a new set of customers.

Starlings prides itself on its customer service and believes this sets the business apart. This is achieved through the company’s enthusiasm for toys, expert product knowledge and willingness to go above and beyond for its customers.

The company also continues to invest in its staff through external training courses, government schemes for the young and those 50+ who are unemployed, apprenticeships for warehousing, customer service and team leadership, and work experience students.

David Rogers Toymaster, Banbridge

David Rogers Toymaster is the leading toy shop in its area, selling the best brands and latest toys for all ages. Since opening 45 years ago, the David Rogers team continues to implement its founder’s success ethos.

The store prides itself on its range of products, customer service and dedicated team of toy industry veterans, as well as its use of social media to interact with its customers.

David Rogers has a total of three shops, each as different as the next and unique in its own way, located in Banbridge, Portadown and Kilkeel. The stores are currently owned by Jonathan Rogers, the son of the founder of David Rogers Toymaster.

The store provides both in-store and online shopping options to its customers, covering a variety of categories such as Nursery, Outdoor, Dolls, Collectibles and a selection of licensed products.

Toy Barnhaus, West Sussex

Toy Barnhaus was established in 2009, after founders Mark Buschhaus and Stephen Barnes were both made redundant from Woolworths, and there are now seven stores across the southeast of England. Each store is in a high footfall location within a shopping mall, is well laid out and uses the same fixtures that Woolworths used. Mark and Stephen use their key gondola ends to highlight their new and promotional lines, acting as a crucial part in value perception.

Toy Barnhaus is in its 16th year of trading and has been exploring adding to its ranges and supplier list this year, as well as increasing its margins. There has been a major focus on pocket money priced items, as the team has seen growth in sales for these products and an appetite for the price point due to tighter customer budgets.

To work more closely with suppliers this year, the store has started to put a focus on in-store events which have driven footfall and generated excitement. Toy Barnhaus’ online business has also grown this year, moving to a 24-hour tracked delivery service for its parcels, which has led to over 40,000 orders in 2024.

Toy Department of the Year

Jarrolds, Norwich

At Jarrolds in Norwich, the team strives to try to always be different, adapting and pushing boundaries of what it can do to keep customers in stores. To do this, Jarrods has started promoting more experiences for people to get involved with, including a special plush Afternoon Tea in its newly refurbished restaurant. It also sold out its festive breakfast event this Christmas season.

Jarrods continues to give back and recently gave away £3000 worth of toys via a free competition that parents and children could enter by trying to guess a four-digit code on a padlock to win. This was all kindly funded by a selection of suppliers and brought increased footfall into the store during half term. Those who didn’t win the grand prize were given a 10% off toys voucher to spend on the day, which proved to be extremely successful.

Daniel Department Store, Windsor

The Toy Department in Daniel Department Store offers children, families and kidults a carefully curated selection of toys and games, as well as an array of engaging events.

This year, the Toy Department had a number of standout campaigns. Among these was the Easter Paw Patrol campaign, which filled the shop’s window displays with beloved characters. The campaign extended across platforms, with website banners, in-store posters and social media promotions. There were also themed shop fits for brands like Eugy and Funko Pop, Sylvanian Families was brought to life through character visits and there was even a Numberblocks Weekend, featuring interactive character-led activities.

Daniel Department Store partners with organisations like the Salvation Army and Windsor Methodist Church to ensure that toys reach families in need, further strengthening its connections with its community and local families.

Thompson Bros (Esher) T/A Garsons Garden Centre, Surrey

Garsons, located in Esher, Surrey, offers consumers the best toys, merchandised in a way that is visually attractive and easy to shop. With in-store experiences and activities, Garsons makes sure it provides shoppers with mindful and educational experiences.

Garsons works hard to be eco-friendly and is a supporter of a number of charities that are local to its community.

It supplies products from a selection of categories – Baby, Pre-School, Education, Construction, Plush, Wood and more – and each item is carefully chosen for its originality, creativity, educational and sustainable elements.