Company Profile - Kayes of Cardiff

A OK with Kayes of Cardiff

Business is booming for toy distributor Kayes of Cardiff, which has been supplying independent retailers for 37 years. Owner Philip Kaye chats to Sam Giltrow about the company’s growth and how smaller toy shops can benefit from access to its big brand partnerships.

From its origin in 1985 as a regional wholesaler for Wales and the South West, specialising in pocket money and beach goods, Kayes of Cardiff has grown into a nationwide distributor providing access to big brands for smaller, independent retailers.

The recently announced partnerships with Orchard Toys, and appointment as Mattel’s distribution partner to selected Toymaster and AIS members, means the distributor is now able to offer even more benefits to customers. The appointment by Mattel strengthens Kayes’ relationship with the toy giant and adds even more big-name brands to its offering.

“We have touched on supplying multiples in the past, but what we focus is the smaller, independent sector,” owner Philip Kaye tells us. “Our philosophy is to buy in bulk, then break that down in order to offer independent retailers access to bigger brands in affordable quantities. This ensures they get value across the board. The more leading brands that we have, the more advantageous and economical our business becomes. Retailers can, in most cases, buy in bulk or in single quantities, as suits their business.”

Philip adds: “This makes many brands more accessible to the smaller retailer; especially businesses that are not toy specialists. Outlets such as garden centres and department stores might have a toy section or department as part of the overall offering and therefore be unable to meet direct minimum order quantities. By ordering from us, they can take advantage of the variety we have, and the breadth of leading brands we carry.”

Kayes of Cardiff has grown considerably over the years. Starting out as a small, regional wholesaler,

the company has grown into a national business by taking part in national exhibitions to expand its customer base, and by entering into various supplier partnerships. Bruder was its first major partner around 20 years ago, and Philip explains that this, and subsequent partnerships, have given the company increased status and reputational standing.

Kayes developed a relationship with buying group Toymaster, after initially supplying many of its members outside of the group, and started to forge exclusive partnerships with major toy companies. It now has an impressive number of exclusive distribution agreements in the UK, most recently signing up with Orchard Toys, as well as Australian company Construct It. Kayes also enjoys long-term partnerships with brands such as Sohni Wicke (guns & caps), Infantino, Brio, Halilit, Constructive eating, Playmobil, Ravensburger, Jumbo, Schleich, Tomy, Casdon Toys and Playmonster.

“We still run very traditionally, with reps and agents out on the road,” explains Philip. “We specialise in serving smaller, independent retailers, but also have the capability to cope with larger customers who want to buy in pallet quantities.”

Kayes also supplies the leisure attraction sector, working with theme parks, farm parks and independent railways; relationships which have been forged as a result of the company showing regularly at regional shows in areas such as Cornwall, Devon, Somerset and South Wales. Kayes also attends the AIS and Toymaster shows and exhibits at the Spring Fair.

The company’s database of over 600 customers is growing even bigger, in large part due to the new partnerships with Orchard Toys and Mattel, which is passing over its smaller accounts. Philip says that feedback has already been very positive “because it means, especially for Toymaster and AIS members, that we can supply them at the same terms and prices that they were able to enjoy before.”

Kayes prides itself on its quick turnround times and the fact that it offers carriage paid orders over £300. “The more brands that we get with the same terms and conditions as the original supplier, the more economical business becomes for us overall,” says Philip. “With a wider range of attractively priced product to offer, instead of sending £300 or £400 worth of product to a customer, we might now be sending £500 worth. As customer orders increase, our service becomes even more cost effective.”

Business is currently brisk in preparation for this year’s Christmas season. As well as providing retailers with shelf stock, Kayes has over 30 years’ experience stocking Santa’s grottos. The company offers a vast selection of over 6,000 products across all price ranges, supplying all types of customers with their North Pole needs. “It means the grottos have access to branded merchandise,” says Philip, “and now with even more brands in our portfolio, we can give them even more choice.”

Kayes still imports some product directly itself, such as pocket money toys. Containers are brought in from the Far East, and the company boasts a large warehouse of around 30,000sq ft, in addition to external storage and showrooms in Cardiff. “We are bursting at the seams at the moment,” says Philip. “It’s great that our showrooms are back open so people can make an appointment to come and see us. Visitors are able to view every single item that we sell in our showrooms, and we’re always very happy to see them.”