22 minute read
Talking Shop
Up to the challenge
This month, Toy World caught up with a selection of indies to find out how the year is going so far, what have been the highs and lows, and how they have capitalised on opportunities as well as dealt with challenges.
Julia Wingate - The Trading Post, Kingsbridge, Devon
So far in 2024, Lego has sold very well, especially the adult sets. The Lego Botanical Collection has been very popular. Sylvanian Families has also had a bit of a surge, with both the blind bags and the bigger sets in high demand.
The continuous bad weather in the first few months of this year reduced footfall, but the sun is out now at last, and we’re hoping for an increase in customers coming through the door. Compared to 2023, sales in January, February and March were on a par with last year, but April was a bit disappointing. With the long Bank Holiday weekends in May, and the weather picking up, foot traffic has been much improved, and hopefully that continues.
We have been fortunate not to have had many problems with shoplifting. I haven’t seen any change in the situation here, although it’s an issue that is currently being talked about a lot. To combat any potential theft, we have CCTV, mirrors in blind spots and well-trained staff located throughout the shop floor.
When choosing stock for the shop, it’s a balancing act of carrying all the staples, like Lego, Playmobil and Sylvanian Families, to be a credible toy shop, while also stocking the up-to-date crazes that the kids are asking about, whether that be bead kits or fidget toys. You have to get the mix right, for the adults to buy for their kids and for the children to come in and want to spend their pocket money. Earlier in the year, we saw increased demand for lines like stress balls and sensory toys; this seems to be a growing category.
It can sometimes be hard to compete with the bigger stores, but I don’t think that’s a reason to be negative. I think we need to think about doing things better and differently and see it as a challenge. We have a new craft range from Epoch coming soon that I am very excited about, called Pati-school, where children can make cakes and decorative things. I am looking forward to that and expect it to sell well. I believe that it is launching with Toymaster and independent stores first; it’s always great to be supported by suppliers in this way.
Coming up, we are hosting an in-store birthday party for The Trading Post celebrating 25 years. We will have instore promotions and visitors will receive a party bag. We’re also holding a raffle, with tickets going to everyone who buys something, and then prizes will be handed out. We have mascots visiting the store, including Freya the Chocolate Rabbit from Sylvanian Families. We’ll use Facebook and Instagram, as well as the local press and big posters in the shop windows, to promote the anniversary celebrations, and there will even be some birthday balloons. It’s gone very quickly; I can’t believe that it’s already been 25 years. Time flies when you’re having fun!
After running a toy shop for 25 years, I’ve seen many crazes come and go, but steady sellers and good customer service are what it’s all about and I’m optimistic when looking at the year ahead. Because it has been a long, wet winter, it can only get better from here. Everyone is keen to come out into the town and shop, rather than being stuck inside, and I expect the high street to get much busier soon. We rely on in person transactions for the majority of our sales; even though we also have a presence online, customers do appreciate the personal touch.
John Bentley - Howleys Toymaster, Weymouth, Dorset
2024 has been a challenge so far. The general economic situation means that retailers are trying to do their best in difficult circumstances. There’s no doubt that disposable income is currently at the lowest level it has been for some time. We once thought kids and the toy industry were immune to the effects of this, but right now, we are struggling as well.
Looking at the year, sales are currently tracking slightly down. We had a successful March with the earlier Easter, but business inevitably dropped a bit in April as a result of this. With higher overheads, margins are challenged, so we have to look at improving them. We are also cutting back on waste and reviewing all overheads. Whether you’re in the toy trade or any retail trade, getting this balance right is crucial at the moment. If sales simply aren’t there, then you have to look at other ways to maintain the bottom line. We have to maintain over a 40% margin to cover costs and staffing. Going forward, what I’d like to see from suppliers is the ability to match our margins. We have discussed cost saving ideas and encouraged our staff to come up with ideas as well - at the end of the day, you have to stay profitable. We’re ready for the rest of the year, and hopefully things will start to pick up.
In terms of merchandise, we’re currently stocking some strong lines, but we’d love to see a craze to give us a lift. The ranges we’ve bought in are doing well and we’re happy with that. We just really need to create more footfall.
Lego is still a top 10 bestseller. Plush, as a category, is strong because of several lines: Squishmallows from Jazwares (especially its Pokémon range) and Ty, which is always a winner, with good margins and attractive products. Collectibles is another strong category; we’ve done particularly well with Funko so far this year, and another area that brings in customers is action figures. The Godzilla vs Kong film gave us an excellent lift over Easter, with a fantastic range.
Over the recent long Bank Holiday weekend, we were quite busy, although we didn’t hit the same numbers as last year. We have two stores in coastal locations; I’m currently at our Weymouth branch, and we have one in Paignton in Devon. Both stores performed well over the Bank Holiday with plenty of day-trippers and people who came down for the long weekend. As there were lots of people enjoying the weather, we’ve been able to sell a fair amount of beach gear. We also have two locations further inland, in Dorchester and Bridport, both market towns, which were also quite busy; we made the most of the people who came through the door.
Over the upcoming summer season, space restrictions mean we can’t host big events, much as we’d like to. Our layout doesn’t lend itself to a crowd, plus staffing numbers to support an event can be a challenge, but we do our best with activities like Lego Make and Play, as well as colouring competitions. Companies such as Plus-Plus also supply us with samples that we can give away. It’s really useful when a supplier can support us in this way, we love to interact with everybody who visits our stores, so we’ll always get behind initiatives like this.
Shoplifting is an issue, and sadly, we have seen an increase recently. It’s probably the biggest challenge we face currently. Petty theft is on the rise; we have lots of kids who think that taking a small item is perfectly acceptable, and it’s hard because you don’t want to stop young kids coming into the shop. But the worst shoplifters tend to be recognisable in a town like this, so we can spot and follow them on camera. We do our best, but there must be some that we miss, and that’s the worst possible scenario. All our staff have to be alert, focused and able to identify potential shoplifters – while at the same time being friendly! We’re here to sell people things, be welcoming and be proactive to with customers. You can’t go around suspecting everyone of theft, but you need a bit of a sixth sense when it comes to these things.
New products that I’d like to get in-store include One For Fun’s concert bracelets; those look fun and very on-trend. Anything relating to film and TV usually sells; Godzilla vs Kong was brand-new, but we knew the film was going to be good. Although we are planning cautiously at the moment, there will be more new products as we move further into peak summertime and Christmas.
Currently, the key thing is to not make a mistake, as this can be costly. You can’t afford to have stock on your shelves that isn’t performing and everything has to earn its place. It’s a balancing act between the tried and trusted and newer products, and we are leaning more towards the tried and trusted right now. We know that certain lines are going to deliver, like Lego, so they are the backbone of the store, along with favourite licensed products. Paw Patrol and Bluey are still strong, along with Barbie. Spin Master’s Tech Deck is also a great seller. Every section of the store is underpinned by these core bestsellers. That is essentially what we deliver – the best lines at the right price.
In the second half of 2024, there might be external factors like the upcoming elections that change people’s mindset. We’re hoping for a hot summer and lots of visitors to our coastal stores. We still have quite a bit of summer stock left from last year, so it would be good to get that sold through. Although we’ve had the Toymaster May Show, where we started to plan for the back end of the year, I’m not thinking much beyond the summer at the moment. We know what we’re going to buy to a certain extent, to support the Toymaster catalogue, but first, the focus is on summer, people being happy and the sun being out.
Mandy Harrop - Gosling Toymaster, Marple
We saw improvement in footfall during the sunny early May bank holiday weekend. People have started buying outdoor toys and we’ve seen strong sales for Reydon Sports footballs. The big brands continue to do well in our store, including the 7.5” Squishmallows which remain a popular product amongst our customers, and all our Lego lines are also seeing success – especially the sets priced at £20 and below.
We’ve recently brought in the Zhu Zhu Aquarium from John Adams as one of our latest additions and we’re looking forward to seeing how it will perform; we have been very impressed by the latest products from the company. The Toymaster Show enabled us to have a close look at many of the new products coming out this year and has given us lots of inspiration. It is always such a great show for us, as we’re able to speak to people face to face and see different companies and their products all in one place, especially those smaller suppliers that might otherwise be missed. The risks we take depend on the brands we’re dealing with. Some companies are worth trying because if something doesn’t go as well as hoped, they’re willing to help and support you as much as you support them. As well as basic, evergreen products, as a retailer, it’s important to keep the range fresh with new products; that way we can cater to all kinds of customers and meet individual needs.
As eCommerce continues to grow in popularity, independent retailers face a tough challenge in competing with online prices, and it becomes harder for us every year. We predict this will be a difficulty that we will face in the second half of 2024. However, we’re based in a friendly community and have been here a long time which means we’re well-established and have a loyal customer base. Thankfully shoplifting isn’t a prominent issue at our store due to being a small shop based in a village. We may have the occasional incident, but it’s not a concern for us as we’re able to stay vigilant and ensure that it doesn’t become a problem.
We’re looking forward to the Marple Carnival taking place this month. It gives us a great opportunity to engage with the local community and attract new customers to our store. Besides opening our shop, we will have a special stall along with our Playmobil and Sylvanian Families characters. We’ll also be setting up a stall in a village nearby for the first time this year, which will hopefully help raise awareness of our store. The Maple Carnival gives us the chance to expand our presence, as we’re going out and promoting ourselves. We’ve had quite a lot of success in previous years, so we’re excited for this year’s carnival to come around, especially if the weather is pleasant.
Karen Christie - Fun Junction Toy Shop, Perth
We recently had our best Saturday since before Covid, but that’s because I was recently interviewed about the challenges facing my business (and countless others) by The Courier. Generally speaking, trading has been a bit slow this year, but for a week or two after the piece was published, things did pick up. Shoppers have delighted in telling me they’d seen the article and wanted to show their support, which was lovely - but I do wish we could see that level of support all year round. People need to get out there onto the highstreet and return to in-person shopping. If I felt that people in the local area didn’t want or need a toy shop that’s one thing, but everyone tells me they love Fun Junction and want it to remain in business. There’s a level of disconnect between what people say and what they do. It’s become far too easy to sit at home and order what you want directly to your house, or pick up toys at the supermarket when you’re doing your grocery shop.
I actually have two Fun Junction locations: the main store in Perth and a smaller one up the road in Crieff, which is a more of a tourist destination. While the former was quite quiet over the early May bank holiday weekend, the latter was much busier. There’s a large hotel in the area, Crieff Hydro, which attracts a lot of families because there’s loads to do. A visit to the toy shop is a popular activity for people staying there.
Obviously, we aim to offer a great range of really high-quality toys, but beyond that we have extremely knowledgeable staff that know far more about toys and play than staff at non-specialist stores. Our staff are here to help and are quite happy to spend a lot of time assisting customers. Because of the nature of the toy industry, consumers are faced with so much choice in terms of play patterns, developmental benefits, features and so on, and it can be quite overwhelming for parents or grandparents trying to buy a gift for a loved one. It can be such a relief to be met with staff that really care and will go above and beyond to help you find a toy that’s just right for the child, regardless of their age, gender, interests and so on.
We’re doing really well with Eugy from Brainstorm, which is bringing the same shoppers back again and again. They’re not the biggest sale in terms of RRP, but they are just so collectible that people can’t get enough. Without a doubt, Eugy is our biggest repeat business driver; kids come in to buy them with their parents in tow, and a week later the parent is back to buy one for themselves because they’ve seen how fun they are. They’re super-affordable, and all contained within a handy wee box. We’ve got an FSDU spinner here to display the range, which looks great. Ravensburger is another top supplier for us. Between the Brio railway brand, which is one of our best-sellers, and its jigsaw puzzles, you really can’t go wrong.
The overwhelming majority of our products are under £25, which seems to be the sweet spot in terms of price. Bigger-box items aren’t really something we sell too much of anymore – between the price of larger play sets and the logistics of actually getting them home, I think a lot of sales have gone online. We used to sell quite a few dolls houses and the like, but now I see places like Ikea and supermarkets offering them much more cheaply.
We had a serious issue with shoplifting a while back. It got really bad: we almost became obsessed with following people around the shop. The problem has calmed down recently, but we have CCTV cameras up, a sign on the door warning people that we’ll prosecute shoplifters, and a list of people banned from entering the store because of their ‘sticky fingers’. It’s a shame to have to do all this, but it does seem to have helped. I think people are stealing for the sake of it rather than from necessity. The people we’ve caught definitely weren’t stealing out of desperation or to fund addictions. But we have to keep moving forward and not let it deter us.
We’ve always held play days and in-store events over the summer, but much depends on supplier support and staffing levels. Our Crieff store, for example, is a one-man operation so it’s tricky to host anything there. We’re planning a few things at the Perth store for this year though. Playmobil is supporting us again this year, the team is very helpful when it comes to these things: in the past, we’ve worked with them on Ghostbusters days, pirate themed events and so on. In fact, we might go for pirates again later this summer. We also find it really helpful when suppliers provide us with a little bit of free stock we can use in giveaways and competitions, plus we like to make use of show offers laid on at the major toy fairs.
I’m not yet stocking it, but I would love to start offering the Kapla range of natural wooden building sets. They’re so simple, comprising literally just pine planks, and they’ve been around for years, but I want to bring them into our offering. I love Kapla because it encourages kids to use their imaginations. You should see some of the creations kids make with them, these really extraordinary huge builds. Kapla is top of my wish list for this year.
We work really hard, and it can be disheartening when things are difficult. My two daughters, Jenny and Joanna, work at Fun Junction alongside me and the plan, all being well, is for them to continue the business after I retire. They absolutely love working here – in many respects it’s a dream job – but we don’t know what the future holds. I’ve run the business for 20 years and I’ve recently stepped back a little to let my daughters do more. I hope that in the years to come, they will take over the shop fully and continue to keep it open for the local community.
Paul Rothwell - Big Top Toys, Rowsley, Bakewell
Lego is our most notable standout bestseller this year. We’ve seen plenty of success with the kidult rangesincluding Speed Champions, the Botanical Collection and Star Wars - which all continue to perform well in our store. The Pokémon TCG started strongly but sales have tailed off a little. I’m hoping it will improve later in the year, as this can be a great footfall driver.
Although March was a tough month, sales picked up during the Easter holiday period, and May has been a strong month, especially given the warm, sunny weather during the Early May Bank Holiday weekend. This turned out to be a nicely busy period for us. We continue to see high demand for outdoor toys; being based in a tourist area means we see sales for this type of product all year round. Even in the colder winter months, visitors want to treat their kids.
I’m not one to spend long hours overthinking what to stock; my approach is to order product ranges that I think will do well and wait to see how they perform before ordering more. There will always be evergreen, staple lines you can rely on as a core range, but it’s interesting to bring in something new and different to see how it’s received. One of the products I have recently stocked is the John Adams Zhu Zhu Aquarium range, so let’s see how that goes.
Shoplifting has become a growing issue in our store. People seem to think it’s easy to steal from our shop and they frequently attempt to do so. Many of our products are security tagged and we also have CCTV and an alarm system to help prevent robberies. What’s certain is that we don’t hesitate to take action against shoplifters if we catch them.
I’m personally feeling optimistic about the second half of 2024. Although we don’t make use of any social media platforms to advertise, the year has been working out well for us so far, and I put this down to our standing in the local community and word of mouth. I believe it’s because, as well as a loyal base of customers who value having a local toy shop, we are fortunate to receive plenty of tourist footfall all year long, and thanks to our local reputation, they know where to come.
indie viewpoint
Keeping a weather eye on the toy market
As we write this, we are planning our final appointments for next week’s Toymaster show – including who we are meeting at the bar and where we are eating for dinner. Once we had those important things out of the way, we thought we had better make some appointments on stands with suppliers. We are very much looking forward to our trip to Harrogate and are sure that the show will live up to our expectations; we will have a recap for you next month.
Sales over the last few months have been ok, although they’ve been skewed by the early Easter. This certainly affected the second half of April, when sales seemed slower. However, looking at March and April combined, sales were flat, which we were very pleased with.
So far this year sales have been steady, rather than anything new really flying out. Brands that have been popular over the last few years, such as Pokémon and Squishmallows, continue to perform well, but are in decline if we compare year on year. The issue is that there is nothing that has really offset these declines. Customer’s budgets are still being squeezed, and this has been getting worse for the last 18 months. Although inflation has slowed, items are not going down in price, they are still remaining significantly higher than where they were a few years ago.
In light of this, we have noticed a huge uplift on non-branded items which offer a big box at a good price. Kandy Toys has been one of our top suppliers so far this year - a lot of their products have high margins and offer great value to customers. We are also being offered a lot of good deals at the moment, which means we can pass on some very attractive special offers to our customers to help drive footfall. We are expecting conditions to improve later in the year but, being realistic, have more modest expectations for the next few months.
As you know, we like to talk about the weather, and it hasn’t been great, with umbrella sales leading the way! We have just had the first warm spell of the year, which gave a nice boost to outdoor sales, although it wasn’t quite hot enough to sell many paddling pools. Wheeled toys have been selling well so far this year. Scooters have always been big business for us, with the Nebulus range from One for Fun being our best seller. We also stock some of the younger ranges from Dolu; their First Trikes and Sit’n’rides offer great value options.
The largely inclement weather means we have been doing well with craft products, to give people something to do indoors. The arrival of Taylor Swift for her concerts this year has created uplifts on the Shimmer N Sparkle ABC Fashion Bracelets from Character and Concert Bracelets from One for Fun. Slime is still very popular, and Slime Party is selling very well, along with the So Slime range from Canal Toys.
A big growth area for us has been Kidult collectibles. A lot of this has been driven by Lego, but action figures make up a good proportion of sales too. One of the few bright lights so far this year has been the Godzilla vs Kong film, and the Playmates figures from Flair have been really popular. We hope that other films this summer will lead to strong product sales; we are most looking forward to the Minions movie, Despicable Me 4.
We are off now to find our Red Devil kits, as our local team Crawley Town heads to Wembley for the first time ever on Sunday. Come on you Reds!
