From the publisher

I hope all of our British readers – at home and abroad – had a wonderful Platinum Jubilee weekend. No doubt about the big winner from the whole event – take a bow, Paddington Bear. A truly heartwarming vignette, it may even have surpassed the Queen & James Bond film from the last Royal celebration, and that is saying something.

We’ve been doing some celebrating of our own this month, after finalizing a deal to acquire our competitor Toy News and licensing website Licensing.Biz. Thank you to all those people who got in touch to offer their congratulations when we announced the good news. The whole Toy World team has worked incredibly hard to put us in this position – we are writing a great story, and there are plenty more chapters to write yet.

It’s our first-ever acquisition – and it only took us eleven years. But we always said we were open to the right opportunity – and we think this move makes perfect sense. Toys and licensing are inextricably linked, and as we already have a strong toehold in the licensing space through Toy World, this move gives us a platform to extend that footprint, while strengthening our position as the specialist in the kids’ and family entertainment space.

And, of course, it ‘right sizes’ the toy media space. Let’s be honest – there was never room for three toy magazines and websites. I have said that many times to many people over the years, and I am not sure anyone ever disagreed. In fact, I genuinely believe I could make a compelling case that one great UK toy magazine and website is all anyone really needs. There are enough challenges without triplicating time and effort (and budget) to reach a finite, defined group of retailers. We’re all time poor enough, so having all the information you need in one place will make everyone’s life a whole lot easier and make marketing decisions infinitely more straightforward. We can focus our energy on bringing you even stronger content, which in turn will make us an even more essential media partner for anyone serious about the toy business. It’s a win-win-win…and we all need a few of those right now.

As we head towards the festive season, there are plenty of intriguing retail developments to look out for here in the UK; in the bricks and mortar arena, how will The Entertainer’s partnership with Marks & Spencer for the Early Learning Centre range fare? I gather that early figures are encouraging, so let’s see how that partnership develops. I also hear that Hamleys is talking up its new Westfield store, which I gather could open in time for October half-term week. I’m certainly hearing that

significant investment is going into the new branch – maybe Hamleys has decided that, strategically, it makes more sense to invest its available budget there, rather than upgrading the Regents Street store, which would arguably require a far larger pot of money? Then, of course, there is the imminent arrival in the UK of the new Toys R Us online operation. If rumours are accurate, the owners have set ambitious targets, so there will be great anticipation within the toy community to see if it can achieve those bold goals. And after a largely disappointing year in ’21, can Argos bounce back this year? I am sure the majority of suppliers are hoping for a reaction.

On the positive side, there are some bright spots providing encouragement for trading in the coming months: according to NPD, licensed toys are having their best year since 2008, representing 30% of all toy sales in the first half of the year. Even before the launch of the movie, Jurassic World sales were up by 63% YTD, and that figure will surely soar even higher once kids get to see the film. The toy retail channel has missed event movies like this – not only do they generate excitement with consumers, but crucially they give stores the opportunity to drive footfall at a time of the year when it is badly needed. It puts money in the tills, creates a buzz and instills confidence in retailers at a time when they could do with a lift. I have already seen some tremendous retail activations around the release of Jurassic World Dominion: The Entertainer’s in-store augmented reality dinosaur hunt was a truly fantastic immersive experience, while Toymaster launched its first-ever digital flyer featuring a selection of the Jurassic World products available in many Toymaster stores. Smyths also released a fabulous piece of stop motion content to promote its range, which has had over half a million views at the time of going to press.

And with sales of licensed toys flying, what better time for the market-leading UK toy magazine to be taking stewardship of a well-established but neglected licensing website and injecting some fresh ideas and passion to rejuvenate it? They say timing in life is everything…

Meanwhile, enjoy another packed issue of Toy World, which includes in-depth features on the Construction, Tech Toys, Dress Up & Role Play and Stationery categories. We also talk to Schleich as the company unveils a major new global brand strategy, and hear from Learning Express’ Mike Derse, an American visitor to this year’s Toymaster May Show, to get his impressions of the event. And, of course, there’s a wealth of fantastic new product to help retailers freshen up their ranges as we head towards the festive season. Enjoy.