Toy World Magazine November 2019

November 2019 Volume 9 Issue 3

Has arrived!

Simply push Waddles the Waddle Duck™ along any surface and his feet begin to flap.

Flapping feet and wobbling head is fun to see but as Waddles gets going you’ll hear the quacks start.

Brand new preschool push-along toy

Sell out first season in the USA achieved with WalMart

®

Tel: +44 (0) 1291 429000 | Email: info@kaptoys.com Kids@Play Ltd is a fast growing distributor and manufacturer of toys serving the UK & Eire markets. They are based in Chepstow, South Wales. Founded in 2005 they were taken over by award winning entrepreneur Nathaniel Southworth in 2017. For more information visit www.kaptoys.com

The Team...

CONTENTS November 2019 Volume 9 Issue 3

John Baulch

37 Feature: Outdoor Toys

54 Retail Profile: The Entertainer

Publisher and Managing Editor john@toyworldmag.co.uk 01442 502 408 07932 651 207

Mark Austin

Sales Director mark@toyworldmag.co.uk 01442 502 405

Anita Baulch

Circulation and Financial Director anita@toyworldmag.co.uk 01442 502 406

News

Opinion

Features

05 From the Publisher 06 News 14 Industry Moves 18 Marketing World 24 Licensing World 108 Allegedly

28 NPD column 31 Talking Shop 78 Viewpoint

22 Company Profile: Fanbytes 34 Retail Profile: Bargain Max 37 Feature: Outdoor Toys 40 Brand Profile: Little Tikes 54 Retail Profile: The Entertainer 58 Company Profile: Wilton Bradley 60 Retail Profile: Very 62 Feature: Q1 Ranges

Contributors The NPD Group | Nat Southworth Jonathan Chambers | David Ripley Jim Hawker | Mark Buschhaus | Stephen Barnes

80 Feature: Frozen II 104 Feature: World Book Day

Rachael Simpson-Jones Editor rachael@toyworldmag.co.uk 01442 502 406

80 Feature: Frozen II

62 Feature: Q1 Ranges

Lisa Currie

Assistant Editor Lisa@toyworldmag.co.uk 01442 502 406

Mark Crowford

Design and Production Manager markc@toyworldmag.co.uk 01442 502 405

toyworld The business magazine with a passion for toys

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www.toyworldmag.co.uk @toyworldmag @baulchtweet

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Toy World 3

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s I write this column, the retail pack has started jostling for position as the festive trading season begins in earnest. Half price sales at Smyths, Sainsbury’s, Tesco and Morrisons, coupled with an Argos Crazy Codes campaign which will last for the next 10 weeks, all point to the fact that an aggressive price war may well be looming. With NPD confirming in this month’s column that the UK toy market declined by 9% YTD to September and was down 11% in the month of September, I doubt this comes as a huge surprise to anyone. With a challenging sales environment, the option to chase turnover at the expense of margin must be a temptation. I would argue that it is crucial to hold your nerve, but then I am not sitting on warehouses and stockrooms that are full to the brim. Buckle up people.

from the publisher

John Baulch - @Baulchtweet

There is also the abiding feeling that trade may come later than ever this year. Black Friday falls a week later in the calendar this year – Friday 29th November: on the positive side, this means that people will just have been paid. Conversely, it increases the likelihood that some consumers may postpone purchasing decisions to see if Black Friday offers them additional savings. This may particularly apply to larger items, although of course there is a risk that with some retailers adopting a cautious approach to stock control, certain popular lines will be out of stock by then.

Given the prevailing retail conditions, few would disagree with The Entertainer’s Stuart Grant when he says “We need something to kick start things. Hopefully, Frozen II is it.” Now that the embargo has been lifted, I’m delighted that we can finally bring you details of the extensive licensing programme behind the new movie - our comprehensive feature starts on page 80. Frozen was a genuine phenomenon, both in terms of box office and merchandise sales. Can the sequel hit the heights of the first film? Is there a song as strong as ‘Let it Go’ on the soundtrack? We don’t have long to wait until we find out the answers to these and many other questions.

Arguably, the girls’ category is in a far stronger position than it was when the first Frozen movie launched, but with a healthy six year gap between the two films, there is no sign of sequel fatigue here - retailers and licensees are backing the movie to make a major contribution to toy sales over the coming months, both pre and postChristmas. Indeed, Disney’s confidence in the brand extends to predicting that Frozen II merchandise will still be making an appearance on Christmas wish lists in 2020.

With Christmas trading well and truly underway, our editorial focus switches to the early part of 2020 this month, with product features covering Quarter One ranges, Outdoor Toys and Book Week, which takes place in March. The weeks following Christmas, February Half

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Term and Easter each present toy suppliers and retailers with excellent opportunities to drive sales and introduce new and revamped ranges to consumers, so I hope our round-up of Q1 launches gives you a few suggestions to help you make the most of this key period.

We also have no less than three exclusive retailfocused articles in this month’s edition. The first piece is an exclusive report from The Entertainer’s autumn conference, at which store managers from across the UK, along with regional and area managers, plus directors and international franchise partners, met up to plan for the impending festive period. I was delighted to be one of a handful of specially invited ‘non-Entertainer’ guests at the two-day event and to be given full, unfettered access to all the sessions (except, somewhat ironically, the Frozen presentation given by Disney).The conference provided a fascinating glimpse into the many ways in which retail is evolving, and the subtle blend of modern retail science and good old-fashioned trading that combine to make a successful 21st century retail operation. The story starts on page 54 – I hope you find the write-up as interesting as I found the event itself.

Our other retail interviews this month are with two successful online operators: Very and Bargain Max - two distinctly different operations, but both proving that it is eminently feasible to provide competition to Amazon in the digital arena, providing you carve out a strong niche and offer a point of difference.

Just as it is true that there is far more to the online toy sales category than Amazon, it is equally true that not all bricks and mortar retailers have been poleaxed by Brexit shenanigans; value retailer Home Bargains posted stellar results last month, exceeding £2.5b sales for the first time.

Not only have sales doubled since 2013, but Home Bargains has also announced that it will be looking to double its estate to 1000 stores in the coming years. What’s more, the Financial Times retail correspondent Jonathan Eley suggested that the fortune of the founding Morris family is now greater than that of Mike Ashley and Philip Green combined. Clearly, there is still money in retail if you get things right.

As we enter the critical festive period, if ever a reminder was needed that the toy community has the most particular and discerning consumer demographic to convince, a recent episode of The Apprentice perfectly illustrated our industry’s collective task. It took the focus groups of 6-8 year old kids approximately 30 seconds to demolish the ‘brilliant’ ideas of the would-be entrepreneurs, whose toys stood up to scrutiny about as well as a chocolate fireguard. Hopefully those kids will be far more receptive to what the proper toy industry has to offer them this Christmas - because we all need the market to have a strong finish to the year.

News Smyths Toys announces top toys for Christmas and latest store openings The retailer has selected the toys it expects to be most popular this festive season. All of the toys feature in the Smyths catalogue that was released in October and are available in stores nationwide.

The toys were announced by company mascot Oscar, live from the red carpet. Sinead Byrne, joint head of marketing at Smyths Toys commented: “With all of the fantastic new toys launched this year it was really difficult to pick a top ten but we got there.”

1. FurReal Cubby the Curious Bear – Hasbro 2. Paw Patrol Super Paws Mighty Jet Command Centre – Spin Master 3. Lego Harry Potter The Knight Bus – Lego 4. Boppi the Booty Shakin’ Llama – Zuru/Tobar 5. L.O.L Surprise! 2-in-1 Glamper Playset – MGA 6. Ryan’s World Giant Mystery Egg – Gold – Vivid 7. Barbie Travel DreamPlane – Mattel 8. Nerf Fortnite AR-E – Hasbro 9. Push n Talk Forky – Thinkway 10. Frozen II Arendelle Castle – Hasbro The retailer also exclusively revealed to Toy World its latest wave of new store openings.

Adding to the company’s impressive store portfolio, new superstores have opened in Warrington, Gateshead, Aylesbury, Solihull, Sheffield Meadowhall, Poole and Basingstoke. A further store is about to open in Portsmouth on Saturday 9th November. The new additions will bring the total number of Smyths stores to 129 across the UK & Ireland.

Visitor registration now open for Toy Fair 2020, as exhibitor space sells out The 67th Toy Fair will be held at Olympia London from Tuesday 21st – Thursday 23rd January. Attendees can now register to attend for free at www.toyfair.co.uk.

Press Day is scheduled for Tuesday 21st and an Influencer Day on Wednesday 22nd will support the growing number of video teams, YouTubers and bloggers attending the show.

The Influencer Day will include new scheduled content for attendees, including exhibitor tours run by the BTHA. Influencers will be issued with a badge, to make it easier for exhibitors to identify and assist them. Influencer Day will also see the launch of Toy Fair’s Hero Toys 2020.

“Toy Fair is the perfect place to see the hottest new products and hidden gems for the coming year all under one roof,” said Rebecca Deeming, interim head of Toy Fair.

“With the ever-changing media landscape, influencers are an increasingly important way of communicating with the family audience. By hosting our first-ever Influencer Day, we aim to help support influencers and exhibitors by creating the best Toy Fair experience for all involved.”

Exhibition space has now completely sold out, and will host more than 260 companies, including Lego, Bandai UK, Hasbro, Big Potato Games, Brainstorm, Funko and many more. The Pokémon Company International is sponsoring the show’s entrance foyer for a fourth consecutive year.

Attendees from any of the past three Toy Fairs will receive a Smart Link to their existing profile, so need only check, update and submit their details to receive their 2020 show ticket. Visitors who choose not to pre-register or confirm their Smart Link will be required to prove they are a genuine trade visitor and pay a £15 entry fee on the door.

MARKETING & DISTRIBUTING BRANDS

11 Deer Park Road, Northampton, NN3 6QD, UK • tel. 01604 678780 • email. sales@dkl.co.uk • www.dkltoys.co.uk

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News Jazwares acquires Wicked Cool Alleghany Capital Corporation, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Alleghany Corporation has announced that its subsidiary, Jazwares has acquired Wicked Cool Toys.

Headquartered in Bristol, Pennsylvania, Wicked Cool Toys is a rapidly growing company that designs, develops and produces licensed and owned properties, including plush, action figures, fashion accessories and games.

Judd Zebersky, chief executive officer and president of Jazwares, commented: "Led

by Michael Rinzler, Jeremy Padawer and Thomas Poon, Wicked Cool Toys has built an impressive reputation in the industry for spotting on-trend licences, reinvigorating nostalgic brands and collaborating with inventors to develop new products. We are thrilled to partner with Wicked Cool Toys and its talented employees, leveraging the company's offices in Pennsylvania, California and Hong Kong. Wicked Cool Toys will operate as a division of Jazwares and day-to-day operations will not be impacted by this transaction."

Michael Rinzler, co-president and founding partner of Wicked Cool Toys, stated: "We are excited to join Jazwares and the Alleghany Capital family of companies. We believe that Alleghany Capital's long-term investment horizon and strategy of supporting entrepreneurial companies such as Jazwares and Wicked Cool Toys will accelerate our combined growth potential."

Jeremy Padawer, co-president and partner of Wicked Cool Toys, added: "Jazwares' product development expertise, global reach and extreme passion for play will allow us to break new ground together in the toy industry and beyond."

DKL Marketing acquired by Beysal International toy supplier Beysal has completed a deal to acquire UK-based toy company DKL Marketing. The new company is to be headed up by industry stalwart Terry Crew. Beysal is already well-established in the Latin American market, with extensive distribution in Mexico, Brazil, Colombia, Chile and Peru. It also launched into Spanish and Portugese markets 18 months ago, and according to Terry, has been keen to open up in the UK market.

The acquisition will see the new company continue to support and develop the ranges that DKL firmly established in the UK market – Hama Beads, Plus Plus and Breyer – while also introducing a selection of products developed by Beysal into the portfolio.

Terry told Toy World: “The new company, which will be called DKL-Beysal, will be based in Northampton, at the previous DKL premises. There is already a solid infrastructure and great team in place, which will be bolstered by both myself and sales manager Gary Cockerell, who I have worked with for many years. We will be exhibiting at Toy Fair, on the usual DKL stand, and we look forward to introducing our new range to existing and new retail partners.”

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Asmodee ranks as the UK’s top seller in games, as group clarifies Green Board Games position Asmodee is the top-ranked manufacturer in the overall Games category as well as second for value added. Data from NPD, covering the year up to the end of August, show the industry as a whole tracking at 9% down against 2018, while by contrast the Games sector has risen in year-to-date value by 7%.

This success is driven by Dobble and the Pokémon Trading Card Game (TCG) as well as the Family Games category.

Pokémon is recorded as the number-one games property and growing, with Dobble on the rise at number six. Both brands have enjoyed welcome additions in 2019.

Asmodee UK has now confirmed that Green Board Games (GBG), acquired as part of Searainbow Group in April, is to be fully incorporated as the Group’s first UK-based game studio.

GBG is to operate as a fully owned studio within the Asmodee Group. Now based in Amersham, it will continue to develop products and make them available to Asmodee UK, Coiledspring Games, other Asmodee Group distribution units and thirdparty partners. Consequently, GBG will cease to have direct relationships with retail customers.

Initially, GBG will be focusing on designing and developing its educational Brainbox lines, which will be made available to Asmodee UK to distribute. Other products will be picked up by other business units. Asmodee UK will take charge of distribution for the Fat Brain range, Coiledspring will take over all Mindware products, while the Flights of Fancy range will move to Lagoon.

News A.B.Gee welcomes range of Tooky Toy kids puzzles A.B.Gee has expanded its puzzle portfolio for 2019, with a strong collection from Tooky Toy designed specifically for infant and pre-school children. With many suitable for kids aged 12 months and upwards, this range contributes to early education, helping to improve hand-eye coordination and memory as well as colour and object recognition. The pieces have softened edges and are perfectly sized for kids’ hands.

Featuring easy grasp wooden pegs, the company’s alphabet & number peg puzzles are ideal for little fingers, while the Dress Up Bear Family puzzle box is a 56-piece set which can be assembled on slide-off lid. Puzzlers can choose from a variety of outfits and facial expressions for Mum, Dad and Baby bear, and can enjoy matching the pieces up before packing it all away into a beautifully crafted box.

A.B.Gee’s selection of puzzles starts as small as 4-pieces and goes up to 101. The company takes pride in ensuring that all its lines are made from sustainable wood and coloured with non-toxic paint, guaranteeing a safe and robust puzzle for kids.

Sainsbury's announces closure of up to 125 stores as Argos Q2 sales disappoint

Smyths Toys enjoys healthy profits in both European and Irish divisions As reported by The Irish Times, sales at the retailer’s Irish division rose last year to almost €226m, while the new European division generated almost €14m in profits. Last year, Smyths bought ninety-three stores in Germany, Switzerland and Austria, which generated sales of at least €340m and generated profits before tax of €13.6m, according to accounts filed in Dublin.

The new European operations added 2,500 staff to the Smyths group and brought with it a €45.5m deferred tax liability, as well as a €26.6m pension liability related to the German and Austrian operations.

Separate accounts filed by Smyths Toys Unlimited detail the performance of its Irish stores, which generated profits of almost €5m on its €226m sales.

The division employs around 624 people. Sales at the Irish division rose by more than 6% last year to €226m. Taken together with the €673m in sales for 2018 recently reported by Smyths UK, the combined figures confirm that the overall group exceeded €1b annual sales barrier with the company’s European expansion.

Accounts filed for Smyths’ EU business cover the period from its incorporation until the end of 2018.

Smyths expansion in the central European market has included the rebranding of former Toys R Us stores. In June, a new Smyths superstore opened in Munich, and existing outlets are expanding. The group is also building a new 50,000 sq m distribution facility in northern Germany.

In its second quarter trading update, despite reporting improved sales momentum, Sainsbury's announced plans to close more than 100 stores across its portfolio. The closures will be across the company’s main supermarket and convenience brands, with as many as 70 standalone Argos stores shutting and moving to a nearby Sainsbury's.

The retailer plans to bring down costs by £500m over the next five years, and expects the one-off cost of the closures to be between £230m to £270m.

However, new stores will also open as part of continued "estate review and growth plans", with 10 new supermarkets and 110 new convenience stores slated.

Around 80 new Argos branches are planned within Sainsbury's stores.

"We expect the closures to deliver an ongoing net operating profit benefit of £20m per year," a spokesperson commented in the update to shareholders.

Job losses are not anticipated as a result of the Argos stores closing, as staff are expected to be redeployed. Details of the Argos branches set to close have not yet been confirmed, but the company said that Argos relocations would be to "nearby" Sainsbury's stores. Around 700 standalone Argos branches will remain open.

Sainsbury's reported that value brands had helped boost grocery sales, but clothing and other merchandise sales have dropped.

Sainsbury's chief executive Mike Coupe commented: "Sales momentum was stronger in all areas and we further improved our performance relative to our competitors, particularly in grocery. Argos continued to grow market share in key categories, but sales were impacted by reduced promotional activity and the timing of new product releases in gaming and toys.”

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News Klein Toys of Germany prepares for UK stock holding with Import Services With a significantly enlarged product portfolio including popular brand names such as Barbie, Bosch, Braun, Electrolux, Hot Wheels, John Deere and Volvo, Klein Toys decided to seek a retail logistics partner to provide bonded storage at a container port-based location in view of Brexit. The partnership with Import Services proved an ideal match, combining both Southampton container port sites, toy-sector knowledge and valuable IT systems.

Family owned Klein Toys was founded by Theo and Maria Klein and moved into the toy sector in the 1960s. In 1981, its product range was extended with new doll and pretend play lines. Today the company employs over 200 staff at Ramberg and Landau, as well as in three international sales branches in England, France and Spain.

Martin Klein MD said “We are making significant changes to bring greater product and operational choice to our customers, and this expansion needs a credible and experienced UK logistics partner. We are pleased to have appointed Import Services and look forward to operating from their great Southampton port facilities."

Mike Thomas, client services director at Import Services commented, ‘’We have tracked Klein Toy’s success for many years and are now privileged to partner with this acclaimed company. Our teams are excited to work together, with Klein Toys now all set to benefit from our AEO accredited and bonded facilities which deliver efficient supply chain services to the UK and Eire markets.”

The Entertainer welcomes Julie Price as chief transformation officer The Entertainer has appointed Julie Price as chief transformation officer. Julie brings a wealth of experience gained across a host of major brands and retailers such as Mars, TK Maxx, Ann Summers, Bounty and most recently, White Stuff, where she held the position as IT and business transformation director.

Julie’s remit will be focused on developing, accelerating and elevating the business' digital processes; increasing productivity and profitability across a wide range of business areas including online, in-store and supply chain.

The new board level appointment comes at a significant point for the business as it targets future growth against a complex and changing market globally.

Julie said: “This is a really exciting time to join the business, The Entertainer has been a key part of the UK high street for the last 40 years and has become a household name thanks to its core values, identity and business acumen. I look forward to joining the team and bringing my skills and experience to the business to help create and implement new strategies to support its exciting and ambitious growth plans.”

Jon Birch becomes sales director at TKC The company has confirmed the appointment of industry veteran Jon Birch as sales director for TKC's Toy & Gift category.

Director Matt Woodruffe commented: “I worked with Jon extremely well for over 10+ years when he was sales director at Wow! Stuff and we delivered many a good opportunity. When he recently became 'available', pulling in his expertise and experience for our benefit was a nobrainer, with a focus on growing the opportunities and customers we serve."

Jon added: "I am delighted to be joining the team at TKC sales, and looking forward to working with Matt to drive the sales building up to Christmas 2019. I'm also excited about the opportunities for 2020; we're launching three fantastic new brands to the market at the London Toy Fair in January."

Obituary: Sydney Greenberg Much loved agent Syd, of SG Toys, passed away at the end of September.

Syd’s wife Sheila broke the news to colleagues and friends: “It is with a heavy heart that I must inform you that my beloved Syd has passed away. He loved his work and all the people that we have met over the years who also became our friends.”

Sheila also shared a bulletin issued from the couple’s synagogue: “With grace, dignity and strength, Sydney Greenberg made his peaceful transition, in the morning of September 28, 2019, at home, surrounded by his beloved wife and children. Syd will be forever loved and missed by his wife of sixty years, Sheila Gold, his children, Marleen and Dave, Gail and Keith, Jonathan and Karen, and his adored grandchildren, Mira, Ava, David, and Gavin. As he wished, Syd worked until the end, traveling the world with Sheila, his life and work partner. He was greatly admired and respected by his colleagues. Syd will be remembered as a real mensch.”

The funeral service took place on Wednesday, October 2nd, with a burial at the Chevra Thilim Pinsker Congregation Cemetery, de la Savane and Shiva held at his home.

Syd worked as the South American agent for Golden Bear. The company commented that “Syd was a lovely, gentle man, who will be sadly missed.”

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“In Nuremberg I get the needed momentum for the year ahead. The enormous offer gives inspiration for my product range and shows me where the market is going.�

Cynthia Compton 4 Kids Books & Toys

w e n o t n i A le ap s a e d i s s e n i bu s The Spirit of Play trends and new products

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Industry Moves IMC Toys bolsters UK team with appointment of Sue Barratt IMC Toys has welcomed Sue Barratt as the new country manager for the UK market. Sue joins the IMC team with more than 30 years of toy industry experience. Having previously worked at major companies Lego and Tyco Toys, she was instrumental in the success of Mega Brands in the UK in her 10 years as general manager and then spent several years as country manager for Meccano Toys, followed by a spell at Melissa & Doug, developing the company’s UK business.

With several new brands and products set to launch in autumn 2019, Q3 and Q4 will be an important time for the group. The launches will be heavily supported by a 360 marketing campaign inclusive of key influencer partnerships, an extensive PR and digital strategy, a revamped social campaign, an original animated web series streaming on YouTube and Prime Video, and significant TV advertising.

“I am very excited to be joining IMC Toys at such a pivotal point for the company and really look forward to driving the business with the new innovations coming over the next few years,” said Sue.

Marvin’s Magic announces Tom Hudson as new MD Tom Hudson has been named as the new MD of Marvin's Magic. He takes on the role after years of experience, having previously come up through the ranks as demonstration manager and subsequently commercial director.

Marvin Berglas, the creator and CEO of Marvin’s Magic, said: “We are delighted to appoint Tom as MD. We have great faith in his ability to lead, due to his already impressive accomplishments within the business. His entertainment and commercial background are ideally suited to steering us to our exciting new phase of expansion”.

Tom added: "Over the past 30 years, Marvin has created an iconic global brand recognised for quality and innovation, and I am incredibly excited to lead the business into its next phase of growth. Marvin has been a great influence and mentor as both a business leader and innovator, and I am looking forward to working closely together with him as we continue to delight and inspire millions of families around the world. I am lucky to be supported by a hugely talented team, including product development, sales, customer care, all those backstage and of course our world renowned front of house in store demonstrators - who are the best in the business!

I will be meeting with all of our partners in the coming weeks and during trade fair season; I can’t wait to unveil what we have planned."

Laetitia Westerman appointed head of international sales at Wilton Bradley Laetitia Westerman has been appointed head of international sales at Wilton Bradley. She brings significant expertise in international sales development to her new role.

Since beginning her career in the mid-90s, Laetitia has gained significant expertise in international sales development, working as a key account manager for international manufacturing corporations such as Mead Papers and Rio Tinto Alcan where she managed global automotive accounts, as well as FMCG SMEs, namely Gro-Group, Worlds Apart and Addo Play.

After joining Gro-Group as managing director in 2002, she was responsible for the launch of the Grobag baby sleeping brand in new markets such as Australia, Asia and Canada, where the company incorporated three new joint ventures. Laetitia spent over 10 years at Worlds Apart, now Moose Toys, as head of international sales before joining Addo Play, a division of the Entertainer, in January 2018 as sales director.

Laetitia commented: "I am thrilled to have joined Wilton Bradley, such a wonderfully talented and welcoming team. I am looking forward to the challenge of helping the business to develop its international presence, adding to an already successful and growing UK presence. It is great to be here at such an exciting and ambitious time, and to be able to offer customers the chance to benefit from existing Wilton Bradley brands as well as our extensive design and manufacturing capabilities."

Matthew Austin takes the helm at Hasbro Hasbro has announced that Matthew Austin has joined the company as president and general manager, European sales and marketing to lead Hasbro SA's services and distribution network across Europe. Matthew will report to chief commercial officer, Wiebe Tinga.

“We are thrilled to have Matt join our team as we continue to execute our strategy and unlock the power of our brands across Europe,” said Wiebe. “Matt’s leadership and in-depth knowledge of the market will help our teams navigate the ever-changing shifts in retail and consumer behaviour across the region.”

Matthew joins Hasbro from Lindt & Sprungli where he was the CEO for the UK and Ireland. Prior to Lindt, he worked for Mars as general manager for European confections and general manager for Mars Food in Germany.

Marianne James joins Hasbro's global licensing team Marianne will be joining the company as vice president, EMEA Consumer Products, starting 11th November. She will be based out of Hasbro’s Stockley Park office in the UK and will report to Casey Collins, senior vice president and general manager of Global Consumer Products at Hasbro.

“I’m thrilled to welcome Marianne to the Hasbro Consumer Products team,” said Casey. “Marianne will join our team of passionate industry leaders with a key focus on driving our franchise brands and expanding into new categories, channels and markets. Her leadership capabilities, depth of market knowledge, and strategic vision will help drive further growth in our EMEA Consumer Products business.”

Marianne previously worked at Viacom Nickelodeon Consumer Products as vice president of Licensing, Commercial Partnerships & Experiences across Europe. In her career, Marianne has been a key member of senior leadership teams driving strategy, while serving at the helm of teams in category, retail, marketing, commercial sponsorships and partnerships.

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Industry Moves Sambro welcomes David Wootliff as marketing director David has an extensive background in the toy industry, having worked for several global brand leaders including Disney, Warner Bros, Hasbro, Hallmark, Rubie’s and most recently Pyramid International.

He brings a wealth of knowledge on product development and strong commercial skills across licensing and marketing, having worked extensively in both UK and International roles. He has a real passion for bringing brand plans to life through great licensed product supported by relevant, compelling marketing campaigns, driven by consumer insights.

Tony Hicks, Sambro International CEO, said: “It is exciting to get such an experienced marketing and licensing specialist into the Sambro business as we look to drive the company into the next phase of growth, and it's such a bonus that David can hit the ground running from day one.”

David said he is looking forward to working with the team at Sambro to help deliver the needs of its consumers, working with its retail partners and customers to ensure it builds on the success of the business.

New national accounts manager for University Games and Paul Lamond Games Michaela Lee brings with her over two decades of experience in the gift industry in sales and marketing roles with both Paragon Books and Yankee Candle. In her roles, Michaela has managed numerous national accounts and independents in the UK as well as in Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

“I am very much looking forward to developing my role at University Games and Paul Lamond Games at this busy but exciting time, with the growth and development of the business and the new TV and online advertising campaigns launching,” said Michaela.

The games and puzzles specialists have pre-Christmas advertising campaigns scheduled for eight of their entertaining games, including Smart Ass, Googly Eyes, Senor Pepper, Sort it Out and Kersplatt!, as well as online and social campaigns for Stupid Deaths, Tip of the Tongue and Are you Dumber than a Box of Rocks.

Mark Jones, head of sales, commented: "Michaela is going to be a fantastic asset to our sales team at this key time. She will be adopting a threepronged approach, taking the lead with our Amazon account, managing existing accounts such as John Lewis & Partners and WHSmiths, as well as looking to open and establish new accounts.”

Craig Mair strengthens Funrise UK team Funrise has announced the appointment of Craig Mair as national account manager UK & Ireland.

Craig joins Funrise with more than 20 years of experience in the toy industry, including 17 years at Lego as national account director. He will join the growing UK team in Milton Keynes alongside UK commercial director, James Dixon.

“We are delighted to welcome Craig to the Funrise team, his wealth of experience is just what the company needs to develop the UK side of the business, and will be the next step in taking both our licensed and internally developed brands to the next level in the retail space,” said James.

Craig added: “When learning about Funrise and the position, I was extremely intrigued by the company’s vertical integration from the manufacturing level of their owned factories to the in-house design, development and engineering functions. I’m excited to be part of a team that is on the forefront of growth in this market and look forward to elevating the strong portfolio of brands across even more areas of distribution."

Outset Media appoints Sarah Winter as international sales agent

Universal Brand Development brings Paul Bufton on board

Outset Media has appointed Sarah Winter as its new international sales agent. The company is a wholesale distributor and manufacturer of board games, card games, and jigsaw puzzles to retailers across Canada and the United States. Founded in 1996 by 23-year-old university student David Manga, Outset Media was originally set up with the sole purpose of publishing and distributing a single board game: ‘All Canadian Trivia’.

After working in the mobile phone industry, Sarah joined the toy and games industry in 2008, in a general sales role at The Green Board Game Company.

This year saw the launch BrainBox, and over the past 11 years, Sarah has been instrumental in growing the brand to a multi-million, internationally selling name.

Now she is focused on doing the same for the Outset Media portfolio, with products like Cobble Hill and Professor Noggins.

In her new venture at Outset Media, Sarah looks forward to working once again with the huge number of toy and game industry colleagues she has made over the past decade.

Universal Brand Development has announced the appointment of Paul Bufton as vice president of consumer products for the Europe, Middle East and Africa regions. Universal Brand Development globally drives expansion of the company’s intellectual properties, franchises, characters and stories through innovative physical and digital products, content, and consumer experiences. Paul joined Universal in September, and reports directly into Vince Klaseus, president of Universal Brand Development.

Bringing a wealth of knowledge and experience, Paul oversees the licensing strategy and retail marketing across EMEA – including the country directors and agents – as well as being supported by the regional category management and franchise teams.

Paul joined Universal from Warner Bros Consumer Products, where he was most recently vice president of licensing and business development for EMEA. Prior to joining Warner Bros, Paul held positions of vice president of consumer products EMEA for Rovio Entertainment; general manager of Warner Bros Consumer Products UK; director of consumer products EMEA for Fisher-Price and franchise director for the Lego Company’s Bionicle brand.

Toy World 16

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Toy World 17

Marketing World Playtime PR’s campaign for Rory’s Story Cubes scoops array of industry awards A campaign devised for Asmodee UK’s Rory’s Story Cubes brand has been recognised with a number of accolades from the PR industry.

The campaign, built around National Storytelling Week, focused on the struggle some parents have when trying to conjure up stories from scratch for their children.

Aided by former children’s laureate and renowned author Michael Rosen, the campaign used independent research to underpin print, online and broadcast media coverage whilst also incorporating on-the-ground activity with Story Cubes’ product in libraries throughout the country, leading to a wealth of social engagement.

The campaign also extended to World Book Day, when a series of three exclusive videos created by Michael Rosen and featuring Story Cubes, were released on his YouTube channel. Designed to help parents better understand strategies and tactics for creative storytelling, the video series followed real-life parents as they used Story Cubes as a tool to develop their own storytelling skills. It culminated in Michael himself creating a story using the Cubes.

The campaign won Gold in the Integrated Campaign of the Year category and Silver in the Consumer Relations Campaign of the Year category at this year’s CIPR PRide Awards. It was also named Integrated Campaign of the Year at the UK Agency Awards and was a finalist in the prestigious Creative Moment Awards. The campaign has contributed to Playtime earning recognition as Integrated Agency of the Year (Prolific London Awards) and Innovative Agency of the Year (UK Agency Awards).

Interplay launches new campaigns for A/W period

Moose Toys marks Team Gem launch with British Gymnastics partnership September’s British Gymnastics Trampoline, Tumbling & DMT British Championships at Arena Birmingham saw the exclusive reveal of the new gymnastic range of Team Gem dolls from Moose Toys.

The partnership with British Gymnastics, the governing body for the sport in the UK, has helped the new doll range launch into the marketplace from a strong position. Team Gem's appearance at the championships challenged spectators to master the magic of the brand via skills tutorials, which included the chance to win product throughout the course of the weekend.

Team Gem is made up of six magical performing 'gemnasts'. Each collectible action figure has their own signature move that children can help them perform, using the magical gem ring inside each pack. The range includes four floor gymnasts and two apparatus gymnasts to collect, plus a beam set and gymnasium play set for skill-based game play and competition between friends.

The partnership with British Gymnastics, brokered by Playtime PR, sees Team Gem content appear across both digital and physical activations including newsletters, social channels and appearances at events to November.

Josie Davis, brand manager for Team Gem at Moose Toys, commented: “We're delighted to be partnering with British Gymnastics, and the championships provided the perfect event to launch with. It was a fantastic opportunity to introduce the Team Gem dolls to the heart of the gymnastics community, and the dolls had such a warm and wonderful reception from kids and their families.”

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Interplay UK has commissioned new TV creatives and videos for key games titles, including 5 Second Rule. Designed to appeal to UK and European markets and a wide family audience, the new TV creatives made their debut on TV screens in October and will run to December, creating new awareness in time for the Christmas season. Ultra Dash and Orangutwang have already benefited from high-level TV promotion which continues into December.

October also saw the launch of a large broadcast, social media and YouTube initiative, with campaigns promoting the games portfolio to leading influencers and broadcasters with special games media packs. Further PR campaigns will run across all Interplay toy brands and games titles – securing reviews, gift guides and social media word of mouth across all media platforms.

Interplay also recently won five awards from MadeForMums and BlogOn Toys for its latest launches. This included a highly coveted Gold MadeForMums award for the Fuzzi Street range from Fuzzikins and a Silver award for Orangutwang. The company secured three further wins in the BlogOn Toys Awards, with 5 Second Rule range winning 2nd and Brain Fart and My Fairy Garden Dragon’s Tower both securing a 3rd.

Meriç Pekcan-Butcher, marketing manager, Interplay UK said: “Our new launches are performing very well.

Winning these five awards is a fantastic endorsement from parents and bloggers; we are very excited to launch our new games marketing and TV campaign featuring new creatives commissioned by our UK team.”

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Marketing World Brainstorm finalises Q4 TV advertising Brainstorm has announced its TV advertising schedule for the fourth quarter, focusing on key distribution lines and products under the Brainstorm Toys brand. Increased bursts of TV marketing began in September and will run consistently until the year end.

StikBot continues to capture the imaginations of kids, with sales remaining strong in 2019. September campaigns focused on StikBot Monsters and Zanimation Studio with Brainstorm's brand-new advert, while November and December will see the brand sponsor breakfast weekday mornings on CITV featuring StikBot Original figures, Dinos and Monsters.

Brainstorm Toys has become synonymous with high-quality educational toys, so 2019’s TV ads will feature some of the range’s most popular lines including the T-Rex Projector & Room Guard and My Very Own Solar System. The My Very Own Solar System ad also includes a call-out for My Very Own Moon, a product that has enjoyed phenomenal success during the Moon Landing Anniversary year.

Debra Tiffany, marketing manager, said: "As well as continued marketing support throughout the year, Q4 is of course a crucial time for us. We continue to invest in our own Brainstorm Toys portfolio as well as supporting our distribution lines. Aqua Dragons and Addict-a-Ball are brilliant Christmas lines and are included in this year’s schedule."

Opinion

New on Netflix As reported by Toy World in early October, Netflix has announced that it is to welcome BARB measurement, which would mean the platform sharing performance data for the first time. Jonathan looks at what this means for toy industry advertising.

T

he ongoing decline in children’s linear TV viewing has been widely reported. The impact on the toys and games industry has been keenly felt by advertisers, who need to adapt video strategies to reflect the migration of audience onto other platforms.

It is important at this stage to point out that this decline primarily revolves around the amount of time children (of all ages) are spending with linear TV airtime. In terms of total reach, it can be argued that TV has never been in a stronger position. The increases in the buying universe over the past 10 years have been so significant that more children than ever before now watch TV on a weekly basis.

What cannot be argued with, however, is the fact that children spend far less time each week watching traditional linear TV content. In 2010, 4-9 year olds watched an average of 15 hours 1 minute per week. Ten years on, this number has fallen to six hours 28 minutes per week (based on September data). With this reduction in frequency of TV viewing, it is little wonder that TV sales houses are struggling to satisfy advertiser demand.

TV can still deliver mass coverage faster than any other media channel, but frequency is becoming ever harder to deliver. Traditional TV strategies can be adapted to address this, reducing channel mixes, but often at the expense of coverage. As we have highlighted at length in this column previously, digital media channels have been the rational choice to deliver the incremental frequency (and coverage). Primarily, this conversation has revolved around the strengths of YouTube and VOD platforms. But could a new player be entering the market?

Notoriously secretive to date, Netflix is seemingly close to working with BARB to provide independent verification of its viewing figures. The motives for allowing this to happen are the subject of much speculation, but most common amongst these is plans for an advertising funded subscription model. Why now?

The impending launch of Disney+ is very likely a motivating factor. Although UK pricing is still to be confirmed, it is likely to be lower than Netflix. Coupled with

Jonathan Chambers Director of AV Investment, Generation Media.

Tel: 0207 307 7906 Jonathan.Chambers@generationmedia.co.uk

the huge catalogue of Disney owned content, Netflix and other SVOD services should be rightly worried about losing subscribers to Disney+ and the impact this has on their revenues.

Netflix may well look to benefit its revenues through the adoption of advertising, and the toy and games industry is very likely to benefit from such a move. Netflix is reported to have 11.62m household subscribers in the UK (not including households who may be “borrowing” login details). By comparison, Sky is reportedly in 8.62m households. When it comes to children’s TV channels, the changes in the makeup of Sky packages means that Disney, Turner and Viacom channels are certainly in fewer than Sky’s total reach. This has impacted on its share of commercial impacts (children 4-15), leading to gains in Free To Air channels such as Pop and CITV. CITV itself is now larger than the channels sets of either Disney or Turner. But how could this particular pie look in 2020?

Should Netflix make its inventory available to children’s advertisers, its share of commercial impacts could reasonably be expected to increase, which would inevitably lead to a decrease in share for the existing players.

Combining BARB data with exclusive research from Giraffe Insight’s Kids and the Screen study, it is easy to forecast a situation where Netflix can become the second largest player in the children’s video market (excluding YouTube).

This will depend on the number of adverts the platform is likely to carry per programme should it commercialise, but at the very least it will become a significant and potentially welcome disruption. The industry will start talking about Netflix within the context of the TV market - and rightly so; viewers make little distinction between Netflix and linear already.

So, will we be reporting on increases in TV viewing in 2020? Time will tell, but if Netflix follows through with its commitment to BARB (and vice versa) then it is more than likely. We are already preparing for this scenario, whether it be 2020 or beyond, and recommend that all marketeers in the industry do likewise. For a full consultation on how you can best prepare, get in touch.

Toy World 20

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Company Profile

Fanbytes

Another byte of the cherry

Toy World spoke to Timothy Armoo of Fanbytes, a company which works with online influencers across all major social platforms. The company has recently launched a new ByteSized division, which focuses primarily on the TikTok platform.

For the uninitiated, what is the big deal with TikTok?

Timothy Armoo

Can you give us some background on Fanbytes?

Fanbytes exists to help brands reach younger audiences in the most organic ways and drive results.

Since 2017, we’ve helped everyone from McDonalds to Deliveroo, to more traditional organisations like the BBC and the government, reach younger audiences through innovative influencer marketing on Snapchat, Instagram, and more recently on TikTok. In a world where younger audiences are blocking ads and have massively reduced attention spans, brands come to us because they want to cut through the noise and drive action. We’re fortunate enough that, through our expertise, we’ve gained investment from the founders of Boohoo and PLT which is testament to our work in being able to help brands reach younger audiences.

What made you decide to launch the new ByteSized division?

Our whole premise has been to be the best place for reaching younger audiences. We started running TikTok campaigns at the start of the year and received many requests from TikTok stars who were looking to be managed. Fast forward, and we now have over 30 of the biggest TikTok creators spanning over 25m followers on the platform - our influencers span families, gamers and even pets.

Right now, TikTok is where YouTube was six years ago, and is where the new “PewDiePie” of the world are being created. Consequently, support for this new crop of influencers is needed. Under the management arm of the business, we represent talent on everything from licensing and brand partnerships to IP development.

TikTok is what would be created if Instagram Stories and Vine had a baby. It’s a short video platform, where users can create amusing skits and videos. Starting off initially as Musically, the platform has morphed into a global phenomenon with over 1b installs and is currently a faster growing platform than Instagram.

There are two key reasons why TikTok matters to toy retailer and marketers. Firstly, the platform is so creator focused that it provides brands with the opportunity to reach communities in an inherently organic way. With other social platforms like Instagram or YouTube, there is a clear line between those who are influencers and those who aren’t, but with TikTok, everyone is an influencer and, with a bit of creativity, can get a surge of followers. This is a very appealing proposition to any brand, which can effectively harness an army of user generated content. Product can be creatively expressed in so many ways beyond standard advertising.

Secondly, an audience of 13-19 year olds forms over 50% of the userbase; the perfect community to tap into. When you combine both the creatorfriendly nature and the youth audience, for a toy company this provides the perfect bedrock for creatively reaching and engaging the next generation of consumers.

How can Fanbytes help toy companies and retailers?

There are two ways we help toy brands. Under Fanbytes, we’re able to activate campaigns, using our network of over 10,000 influencers, which drive real ROI. We plan the campaigns and creative and then use TikTok influencers to seed them, with rapid results. Under Bytesized, with our managed roster of TikTok talent, we can go even deeper, creating long term ambassador programmes as well as providing account growth services, to help brands grow their communities on TikTok.

Toy World 22

TikTok is still in its infancy and offers a huge opportunity to grow an audience and reap the benefits. For brands that can capitalise on what TikTok has to offer immediately, it’s relatively easy to grow an audience. We’ve done this for over 40 brands to date, taking them from zero to 100k fans within a few weeks - and I believe toy brands will be able to see similar success.

What advice can Fanbytes offer toy companies looking to engage with TikTok? As with any new platform, it’s about how you’re able to convey your message in a way that is authentic and natural to the platform. The team spends a lot of time on TikTok and even has TikTok Thursdays, where we as a company uncover the latest trends and shareable memes. Our team has an average age of 21, and we use the platform every day.

Our level of obsession with a new platform, and the and knowledge we quickly amass, is paramount to really winning in such a medium. We make sure we are constantly on top of all the latest developments and can confidently and effectively insert brands into the digital conversation.

Is there still time to activate campaigns this side of Christmas?

Yes! Our turnaround time for campaigns is about 10 days, and we’ve already been getting a number of campaigns ready and rolling for Christmas.

Whether it’s something as simple as getting a few of our influencers from ByteSized to talk about your product or a full-scale campaign, there is still time for brands to tap into this audience, whether on TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat or YouTube.

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Licensing World Following record visitor numbers, BLE announces Fashion theme for 2020 This year’s BLE event achieved record visitor numbers – a rise of 3% to 8,062 – and saw the number of exhibiting companies increase. Following the show’s success, the organisers have announced that fashion will be the sole theme for 2020.

Informa Markets VP licensing Anna Knight commented: “For years, the toy category has traditionally been the gateway to consumer products for brands, but apparel is now helping to drive experiences and build brands, especially for categories like eSports, which have an older, hardcore, merch-driven, fanbase. At BLE 2020, we will be exploring fast fashion, haute couture collaborations, sustainability, the economy and more.”

Returning to ExCeL London on 6th-8th October 2020, early stage plans include a live catwalk, with themed shows beamed onto digital screens throughout the venue.

“One of the reasons we moved BLE to ExCeL was the potential it offered to create a more experiential show. We proved that this year with our activations and Fresh off the Runway showcase, “added Anna. “Next year, our fashion theme will really highlight what ExCeL can offer BLE and our exhibitors and visitors.”

Barbie pop-up in Liverpool celebrates brand’s 60th anniversary

Located on Upper South John Street in Liverpool One, the Barbie store fashion pop-up opened on October 11th for six weeks. The pop-up will debut limited edition clothing for kids aged three and above, as well as adults’ apparel and Barbie accessories for kids and adults, including tote bags, hair accessories and more.

A range of Barbie dolls will also be available at the pop-up, including Barbie Fashionistas, Barbie Career Dolls and the celebratory Barbie 60th Anniversary Doll. Mini fashionistas will also be able to take pictures in the life-size Barbie box.

Helen Genia, head of UK licensing, consumer products at Mattel, said: “The exclusive popup at Liverpool One is an exciting and immersive fashion destination for kids and adult fans alike. This year marks 60 years of Barbie and the pop-up marks the latest exciting way we are celebrating the world’s No.1 fashion doll and powerhouse brand with fans of all ages.”

Toy World 24

BLE toy licensing panel discussion hailed a success On day one of BLE 2019, Toy World publisher John Baulch chaired a panel discussion entitled ‘How can toy licensing recover its sparkle?’

Following on from the licensing survey which Toy World conducted in partnership with the organiser of BLE, the panel debated some of the survey’s findings. Looking at ways in which toy licensees and retailers can collaborate with licensors to reinvigorate the licensed toy category, the lively and informative discussion provided food for thought for the licensors, licensees and retailers in attendance.

A stellar line up of expert panellists from across the licensing industry included Hannah Mungo, director of Consumer Products, UK and Ireland at NBCUniversal; Mark Kingston, SVP international consumer products, Viacom International Media Networks; Andrew Barrett, director of product development, VTech Electronics Europe; Lucy Wynne-Jones, head of licensing, Europe, Moose Toys UK and Stuart Grant, buying director, The Entertainer Stuart Grant talked about the rapid growth in content available to children and how consumer buying behaviour is changing as a result. He noted that, “gone are the days when children are fanatical about one property, when they’re presented with so much content across an evergrowing range of media platforms.”

Mark Kingston agreed that this is a major challenge facing the industry: “To get time with kids at the moment, when they have so many different touchpoints, comes down to emotional connection. If properties have that real emotional connection with audiences and with the kids, it then translates into consumer products.”

Hannah Mungo forecast that YouTube will increasingly be utilised as an initial touchpoint for content: “I think we’re going to see a YouTube first approach more and more, because so many kids are tuning in, and it has the biggest number of eyes. I think YouTube is going to be a platform that CP can hang off the back of.”

Hannah also noted that NPD analysis viewed by Universal had revealed that the number of new properties on the market this year had risen from 40 in 2018 to 47 this year. She added: “If you take out one major licensor from the equation, the actual share is pretty much the same as it was in 2016.”

Adding a licensee’s perspective, Moose Toys’ Lucy WynnJones was keen to focus on the particularly strong properties among the many available in today’s market. “Even though the overall share might be down, there are still some real winners out there, such as L.O.L. Surprise! and Paw Patrol, that are enormous.”

Andrew Barrett discussed how consumers remain willing to pay more for licensed goods. “If the IP is strong enough, it can command a premium.” He went on to explain how VTech looks for product innovation with licensed IP. “If you can combine product innovation with a licensed character, you can probably go up to a premium of 30%.”

The panel discussion was one of 25 sessions that took place in BLE’s License Global Theatre. Toy World would like to thank all the panellists who took part and everyone who came along to listen.

costumes & balloons also available to coordinate!

Licensing World Jazwares secures master toy rights for Dino Ranch Boat Rocker Studios, a division of global media company Boat Rocker Media, has announced that Jazwares has signed as global master toy partner for its forthcoming pre-school animation Dino Ranch. The worldwide deal grants Jazwares the rights to design and produce a wide range of toys across a variety of categories including figures, plush, play sets, role-play, vehicles and musical instruments.

Dino Ranch follows the action-packed adventures of the Cassidy family as they tackle life in a fantastical, 'pre-westoric' setting where dinosaurs still roam.

Targeted at 2 to 5 year-olds, the series introduces kids to problem solving, the foundations of forging life-long friendships, strengthening family and community bonds, and taking care of animals. The 52 x 11’ series animated pre-school series was created by Matt Fernandes of Industrial Brothers and will be produced by Industrial Brothers and Boat Rocker Studios. Dino Ranch is currently in pre-production and set to premiere on Disney Junior US in 2021.

“Dino Ranch is the perfect property to kick off our inaugural partnership with the creative minds at Boat Rocker Studios,” said Laura Zebersky, Jazwares’ CCO. “Our toy line will captivate the aisle and pre-school minds with this unique collaboration, where dinosaur play fuels a fresh take on the wild west.”

Boat Rocker Studios is managing the global content distribution and consumer products programme for the franchise.

Universal announces UK licensees for DreamWorks' Trolls World Tour Universal Brand Development UK and Eire (UBD UK and Eire) has unveiled the A-list licensing line up for DreamWorks Animation’s Trolls World Tour. The all-star sequel to DreamWorks Animation’s 2016 musical blockbuster is set to arrive in the UK on 20th March 2020, ahead of the film’s US release on 17th April, boosted by an impressive supporting cast of licensees.

Excitement is already building for the new film, which expands the Trolls universe into six new lands and Trolls tribes, each defined by its own genre of music. The movie stars Anna Kendrick and Justin Timberlake and features a cast of new characters voiced by musical talent including Kelly Clarkson, Ozzy Osbourne and Mary J Blige.

Hasbro will be returning as global master toy partner.

The toy category will expand further with the addition of the Lego Group, Ravensburger, Funko and Wow! Stuff.

Posh Paws has taken the rights for official licensed plush and will work directly with UBD on the centralised development of product that focuses on quality, meticulous characterisation and outstanding storytelling. Plum Products enters licensing for the first time, joining MV Sports for outdoor.

Ricky Zoom to show on UK screens with Nick Jr. and Milkshake Entertainment One (eOne) has announced that Nick Jr. and Channel 5’s pre-school programming block, Milkshake!, will join an impressive list of international broadcasters airing series one of its highly anticipated new show, Ricky Zoom. The show had its debut on October 5th on Nick Jr., and will premiere on Milkshake! in May 2020.

“The UK is an integral part of the international roll-out of Ricky Zoom,” said eOne’s Monica Candiani, EVP International Content Sales, Family and Brands. “Nick Jr. and Milkshake! have been our partners for 15 years with Peppa Pig and 10 years with Ben & Holly’s Little Kingdom and have a strong reputation for delivering top-tier programming in this crucial market. These new broadcast partnerships reflect our commitment to reaching audiences on the very best platforms and we’re confident that the show’s themes of vehicles, adventure and teamwork will resonate strongly with British pre-schoolers.” eOne’s latest pre-school property is gearing up for broadcast across multiple territories, including Nickelodeon (US), Super RTL (Germany), Clan TV (Spain), Gulli (France), RAI (Italy), Youku (China), Discovery Kids (Latin America), Karusel (Russia), Minika Cocuk (Turkey), and Spacetoon (MENA).

Toy World 26

NPD Insight

What do children want for Christmas?

This month, Melissa examines shifts in consumer purchase behaviour during the peak Christmas selling period and uncovers the latest factors affecting sales data.

I

Melissa Symonds

Director UK Toys, EuroToys NPD

t’s fair to say that with a few exceptions, 2019 the top category received by 0-2 years, with 78% of actually driven by parents purchasing fewer toys continues to be a challenge for many in the children aged 0-2 years receiving a toy at Christmas, for their pre-schoolers. Since 2016, parents have UK toy market – whether retailer, licensor or increasing to 81% for 3-5 years. However, this was a purchased over nine million fewer toys for their 0-3 manufacturer. Year-To-Date September the decline on the 2017 results in both age groups. It also years. Whether this decline is driven by preference UK market was down -9% in value compared means that one in five children under five did not or a lack of physical stores to purchase from for this to the same period a year ago and September was receive a toy at Christmas – the largest purchasing age group, it leaves the industry with a challenge to down -11%. While much analysis has been done occasion for toys in the year. Instead of toys, what get these same parents to increase toy purchases as looking at the impact of promotional changes, are parents purchasing? There has been an increase their child ages. brand performance, With fewer new toys categories and the impact purchased for the younger of consumer confidence age group, should the on spending, what hope industry be looking to 44% of total toy decline coming from 0-3 Years age group is there for the largest different demographics to purchasing occasion to drive sales? There has been improve sales? consistent growth in the Yr/Yr % Change 16% 18% According to NPD’s toys purchased for 18+ years 18 Yrs+ +5% 4% 7% Consumer Panel, the first recipients (kidults), with 13% 12-17 Yrs 0% half of 2019 has seen some over 51m toys purchased in 16% major changes in terms of the latest 12 months to June 9-12 Yrs 20% -5% 21% who toys are purchased 2019, accounting for 15% of 6-8 Yrs -5% 19% for. Since 2016, there has total value. This is up from 17% 4-5 Yrs -13% been consistent decline 12% of sales three years both in actual sales and ago. This is largely driven PS (0-3 Yrs) 27% -11% 22% share of toys purchased by self-purchasing and for 0-3 years olds (Preheavily driven by a few select YTD 2 016 YTD 2 017 YTD 2 018 YTD 2 019 school). This demographic categories such as Games, Source: NPD Consumer Panel | YTD June 2019 vs 16 used to account for 27% Building Sets and Action 1 The NPD Group, Inc. | Proprietary and confidential of the UK market, or £1 in Figures. Some top licences every £4 spent on toys, but like Marvel Universe have has dropped to 22% or just a quarter of their sales over £1 in every £5. This is the largest volume loss of in Clothing and Footwear, the second most popular purchased for 18+ years and the continued growth of any demographic and 38% of total loss in toys over category for both age groups, as well as an increase properties like Funko POP! show that this age group the last four years. This is a particular concern, as in the overall spend by parents on gifts at Christmas, is changing the make-up of the toy market, with this is the entry age group for toys, and Christmas is just not on toys. This could be driven either by Christmas a less important purchasing occasion at the key occasion for this age group, accounting for parents wanting practical presents or the rapid just 20% of their total spend.

33% of its annual toy value. However, this is down expansion in the last few years of licensed clothing NPD will once again run the Christmas study from 35% three years ago – so what’s changed? options for younger children. NPD’s UK Licence to see if the incursion from other categories on Last year NPD’s 2018 Christmas Gift Study for Tracker confirms this with licensed clothing for 0-5 Christmas spend has continued. By the time this is the UK had some surprising results. The study years up +10% in the last three years. read, we’ll have a stronger idea of the shape of the asked parents what categories their child received While still number one for Christmas, it seems final quarter and how 2019 will end as well. Here’s Christmas presents from. Amongst a range of that toys don’t have the same appeal they used to hoping for a last-minute uplift and a good Christmas different categories including Video Games, – and it’s not the competition from Video games in for all.

Clothing, Money and Books, Toys and Games was the older age group, which is talked about a lot. It’s

Toy Market Age Group Trends

Toy World 28

To monitor what’s happening in the ever-changing toy market, NPD collects point-of-sale information from all major toy retailers. This information, combined with our analysts’ industry perspectives, delivers a comprehensive view of what’s selling and where. We also field over 12m consumer surveys annually to help industry leaders understand why consumers shop where they shop and why they buy what they buy.

For more information visit www.npd.com. Follow NPD on Twitter @npdgroup.

Property Progression

Total Property (Brand + Licence)

Rank August 2019

Rank September 2019

Sparkle Girlz/Glimma Girlz

#109

#47

Sparkle Girlz property sales increased by 4x in September compared to August sales. This was driven by a combination of distribution increase, up four points in the latest month as well as an increase in the average price. The average price of the property has gone from £6.75 to £8.95 due to the increase in sales by the fashion dolls accessories range. The growth of Sparkle Girlz for September has seen the property move up to number three property in the Fashion Dolls & Accessories segment, behind Barbie and L.O.L. Surprise!

Fastest Growing Subclasses in Toys

Fastest growing subclasses Fashion Dolls has entered the fastest growing subclass chart for the first Sales Gained £M time this year Action Figure Collectibles

Skate/Skateboards/Scooters In September, the Fashion Dolls subclass has jumped up to sixth fastest Strategic Trade Card Games growing subclass with Barbie’s 60th Anniversary driving strong double-digit Playset Doll Accessories sales as well as the launch of the new L.O.L O.M.G dolls which was the Card Games number one toy in the total toy market for September. Fashion Accessories Fashion Dolls growth has also been driven by Barbie with the Barbie Car Clinic Vehicle the Battling Toys & Playsets top item in this category.

Fashion Accessories Brainteasers All year Action Figures Other Toddler Toys Collectibles has 0.0 1.0 2.0 3.0 4.0 5.0 6.0 7.0 the top growing Source: The NPD Group | Retail Tracking Service | YTD September 2019 vs. 18 subclass with DocumentThe classification: Client/Third Party Confidential NPD Group, Inc. | Proprietary and confidential 1 Funko POP! the fastest growing property in the subclass driven by increased distribution verses last year. For Skates/Skateboards & Scooters, it is Scooters which accounts for two thirds of the growth and Hooverboards the remaining third. Card Games growth is across a number of properties with Dobble, Top Trumps and UNO adding the most value to the subclass. Battling Toys & Accessories is another new subclass to the chart in the last few weeks, driven by the relaunch of Bakugan, which has contributed to the growth of US_toy_world_halfpage_oct7.pdf 1 10/7/19 5:00 PM the subclass this month along with Mighty Beanz.

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Talking Shop

Step into Christmas As the toy trade gears up for the all important Christmas trading season, Rachael Simpson-Jones and Lisa Currie ask independent retailers to share their best sellers, how they are finding this month’s featured categories – Frozen and Outdoor Toys - in store and what preparations they are making for the coming weeks and the New Year.

Jonathon Rogers - David Rogers Toymaster, Banbridge and Portadown Looking back, the start of the year was scarily poor; January, February and the first half of March were incredibly slow. Since then, things have picked up and business has been very good.

By mid-May we’d made up the shortfall from the first half of the year, and currently we are trading slightly up. We used to have a Toys R Us store within 30 minutes of both of our locations and we thought that when they closed, we’d see a real and immediate increase in footfall, but we didn’t. However, over the past few months, consumers have been feeling the loss and are emerging from the woodwork. The toy trade is always up and down, and business goes round and around in circles, but we’re steady here, despite the lack of a major toy trend, and I’m confident of a good year.

The other big question at the moment is whether Brexit will affect business here. I don’t think it will, and I expect the period surrounding the leave date itself to be steady for us; while oil, foods and medicines might experience a blip, the toy trade is well prepared. The warehouses are full, and we are ready to ride it out. We would expect to see a bigger issue next year if the exchange rates remain poor and prices go up. The leave date for Brexit is so close to Christmas that I think we’ll just get through it unscathed. Independent retailers like us are stocked to the rafters good and early; I’m not concerned.

We’re finding the outdoor category increasingly tricky. Consumers are changing, and year on year it’s getting harder to sell products. I think part of the issue is that houses and gardens are getting smaller - with less space for children to play at home, there’s less space for toys - and public play parks and areas are getting better. People tend to go out to events more now too, rather than staying at home when the weather is nice and playing outside. We still offer a wide range of outdoor toys including slides and swing sets, but we don’t buy them in at the same quantities. There’s still a market for outdoor products, but while it used to be a major part of the business for us, we’ve had to take a view and trim down the numbers slightly. We’re more selective than we used to be; in the past we used to offer quirky items, but now we are offering core lines only.

The market for scooters is great because they are

smaller, and they’re performing more strongly than ever for us. We stock MV Sports, YVolution, Hy-Pro and more, from entry level scooters all the way to ones priced at £200+. Hoverboards are our biggest line, and we’re famous for them round here. Week in, week out during the summer, and every day over Christmas, they’re flying off the shelves. We can’t stock enough of them. Hoverboards appeal to a wide age range of 6-14 years, and to both boys and girls, so they capture every one of our customers. They’re cool and trendy, and we’ve actually benefited from bad publicity regarding disreputable products sold online; our consumers know that we only stock and sell safe, tested, quality hoverboards from legitimate manufacturers. We offer hoverboards from Wilton Bradley and Hy-Pro. For a bit of extra money compared to something purchased over the internet, these hoverboards offer peace of mind and plenty of fun. We demo them in-store and film videos for our social media channels, which really engages consumers.

Away from outdoor, everything else has been selling across the board. Brands such as Peppa Pig, Paw Patrol and Barbie have been performing well, as has Avengers. Lego has been strong for us too. We get a wide spread of spends here. We offer a limited range of collectibles compared to some, especially supermarkets, but the category is luckily not the be all and end all for us. L.O.L. Surprise! is selling well and Ryan’s World from Vivid is proving popular; those are the two doing big numbers for us.

As a Toymaster member, most of our Christmas ordering is wrapped up by now, although it’s never really finished. The Toymaster May show is our final run at Christmas, but before that we’d seen a few major suppliers such as Lego and Banaghans.

Toy World 31

Then we ‘wing it’ from there, buying in products as and when demand starts to show.

Boppi the Llama from Tobar is an example of this, and we expect good things from the Robo Alive range too; we’ll be stocking the dragon, lizard, snake and dinosaur. They sit at an attractive price point and are really good fun.

Our Christmas Club has started up again for this year. Customers can choose all their toys for Christmas and pay a 10% deposit for us to box and hold them until Christmas Eve. It’s a free service and means that parents don’t have to hide big presents like bikes around the house in the weeks leading up to Christmas.

They can pick out their toys early before they sell out, budget accordingly and be prepared. Rizmo arrived two days ago from Tomy, which I think will be a popular gift this Christmas. We haven’t got a huge amount, 72 or so, and I know that customers will soon be taking my arm off for one. Nerf Fortnite blasters are also going to be a Christmas best-seller for us, especially the new Rocket Launcher. Our customers just can’t get enough of them.

I honestly think that Christmas this year is going to be even better for us than Christmas last year.

At this stage, looking at the year we’ve had so far, I’m confident we’ll be 5-10% up. We work hard, and we’ve got a great shop with great staff. It’s not luck that gets results, it’s hard work, and we’ve had to build the business up right from the very start. We’ve had disappointing years in which the effort put in hasn’t paid off the way we think it should have, but overall, success has come to us. I think there’s good reason for us all to be upbeat. I run the business for my mum and dad, who are quite elderly now, and my mum says: “Isn’t this a great business? Children will always buy toys.”

Based where we are, in Northern Ireland, we’re perhaps a little bit isolated and can’t often come over to the mainland for shows, so Toy World is very important to us. It’s my bedtime reading. I find the magazine so informative, with all its adverts, stories and opinion pieces. I read each issue from cover to cover, find out what I can, and share the knowledge with my staff so we can make informed decisions.

For obvious reasons, I will particularly look forward to reading this issue too.

Talking Shop Michael Cleary - JKC Toymaster, Nenagh, Ireland

We’re happy with business currently: we’re trading around 4% up YoY. As a Toymaster store, we carry all the major brands, but our speciality is in-ground Berg trampolines and this year’s profit increase is due to increased sales of those. From May to August we enjoyed strong sales of the trampolines, which also drove sales of everything else in the shop. I’m not sure what has driven the trampoline sales, as the summer weather wasn’t quite as good this year.

We’re a well-established newsagent and nursery store as well as a toy shop; my father started the business in 1946, and I took it over in 1987. My focus has always been on quality, and I stand by the products that I sell, pitching our toy offering towards the higher end of the market. I’ve sold Berg pedal go-karts for nearly 30 years now, and they’re indestructible; they’ll last longer than the cars you or I are driving, and I love selling them because they never come back. When Berg started doing trampolines around 15 years ago, I started stocking them too, and in 2008 the company brought out its ground-level trampolines. I loved the idea and installed one in our own garden for our young daughter. Nine years later, it’s as good as new and we all have a bounce on it daily.

We’re in a rural location, so we sell a lot to people on the edge of town and in the countryside. Two or three years after buying one, customers are still raving about them; I believe Berg outdoor products are the

best out there.

Lego is our No. 1 line outside of Berg. Lego Friends, Creator, Junior, Technic and Ninjago all sell well for us. Throughout the year, kits under €30 are the most popular, but at Christmas the spend goes up. Being in a farming community, anything that falls under that category is popular, such as ranges from Britains, Siku and Millwood Farm. Jigsaws and games is a big part of our business: Ravensburger is a major jigsaw supplier for us, but over the past three years we’ve also brought in product from Clementoni, Jumbo’s Falcon range and Orchard Toys. We’ve stocked some lovely farm puzzles from Coiledspring too. Early learning products from VTech and Leapfrog are also strong sellers, which ties in nicely with the nursery side of the business.

This is my 33rd Christmas as a toy retailer. Our Christmas ordering is pretty much finished; from now on, we’ll make decisions based on what’s selling.

With a few exceptions, I’d say we’re 95% done. We place most of our Christmas orders at the Harrogate Toymaster show or shortly after, and then the agents in Ireland call in to see us in July and August, which wraps things up. I reckon we’ll have our best year ever on jigsaws this Christmas, while Paw Patrol and Peppa Pig continue to be strong performers in pre-school and early learning. I think Character Options’ Stretch Scooby Doo, which is half price in the Toymaster catalogue this year, €12.99 down from €25.99, is bound to be popular, and the Leapfrog Letter Band Phonics Jam, which is €14.99 for Toymaster members down from €29.99, is a great product that I’m sure will sell very well.

We run a year-round customer club, which focuses on nursery products most of the time, but at this time of year changes to a Christmas club. This year, we started seeing increased interest much earlier, from September, likely because of Brexit. We put it out there that there might be price increases nearer Christmas in the event of a No-Deal Brexit, so to avoid that, and to guarantee availability, we are encouraging customers to shop earlier this year. Many have taken that on board and, if they come to us, can select all their gifts, put down a holding deposit and then collect them nearer Christmas. I think takings will be up around 4% this Christmas, in keeping with the rest of our year.

I’ll be stocking a few key lines for Disney’s new Frozen II movie. It’ll be interesting to see if the sequel

performs as well as the first movie; Toy Story has been a great property in this respect. We did very well with Frozen merchandise the first time round, when we could get the stock.

At JKC Toymaster, we aim to be a destination store, the shop that kids nag their parents about visiting. We talk to our business neighbours; the message we need to get out is that retail is a two-way street. If customers don’t shop in the town centre it will become a ghost town, populated solely by coffee shops, bookmakers and estate agents. The consequences of not spending money with local retailers can’t be underestimated.

We often support and sponsor local schools, events and sports days; we play an integral role in community support, and we need that support back in order to carry on. Otherwise, the pillars of our communities as we know them will start to break down.

I read Toy World each month, and every now and then I read comments from indie retailers lamenting how much retail has changed, but not really doing anything about it. We all face the same challenges.

Yes, people have changed, our lifestyles have changed, where and how we shop has changed, but we need to respond by rising to the challenge. I have a quote stuck on my office wall: “The problem contains the solution”. Amidst all the upheaval, I believe there is real opportunity.

Lindsay Meyer-Nicholas - Toyville, Bedminster Business has been going really well this year. We had a busy summer and are up by 30% compared to last year, despite the weather being worse throughout the summer.

Our range of products is unique compared to regular high street stores. We offer a limited amount of licensed products; they are widely available in larger toy shops and supermarkets, and we want to set ourselves apart. I personally feel that classic toys and games have a longer lifespan; children can quickly move onto the next big thing in the everchanging licensing world. We are a traditional toy

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indie viewpoint

shop and stock current trends alongside the classics like Brio, which is timeless and enjoys a longevity as it is passed down through generations.

Our distinctive offering, alongside specialised individual advice, is our niche. We also offer extra services like charity in store gift wrapping. In the run up to Christmas, we create a festive atmosphere and offer mulled wine to the adult customers who take advantage of our late-night Christmas hours.

The Brio range and IQ puzzles from SmartGames have been performing well in recent months. A standout product for us has been the Magic Touch Piano from Hape. I was expecting this to be a huge seller this Christmas, but we ran out of stock in September and new stock won’t be available until the new year. Thankfully, we offer a vast range of products that should do just as well.

Pokémon cards and the Wingman Flying Disc from Woboba (via A.B.Gee) both look really promising. I think the success is ultimately down to price – a lot of our product ranges are priced under £10 and lend themselves as ideal pocket money purchases. At this time of year, we see many people looking for presents for kids’ birthday parties and Christmas, so that price bracket is a desirable one. The Magic Touch Piano from Hape is more expensive at £25, but it is an exceptional product for the price, as was reflected in the rapid sales.

We don’t sell large outdoor toys due to the size of our shop, however recent best sellers in the category, both in store and online, have included the Wingman Flying Disc by and the Pocket Swing by Hape. There are always fluctuations in the sales of outdoor toys – largely dictated by the weather and time of the year. Of course, the summer holidays see the best sales.

The Q1 period is slower in terms of takings, although January remains consistent with many shoppers looking to take advantage of sales. We expect February and March to be slow and use that time to catch up on admin, stocktaking and visiting trade fairs; a lull in sales is nothing to worry about when you know what to expect each season.

The lead up to Christmas is our most exciting time of year, when late night shopping hours increase sales and footfall. We are re-locating to a space very close to our existing store and the plan is to have the new store up and running in time for Christmas. The new shop is ultimately a way of investing more into the business. It offers a bigger space, meaning we should be able to stock products and ranges that we couldn’t before. We’re looking forward to introducing the Papo range – we hope to build a Papo display ready for 2020. At Christmas, we expect Brio to be popular as well as Lego, which we recently became a stockist of. We offer a vast range of board games, with about 100 different games to choose from, and sales of these will pick up during the festive period. Our recent best sellers have been Dobble, Ticket to Ride, Codenames and SmartGames.

Uncertainty is the biggest worry for us at the moment; with Brexit, the process for obtaining stock from Europe could prove challenging. The impact of online shopping is equally a worry, especially around this time of year. However, since we opened we have always been aware of this and have found ways to compete. We try to source products that are not available everywhere and that are attractively priced, to minimise people comparing prices online. Product choice is essential.

Loyal customers and a good location are huge benefits for any independent toy retailer like us. We use a loyalty scheme which offers a joining bonus of a pound when people sign up, and then earns points to obtain discounts on future purchases. It has been very successful, especially with the joining bonus. We are also very close to at least three primary schools in the area, which makes our store very family orientated.

We look forward to offering a much wider product range to our customers in the new year, when the new store is fully up and running.

Mark Buschhaus and Stephen Barnes Toy Barnhaus

Stockin’ around the Christmas tree

A

s we write this, we are now into the golden quarter of the year, as we like to call it. Unfortunately, September didn’t turn out to be a golden end to the first three-quarters of 2019. The warm weather throughout the month led to lower footfall in our shops, and business was a good deal slower than we hoped. However, the good news is that early October has been a lot better. There have been lots of new lines to hit our shelves over the past month or so, and there are several that are starting to move. Although it is probably not a surprise to anyone, the new Winter Disco L.O.L. Surprise! range has proved really popular, along with the new 2-in-1 Glamper and the Amazing Surprise. This wide range of new SKUs means that our L.O.L. Surprise! sales have taken a massive leap forward. The Pokémon Trading Card game continues its resurgence, and with lots of new higher-priced box sets with special cards coming out, these are proving really popular with collectors.

Heroes of Goo Jit Zu continues to be popular for boys, along with the re-launch of Bakugan. Robo Alive Baby Shark is selling well for us, along with Little Live OMG Pets, Rainbocorns and Boppi the Llama. It’s good to see a nice mix of new lines starting to sell well.

New products from the Frozen II film have just arrived as we write this, and the early signs are promising. We have been offered a lot of Frozen product over the last few months but have been selective on what we have taken. The core products are the dolls from Hasbro and Jakks Pacific, and we have seen good sales across Frozen lines already. We have ranged several craft lines, including the Snow Globe Maker from John Adams, which fits well with the licence. We are also selling the dress-up from Rubies, along with shoes and wands. We are hopeful that it will do good numbers once the film comes out in November, and then sales will carry on into the new year.

Although it is still early, we have started to plan our outdoor ranges for next year. We had a good summer, despite the mixed weather, and don’t have much carryover stock. We carry inflatables by Intex from Kandy Toys and have already ordered for next year. The quality and price of this range is great, and we stock a wide range of items not normally seen in many inland stores. This year we also tried some of the Dolu range of outdoor products, which has been a great success, and we will be looking to do a lot more with them next year. It was the first direct container we have taken, but the prices are great, and the products are fantastic quality and give us a point of difference from other retailers. We are already planning orders for next year to ensure greater continuity of stock, and to add more lines to the range.

We have already done some previews for 2020, with Lego and Mattel. We liked both ranges; there are some good licensed tie-ins for next year, especially on Minions. We were also impressed with the continuing evolution of Barbie, which now feels a lot more relevant to kids today. We will see more lines from other suppliers at the Toymaster Regional Meetings and will then start to place orders.

Toy World 33

Retail Profile

Bargain Max

Clicking into place Daniel McKay

Alex Woolfstein

Why did you feel that the website needed an overhaul?

Dan: We knew that the website needed to be updated to stay ahead of the trend, and we feel that the new one is both visually stunning and incredibly easy to use. The aesthetic element was very important to us throughout the redevelopment. We also put a big focus on using the latest technology to make sure the website runs as fast as possible, while maintaining the infrastructure so the site is as strong as possible - especially in advance of what we anticipate will be a huge Black Friday for us. The website went live in late September, and over the past 10 days [correct at the time of writing] we’ve seen a 20% increase in orders. We’ve also used the website redesign and relaunch to highlight our ongoing success, following a really positive Q3.

Alex: Our Q3 sales are up 43% YoY, with incredibly strong sales across the board.

We’ve got a lot more visitors on the website now too, because brand awareness is much higher this year. Website traffic is up 90% YoY, with a 56% increase in users during Q3 YoY. This is primarily driven by social media. We’ve been working hard to engage our audience on Facebook and Instagram; we’ve tripled our followers on Instagram over the past three months, and our Facebook page followers are up by 40%. Instead of simply being very sales-focused, we’re promoting different types of content, some of which won’t necessarily be toy related. Trying out different content strategies across various channels has resulted in a visible boost in visitor numbers.

We’re also building up our email database so we can keep our customers up to date using a tangible email strategy, and we’re using Paid Search in a much more tactical way too.

What are you expecting from this year’s Black Friday?

Dan: I started at BargainMax.co.uk little after Black

BargainMax.co.uk, a specialist online retailer of value toys and games, recently launched its new website. The new site offers enhanced functionality for a far more user-friendly shopping experience, with Apple Pay now available alongside the option to spread the cost of your purchase interest-free. As it stands, BargainMax.co.uk is the only specialist toy retailer to offer this service.

Customers will also be able to make use of the company's new next day click & collect option; available free of charge on purchases of £15 or more, there are 4,000 collection points to choose from. Toy World’s Rachael Simpson-Jones spoke to Daniel McKay, head of digital marketing, and Alex Woolfstein, senior buyer, about what’s driving the company’s success, its approach to Black Friday and how Christmas 2019 is shaping up.

Friday 2018, so I wasn’t really involved in last year’s event, but already it seems that we’re expecting far more visitors this year. Brand awareness is much higher, and we’re confident that our new site will rise to the challenge. Some retailers have decided to reveal their Black Friday approach quite early, which isn’t our style; while I can’t say too much about what we’ll be offering, I can promise that it’s going to be really big.

viewing what’s on offer and measuring those prices against other retailers over the next couple of weeks before making a decision.

As an online-only retailer, how does BargainMax.co.uk approach Q1?

Alex: As very much a grassroots company, we’re not corporate and we don’t believe in six-month planning schedules; the world changes too much in that period of time. To start putting plans in place for January now, in our position, would be crazy. We’re traders, so we need to be reactive and quick off the mark.

What major suppliers are you working with at the moment?

And what about Christmas - did you experience the same last-minute rush that others seem to have had?

Alex: We didn’t really see Christmas 2018 as late, because sales were strong during the long approach to the festive season. We found that our website traffic was spread out, rather than focused into a single weekend, and we saw that spread running from Black Friday right up until last orders on the 21st December.

This was probably driven by healthy consumer confidence in both our products and our speed of delivery. At BargainMax.co.uk, standard delivery is usually only one or two days even when next-day isn’t selected – this is something we’re proud of. Because of our prompt shipping, customers feel they can wait and ensure the price of a product is right for them before making a purchase. Black Friday isn’t a peak of purchasing for us but a starting point, with customers

Toy World 34

Alex: We started working with some new suppliers this year, including Lego, which was an amazing start to 2019. Ranges from Hasbro, Mattel, MGA Entertainment and Spin Master continue to perform extremely well for us, which is reflected in our sales figures, and new suppliers are reaching out to us all the time. We’re always happy to take on new suppliers, so if anyone out there is reading this and wants to get in touch, please do. I can be reached at alex@ bargainmax.co.uk, or call 0161 823 2083.

Dan joining the company as head of digital has taken us to a whole new level, but we’re always looking for new marketing opportunities. If you want to get in touch with any ideas, email dan@ bargainmax.co.uk.

And finally, what makes you a good retail partner?

Dan: We’re very agile, we can turn things around extremely quickly, we don’t demand terms and we don’t sign on delivery, all of which means that we’re a pleasure to deal with. We buy a huge amount of clearance stock because of our ability to turn it around quickly, giving us a unique position in the marketplace and making BargainMax.co.uk a great retailer to work with.

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Outdoor Toys

Feature

Just get out!

After a summer where the weather was distinctly patchy and with Christmas just around the corner, Lisa Currie takes a look at how Outdoor Toy suppliers are feeling ahead of 2020.

W

ith the UK experiencing its hottest day on record this year, the British public revelled in sun-filled activities throughout the brief heatwave. However, compared to 2018, good spells of weather proved less prolonged on the whole, and many retailers experienced a generally slower summer as a result. However, as we head towards the festive season, the outdoor category traditionally enjoys a second bite at the cherry, especially higher ticket items. Toy World spoke to a selection of Outdoor Toy suppliers to discuss the challenges they are facing, which products are driving the category and their plans for the festive season.

Emma Mitchell, marketing manager at Hy-Pro summed up business in 2019: “It’s been a tough year, especially after the heatwave in 2018. However, we

would consider ourselves in-line with the market, having enjoyed considerable success with our stunt and inline ranges this year. Retailers launched a lot of promotional activity over the summer due to the inclement weather, but we’re confident that our diverse and aspirational array of products, suitable for all budgets and abilities, has played a major role in the category growth.”

Whilst unpredictable weather may have proved challenging for outdoor suppliers and their retailer partners, Kingsley Li, UK business development manager at Rollplay, highlights the equally tricky challenge of getting consumers to invest in high ticket items while the threat of Brexit affects consumer confidence. He explains how Rollplay is staying prepared for every eventuality: “The weather can provide just as much of a challenge as an opportunity - while a bad summer can result in leftover stock, a

Toy World 37

good one can conversely mean not having enough.

It’s about being prepared and able to flexibly and quickly react to consumer demand. Trading in higher price-point products, such as electric ride-ons, can also pose a challenge, particularly in times of economic uncertainty. This is where it’s important to take the time to communicate key messages around investing in quality products, which offer greater play value and longevity.”

So, as Christmas draws ever closer, how will Outdoor Toy manufacturers ensure their products, particularly those of the larger, more expensive variety, get attention from gift buyers this holiday season? Steve Richardson of SJR Associates, UK representative for Dolu, emphasises the importance of offering a strong value proposition: “Dolu offers some of the most competitive product around. This year, alongside our best-selling unisex items, we

Feature

Outdoor Toys

introduced a pink-themed Unicorn range, which has had a positive impact on sales. Consumers can now buy matching pink Playhouse, Swings, Slides, Picnic Tables and Ride-Ons. I don’t believe we have scratched the surface of the potential in the UK with the range we offered this year; we are hoping our new purpose-built 54,000 square metre factory in Turkey will be open at the end of next year, which will take us to a whole other level.”

Dolu supplies by the container, but Steve explained that the advantage of this is that the company can give delivered GBP prices. Offering in excess of 250 different items with no MOQ per item, he believes that customers can easily select an attractive offering, without excessive investment the average cost of a container is £11,000.

Retailers who have warehouse facilities can also take advantage of the fact most of the company’s bigger items land less than buying from China, and have European quality. However, it’s not just the mass market retailers that are able to take advantage of the attractive terms on offer from companies like Dolu. The Toy Barnhaus chain has placed its first direct container order with the supplier, and has been pleased with the results: “This year we tried some of the Dolu range, which has been a great success. The prices are great, and the products are fantastic quality and give us a point of difference from other retailers. We are already planning orders for next year to ensure greater continuity of stock, and to add more lines to the range.”

Celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, Little Tikes has big plans to elevate its offering for the festive season and beyond. “The joys of the great British summer have presented a number of challenges this year.” comments Michelle Lilley, head of marketing UK, at Little Tikes, “However, this has led us to review both our indoor and outdoor offering, improve our brand messaging with new packaging and review how we can utilise space in store, allowing retailers to take a full breadth of products. Our varying price points and wide range of stockists allow consumers to get hands on with our products, further showcasing the Little Tikes affordable quality that has been trusted by parents for 50 years. In addition, we have focused on getting our products into the hands of consumers through innovative marketing campaigns. This year alone, we’ve interacted with 20,000 people at our Intu Shopping Centre tour and welcomed over 150,000 tots through our Butlins partnership, where we have over 100 live days of play each year.”

Further enhancing customer engagement with its ranges, Little Tikes has also just announced an on and offline campaign fronted by Little Stiglet, who will become the new face of the Wheelz and Flyers category. Launched on social media, a series of videos shot on location in London will showcase Little Stiglet putting the range to the test.

Michelle added: “The team has been really excited to unveil the plans for Little Stiglet and to launch the campaign. It’s been months in the planning and is set to show the product being enjoyed in an imaginative and adventurous light. We want to inspire and encourage children to be anything they want to be, and the Little Stiglet brings the element of imagination and role-play to the range.”

Hy-Pro’s aim to both expand its ranges and reach out to a wider selection of retailers, by forming new partnerships and making larger outdoor toys more accessible to smaller independents, demonstrates how the company is taking proactive steps to extend availability. Emma explains: “We have just launched

a partnership with Exertis, one of the largest distributors in the UK. They will be able to offer drop-ship options to customers, as well as offering smaller domestic call off. We’re thrilled to be working with them and excited for the potential for future growth; we’re going to be reaching retailers we’ve been unable to supply before. Electric scooters are still a successful category for us and our E4 lithium scooters have really given the range a lift. As well as that, we have created exclusive lines for Exertis and will be working with their marketing team on a range of campaigns.”

New to the Outdoor Toy scene just last year, Rollplay has already found ways to enhance the accessibility of its ranges to both retailer and consumer. Kingsley notes: “As a manufacturer, we have been able to establish a reliable drop shipment service, delivering directly to the end customer within 5-8 days, while freeing up valuable shelf space for retailers across Europe. Because sales of outdoor toys are largely driven by seasonal demand, we can use trend forecasting to ensure we have enough stock available in our warehouse for key periods such as the summer holidays and Christmas. We support retailers with POS materials, such as posters for drop shipment, catalogues, or our space-saving wooden display, which enables three cars to be placed above each other.”

As the usual boost from good weather fell slightly short this year, the category has seen tech toys competing for children’s attention. This has the potential to escalate further during the winter months, however Simon Tomlinson, marketing director at Learning Resources, has noticed parents

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actively seeking to balance screen-time with outdoor play options. He explains: “Changes in our way of life are affecting childhood experiences. Modern children have less time to play and many parents are concerned that kids are becoming disconnected from the natural world. Parents and teachers agree on the importance of outside hands-on play, as this is where children physically explore, experiment and practise new skills that are important for them to thrive and learn. Outdoor play is a strong category for Learning Resources. Through consumer outreach and research, we’ve observed an increased demand from both parents and educators to balance screen time with physical play and to find creative ways for children to learn more about the natural world through real-life experiences.”

Rollplay has also focused on what children want from an outdoor toy in its new launches. Kingsley explains: “Tapping into the growing demand from children wanting to replicate adult versions of vehicles, it made perfect sense to adopt this trend within our offering, which is reflected in our new Flower Power VW Beetle and Bus lines.” Electric scooters also remain popular and Rollplay has capitalised on this trend with the launch of its first electric scooter this month.

With expansion projects and promotional activity now being put in place for Christmas and New Year, the Outdoor Toys category is continuing to make its mark, despite the overcast summer.

Over the next few pages, Toy World presents a selection of the latest products for the Outdoor Toys category, which will be hitting shelves either in the run-up to Christmas, or early in the New Year.

SKATEBOARD

TRI-SCOOTER

FOLDING IN-LINE SCOOTER

6V TRIKE

14" BIKE

©2019 Marvel

Look out! Here comes the Spiderman!

Brand Profile

Little Tikes

Year-round fun from Little Tikes Michelle Lilley, head of marketing UK at Little Tikes, spoke to Toy World about the 2019 British summer, and what Little Tikes ranges offer retailers with limited space

2019’s poor summer weather, compared to that of 2018, led to outdoor toys experiencing the largest decline in the toy market for this year, according to NPD figures. Was this felt at Little Tikes?

Overall, we were very happy with our core spring/ summer brand performance. We had a couple of standout products, such as the Dino Cozy Coupe, with which we were delighted to join the NPD Top 50 toys list for the first time. Summer faithfuls including My First Slide, the Classic Cozy Coupe and Fountain Factory Water Table were also in top 50 spots throughout the summer months, ensuring we secured the No. 2 brand property spot in April and stayed in the top properties ranking throughout the season.

Our 50th birthday campaign also allowed us to buck the market trend; we invested heavily in TV with two outdoor commercials, alongside social and digital advertising and our experiential shopping centre tour. With a big shift in retail and consumer market challenges this last 18 months, we’ve continued to invest even further in securing our pillar brand, Little Tikes, within the MGA family, keeping us at the forefront for consumers regardless of where they choose to browse and shop. After an early surge in March and April, continued sales into August and September helped to make up some of the EPOS challenges we faced in June due to poor weather, which affected the market overall. We maintained No. 1 in the Ride-On, Slide and Water Table spot, which reflects the retail support and marketing investment we’ve put in.

How are you supporting retailers which would like to stock a wide range of outdoor toys, but have limited space for big-box products?

As a 50-year-old brand we have a large product range, and best-selling items like My First Slide, our Water Tables, Tot Basketball and the Gas n Go Mower take up a relatively small store footprint. This means that whilst a playhouse may be challenging for some retailers, they can still offer a strong Little Tikes outdoor offering. We’re constantly working on new products, redeveloping our core line and considering box size to ensure our items maximise retail efficiency, whether that be on shelf or through

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an HD network. One of our key investments outside of product development is content; the market has changed, so it’s our job to ensure that consumers feel they can touch and experience an item through the content we offer. Our YouTube channel and website feature everything from how-to videos on building our products to our TV commercials and images, so retailers can sell our products even if they can’t display a physical version in-store.

Do you find that Little Tikes products are popular throughout the year?

Which lines are you expecting to be top sellers this Christmas?

They absolutely are. At this time of year, we shift our focus towards classic gifting for those special first and second Christmas presents, and we underpin the category heroes with heavy social and digital advertising directed to parents and gift givers. It may be surprising that key lines including the iconic 40-year-old Cozy Coupe, Tot Sports Basketball, Gas ’n Go mower and My First Slide maintain a strong foothold throughout the winter season, and this is reflected by our retail support in market. Our Trike category is a major Christmas gift for younger children and an important category for the brand, offering quite often a first handshake with consumers, with its nine months plus starting age.

What child wouldn’t want to wake up to the beady eyes of our Cozy Coupe from Santa on Christmas day?

Outdoor Toys

Zuru 01604 401 719 | sales@geemac.biz Since its launch, Zuru’s X-Shot brand has experienced significant success and growth. Latest figures show that the brand has grown globally by 35% YoY (2018 - 2019), and is entering 2020 with two additional SKUs. Joining the Fast Fill stable, the Micro and Epic Fast-Fill lines will be available in the UK market from May 2020, further boosting this robust range within the water blaster category.

Due to its speed and ease of use, the Fast-Fill range offers consumers maximum performance. With a fill-time of just one second, children can refill their blasters quickly; the line therefore increases valuable play time by getting kids back into the action long before their opponents. The blasters are designed to be filled anywhere and are equipped with superior Rapid-Seal Technology that closes the water tanks instantly. The Micro Fast-Fill is a handy revolver-style water blaster which users can simply dunk, fill and blast, while the Epic Fast-Fill has been introduced as the ultimate blaster for water warfare. With a tank capacity of 1250ml, the Epic’s pump-action function allows users to reach targets up to 15m away. With four different nozzles included, children can choose to blast opponents in one of four different ways.

Bunch-O-Balloons is a successful global brand that has been awarded Top Outdoor Selling Toy recognition for the past four consecutive years. In 2020, Zuru is rejuvenating the brand for the summer season with refreshed packaging and merchandise displays. Additionally, Zuru Bunch-OBalloons will also be launching new Crazy Bunch-O-Balloons, with each Bunch-O-Balloons stem coming complete with a mix of multi-coloured balloons.

Zuru recently announced its partnership with TerraCycle, one of the world’s recycling leaders for hard-to-recycle waste, for the full Bunch-O-Balloons product range. Part of the company’s green initiative is to improve sustainability and to produce recyclable and reusable products. The partnership will operate throughout five of Zuru’s largest markets; UK, USA, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.

All brands will be supported by PR and marketing campaigns, including global television commercials and social media content across all channels.

A.B.Gee 01773 570 444 | www.abgee.co.uk A.B.Gee offers fun all season long, with its comprehensive range of outdoor, sand and water toys, plus ride-ons. The company’s range provides a tempting way to encourage little ones away from screens and tablets to play outside, with the promise of digging, splashing, scooting and bubble blowing play. With buckets and spades in all sizes, colours and designs, sand rakes and moulds, fishing nets, water blasters, bats, balls and a whole host of pool inflatables, A.B.Gee is a one stop shop for retailers looking to stock up on outdoor offerings.

Bubble fans can choose from a wide range of tubs and batteryoperated bubble blowers. The innovative bubble mower will provide hours of fun and thousands of bubbles, whilst encouraging children to engage in pretend play. Featuring realistic mowing sounds, this product has been built for little hands and is easy to use; just pour the included solution into the front of the mower and push it along to watch the bubbles flow. To view A.B.Gee’s full range, readers are encouraged to visit the company’s website.

MGA Entertainment 0845 0533 333 | www.mgae.com New for autumn, MGA has announced the launch of its innovative electric scooter brand. Two electric scooters suitable for kids aged 8+ years are hitting the market, including the Vega and the VR550E. The impressive Vega is a 2-in-1 electric scooter that gives riders the option to convert from scooter to mini-bike with the push of a button - no tools are required. Equipped with a rechargeable 24v battery, Vega gives approximately 40 minutes or six miles of continuous riding. LED lights can be switched on to illuminate the bike when it's being used and it easily folds away for transport and storage, making it one of the most convenient scooters around.

Also launching this summer is the Viro Rides VR 550E. Available in a striking bright blue or red design, VR 550E has a thumb-control throttle for variable speeds up to 10mph. LED lights give this impressive scooter eye-catching ground lighting so riders can be seen easily. The VR550E runs on a 12v rechargeable battery and is suitable for children aged 8+ years.

The brand new Viro Rides range will be supported through a series of PR campaigns and outreach, in addition to TV support that can be viewed later this year.

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Outdoor Toys

Funrise 01908 555 640 | www.funrise.com Offering an extensive array of premium bubble solution, bubble toys and machines, Gazillion Bubbles has something for every bubble fan. For 2020, the Gazillion range will be expanding with innovative battery-free blowers and new machines.

Funrise will be introducing the Gazillion Bubble Storm, which features forward-thinking solution-dispensing technology. The solution bottle functions as the on/off button; users simply slide the supplied 8oz bottle into the bottle holder until it clicks into place, then flip the bottle upside down onto the machine to start blowing bubbles. By combining this solution-saving technology with the machine’s impressively high bubble output, Gazillion has ensured that Bubble Storm is set to be a winner this spring/summer.

Also new to the Gazillion range are the battery-free Bubble Buddies. Retailing at under £2, these friendly pocket-money animals can be ‘fed’ Gazillion bubble solution; when their bellies are squeezed, they produce bubbles from their mouths.

Funrise also offers a range of innovative toy machines based on Cat construction vehicles.

Caterpillar machines are known for their high quality and these toys are no different, having been designed and built to withstand the elements as well as energetic outdoor play.

The Cat toy line includes vehicles in a wide range of styles with innovative features, including free-wheeling toys, motorised toys, toys with lights & sounds, metal toys for indoor and outdoor play and more. Perfect for the sandpit, the Cat Construction Fleet Sand Set comes in two variations and includes a push-powered 10” vehicle along with a hard hat, shovel and rake.

Learning Resources 01553 819 386 | www.learningresources.co.uk Children are naturally curious about the world around them, and parents and educators can tap into this curiosity by turning it into an opportunity to teach. Award-winning toys such as the company’s 5-in-1 Outdoor Measure Mate and the GeoSafari range have been created to encourage children to investigate their environments in an engaging and safe way.

Learning Resources’ toys are developed with parents and early learning experts, and are designed and tested especially for use by kids. For example, the GeoSafari My First Telescope and Jr Kidnoculars Extreme have extra-large eye pieces so budding explorers don’t need to close one eye to view, while the chunky dials are easy for little hands to turn and manipulate. Kids are receptive to learning new concepts through play, and it was with this knowledge that the company developed its 5-in-1 Measure Mate. The product encourages children to learn about maths concepts like distance and measurement while exploring the outdoors.

Spin Master 01628 535 000 | www.spinmastertoys.co.uk Since its 2017 acquisition of Aerobie, the leading brand of outdoor flying disks and sports toys, Spin Master has continued its legacy of high-quality products loved by fans around the world. The proprietary designs and exceptional performance of Aerobie products are widely recognised, and the core range includes favourites such as the Pro Ring and the more compact Sprint Ring. Both rings are easy to carry in a backpack and are ideal for catch games in the park, playground or back garden.

Ideal for exhilarating games of catch, the Aerobie Pro flying ring holds the Guinness World Record for the furthest throw at an impressive 406 metres. The thin design of this flying ring allows the disc to travel longer distances and it features soft edges for comfortable catches. The open centre enables each player to personalise their throwing and catching style; users can try to catch the edge with their hand or aim for the centre to catch it with their arm or foot. Suitable for ages 12+, the Aerobie Pro Ring measures a little over 33cms in diameter and is sold individually in various colours.

Managing to top the Aerobie Pro’s impressive flight record, the Aerobie Sprint flying ring is a more compact, thinner version of the Pro Ring.

Measuring 25.3cm in diameter, it flies twice as far as a regular disc. Suitable for ages 7+, this product is available in a variety of neon colours.

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Outdoor Toys

Casdon 01253 608 428 | www.casdon.com

John Adams 01480 414361 | www.johnadams.co.uk John Adams Leisure continues to expand the successful Intex outdoor toys range, adding a selection of new products to its portfolio. The new play centres and inflatables will sit alongside Intex’s existing range of market leading above-ground pools, ride-on toys and games.

New for this year, the Cupcake Mat has a realistic cupcake design, making it an ideal accessory for the beach and pool. The Nutty Chocolate and Sprinkle Donut Tubes are perfect for floating on, and the Popsicle Float will make a colourful impression with its bright design and realistic printing.

The Candy Zone Play Centre continues the sweet theme, with a candy-inspired land that includes a mini waterslide, two inflatable lollipops, six balls and rails to roll the balls down. A water sprayer can be attached to a garden hose to help keep everyone cool.

The cute Whale Spray Pool is brightly coloured and features a friendly whale design with a tail that sprays water, making outdoor play even more fun. The Mystic Unicorn Spray Pool is also a great way to have fun in the sun, featuring a water sprayer that attaches to a garden hose to keep kids refreshed in the heat.

Casdon offers plenty of outdoor options, by combining pretend play staples with renowned household names to bring replica appliances and role-play accessories to kids. Whether children are Little Helpers, Little Cooks or Little Shoppers, there’s something in the Casdon collection for retailers across multiple categories.

Kids can help mum and dad have the garden looking ship shape with the Flymo Lawn Mower. This accurate and innovative replica Flymo features a foldable handle for easy storage and makes a mechanical click when it’s pushed along to encourage forward movement. It also features the iconic and recognisable orange base.

Plum 0344 880 5302 | www.plumplay.co.uk Plum believes that healthy and active outdoor play should be enjoyed year-round, 365 days of the year. Happy Hop Inflatables, a new product range in the outdoor toy category, will encourage children to play outside and have fun. The easy set up and pack down of the entire range will appeal to parents too.

Fitting neatly into the growing picnic, parties and social play collection, Happy Hop premium inflatables offer something for everyone, whether the traditional-style inflatables or outdoor obstacle course fun.

The Happy Hop by Plum Obstacle Course Bouncer is a perfect mix of secondary colours and will brighten up any garden. The large inflatable encompasses a variety of features allowing children to climb, crawl, bounce and slide for hours. The two-tunnel starting point allows children to go head to head as they make it through to the barricades, before racing each other to the climbing wall and sliding down to the finish line. The full range of Happy Hop products will be confirmed later this year.

Plum provides plenty of fun for the rest of the garden too; with trampolines, swing sets and other outdoor toys, the brand is quickly becoming a one-stop shop for all play needs.

Plum will welcome more new products to its outdoor play portfolio as the company heads into 2020. This will include an extension to the award-winning Plum Discovery collection.

The Plum Discovery Forest Water Run will incorporate all aspects of STEAM learning, much like the existing range, but with a particular focus on water, allowing children to further experiment and develop through sensory, explorative play.

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Outdoor Toys

Rollplay 07986 971902 | www.rollplay.com November marks the launch of Rollplay’s first ever electric powered scooter, the Wave Catcher, designed to take scooting to the next level.

Inspired by the art of windsurfing, the 24V lithium powered ride-on combines all the fun of a traditional scooter with the added challenge and unique sensation of surf-like moves to turn and steer. Suitable for ages eight plus, this latest high-performance offering allows riders to cruise, carve and shift at speeds of up to 6mph. The rear skateboard style truck combined with the heightadjustable central throttle at the front offers riders a new scooting experience with greater control over the vehicle, as well as the option of one-handed steering. A rear foot brake makes it easier to stop, simultaneously improving rider safety. The launch will be supported in the UK by both above and below the line marketing to capitalise on the all-important Christmas period.

The new addition to Rollplay’s portfolio complements the brand’s line-up of high-performance ride-ons. Other products in this sub-sector include the Nighthawk, Turnado and Uprider.

Rollplay’s BMW M8 GTE hit shelves in October. The 12V e-ride on is an exact mini replica of the BMW racing car design which drove at the famous 24 Hours of Le Mans, and comes complete with sponsor stickers, rear spoiler and MP3 and radio for background music.

Other original features include a racing seat and racing steering wheel with sounds, plus a remote control with easy stop functionality.

For the younger audience, Rollplay recently released the VW Flower Power Beetle and Bus, complete with removable flower and letter stickers, as well as the Dragon Mini Quad, a fourwheeled rugged ride-on based upon Toothless from the How to Train Your Dragon franchise.

Looking ahead to 2020, Rollplay will bring to the market a range of exciting, innovative and quality products which will further build upon the company’s power performance and licensed offerings.

Swag Distribution 01213 891 902 | www.swagdistribution.co.uk The latest additions to Swag’s Rampage skate range include new skateboards, available for purchase from early 2020. Each board has a deck made of quality Chinese Maple wood, with carbon steel bearings and heavy-duty Sea Eagle trucks, making them perfect for beginners as well as those looking to improve their existing skating abilities. The boards are available in a range of designs and join the hugely successful Nitro Circus licensed range of ramps, spines and rails already on the market.

TKC Sales 01380 872 950 | www.tkcsales.co.uk TKC Sales is well known for its quality outdoor toys. With the recent appointment of Jon Birch as sales director, the company is looking forward to making an even bigger impact in the category for 2020.

With retail sales in the USA topping $30m, TKC is on the lookout for new growth opportunities for Stomp Rocket.

Enhanced sales presentations and increased consumer marketing will support the brand here in the UK & Ireland, and new products will be on show alongside existing offerings at The London Toy Fair in January.

Delivering new and improved product packaging, flying toy Aerobie continues as an essential product for outdoor toy displays. Eolo joined TKC’s outdoor portfolio in 2018 and became an immediate success. The range includes the popular Disc Jock-e, Real Flyers and the unique and innovative range of PopUp Kites, which have a three second set up time for ease of use.

New for 2020, Djubi toys are designed with an elastic ball that sails on its own to provide the ultimate game of catch; players can just hook it and launch it. The Original Djubi game launches balls up to (and occasionally over) 100 feet, while the ParaShoot ball opens in mid-flight and sails smoothly to the ground.

Finally, joining the Classic Nerf Vortex Howler for 2020 will be a broader selection of Super Soakers, as well as the Nerfhoop.

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www.dolu.com.tr

For UK sales contact Steve or Ria Richardson 07850779797 • sales@sjr-associates.co.uk

Outdoor Toys

Hape 08456 000 286 | www.marbel.co.uk Hape’s Outdoor Toy range has a number of eco-friendly, bamboo toys, with an outdoor collection of pocket swings, periscopes and detective sets are all made from this eco-friendly material.

The Hide & Seek Periscope is a fun gadget perfect for kids to explore the outdoors and get a closer look at distant objects with the 8X zoom. The handy wrist strap ensures the periscope is always within easy reach.

The portable Pocket Swing is ideal for a spot of relaxation. Once set up, by securing the safety straps between two strong trees, it provides either a suitable swing or a place for children to sit. Meanwhile the green choice of colour ensures the swing blends into the surroundings without disturbing natural settings. As its name would suggest, it’s pocket size makes it convenient for folding away.

With Hape’s Nature Detective Set, children get a close-up look at leaves, bugs and much more using the 4X zoom magnifying glass, to be used alongside the two-tone whistle so kids can inform fellow detectives of their findings.

Kids can create their own art collection with the Flower Press Art DIY Kit, using the included flower press, 10 sheets of stencilled bamboo paper, small paint pots and brush to turn dried plants into colourful works of art for the scrapbook or memory box.

Recreation 01189 736 222 | www.recreationltd.co.uk

Hy-Pro 01582 670 100 | www.zincsports.com

The new Wild Ones Junior Kick Scooter from Razor is designed to help new riders learn to balance and build the skills they need to safely and confidently ride a two-wheel scooter.

Specially designed with extra-wide, slow rolling wheels, perfect for learning indoors or outdoors, the Wild Ones Junior Kick Scooter eliminates the need for a third wheel, enabling young kids to learn to balance on a two-wheeled ride. With features including soft foam grip handles and a low deck with full colour graphic grip tape, children can ride with ease and comfort. Free standing and made from injection-moulded plastic, kids can choose from three bright and bold designs including Shark, Dinosaur and Unicorn.

Wham-O offers an extensive portfolio of exciting products and continues its mission to deliver high-quality products that bring family, friends and teammates of all generations together all year round. Renowned classics from Wham-O, including the Frisbee, Hula Hoop and Slip ‘n Slide, are sure to remain popular and will make ideal presents for the gifting season.

In 2020, a major marketing programme will put Wham-O brands in the spotlight, engaging consumers in a world of outdoor fun.

Now in its 10th year of innovation, Zinc is showcasing its strong wheeled portfolio for Q4. Included in the range is Zinc’s second wave of unique hovershoes, upgraded to be sleeker, more streamlined and more sophisticated.

Thrill seekers can glide at speeds up to 7.5mph with up to 8km of continuous ride time, while anti-slip footpads keep the rider in control of the seamless motion.

Scooter brand Zinc has developed an array of commuter scooters designed for 14+ years. The high-end range aims to transport users for longer, taking them further using sleek lithium technology and maintenance-free motors. The S2 has a range of 8km, is foldable for easy carrying or storage, and is useable without power so riders can still get to their destination, even if they run out of charge.

Hoping to bring something of a revival to the category with expansion into international markets, Hy-Pro is working with Exertis, one of the UK’s largest and fastest growing distributors, to launch Zinc into Europe and beyond.

Zinc’s diverse portfolio will continue to be supported with bold marketing campaigns, in partnership with retailers and distributors.

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Outdoor Toys

Dolu 07850 779 797 | www.dolu.com

HTI 01253 778 888 | www.htigroup.co.uk

Dolu had its most successful spring/summer to date this year, and is promoting its expanding range of outdoor toys for the gifting season.

This year Dolu has launched an outdoor range in unisex colours across its playhouses, slides, picnic tables and more, so kids can collect a matching set of outdoor toys to enjoy in the garden.

It has also added a range of Unicorn Pink outdoor toys, which has had a positive response so far.

For spring/summer 2020, Dolu is launching a new Water Table that converts into a desk, as well as a new Water Slide and Trike. It is also making cosmetic improvements to many of its existing products, to further support the company’s aim to provide exceptional quality and value across its ranges.

A key category within its comprehensive product offering, HTI Toys has invested considerably in its Evo wheeled toy range for this season. Unique designs and HTI-owned tooling have allowed the company to develop high quality wheeled products and a clearly segmented range. The Evo battery-operated range sits within the wheeled category, and includes everything from smaller quads and trikes to rally-style motorbikes and electronic cars, each supplied with their own rechargeable battery and featuring running times of 1-2 hours.

Young racing fans will enjoy Evo’s new Electronic Rally Motorbike. This on-trend, red ride-on vehicle features adjustable stabilisers and working headlights, giving children the confidence to set off on adventures of their own. Added features include footrests, easy grip handlebars and pretend wing mirrors, as well as a push button to move forward.

HTI’s Evo Electronic Princess Trike is perfect for little ones who want to cruise in style. Kids can accelerate forward with the simple-to-use foot pedal, or flick the switch to reverse. This pink battery-operated trike is supplied with rear storage boxes, pretend wing mirrors, easy grip handles and realistic sound effects.

Perfect for aspiring firefighters, kids can race to the rescue with Evo’s battery-operated Fire Engine. This rideon vehicle features red and blue flashing lights, horn and siren sound effects, chunky wheels and footrests, allowing young heroes to role-play attending an emergency and extinguishing a fire with the pretend fire hose. Drivers can switch between forward and reverse and press the pedal to accelerate, for hours of fast-paced fun outdoors.

MV Sports 01217 488 000 | www.mvsports.co.uk With the release of Disney’s Toy Story 4 on DVD and the cinema debut of Frozen II before Christmas, MV Sports has new product ranges to coincide with both. The new releases include a range of scooters, bikes, skates, tepees and a Dream Den. The Toy Story 4 range is features classic characters from the franchise as well as new characters like Ducky, Bunny and Forky.

The Frozen II range is decorated with ice blue and autumnal colours, incorporating main characters Elsa, Anna and Olaf.

Hot property L.O.L. Surprise! is performing well for MV Sports, with a range of scooters, skates, tepee and bikes on offer.

The range features glitter wheels on the fixed inline scooter, a super glitter sock and wheels on the inline skates, plus stickers for customisation across all lines.

Evergreen properties Batman, Peppa, Disney Princess and Paw Patrol have been a success this year, with a range of scooters, bikes and skates boasting bespoke shaped plaques and extra decoration designed to complement each licence.

MV Sports own brand category is expanding rapidly with its new range of premium scooters, Umove. Designed to appeal to both children and adults alike, all products come with high quality anodized finishes, ABEC 5 bearings and optional LED wheels.

Kickmaster is hitting targets with a comprehensive, core range of balls, goals and football sets. The Soccer Arcade is the ultimate goal for kids to practise their chipping and target skills whilst incorporating a regular sized goal at the rear. The new Soccer Box is a multi-faceted training aid incorporating a mini football goal, rebounder, chipping trainer, target shot and additional goal. The compact design of the Soccer Box can be folded for easy storage.

Hedstrom’s array of outdoor play equipment includes slides, swings, trampolines and multi-play products such as the huge Atlas, which consists of a slide, swings, climbing frame, dual swinger and basketball set, for the ideal allin-one outdoor play adventure.

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Outdoor Toys

Vivid 01483 449944 | www.vividtoysandgames.co.uk Vivid’s outdoor success Phlat Ball is back for spring/ summer 2020. Phlat Ball transforms from a 9” flying disc to a 6” diameter ball when thrown, and has had a refresh with new styling. New for 2020 is Phlat Ball Woosh, which makes a whistling sound when thrown in the air, while Phlat Ball Flash lights up for illuminated outdoor play. Phlat Ball Junior transforms from a 5.75” flying disc to a 4” diameter ball when thrown and is available in neon and metallic colour assortments.

The super stretchy and squishy Super Wubble bubble ball is available in blue and pink; consumers can choose a ball either with or without a pump in packaging that’s brand-new for 2020.

Making its way into the UK is Wahu, an Australian brand that embraces the fun outdoor lifestyle. Four lightweight Wahu flying rings will be launching to market. The Wingblade is a 10” ring that flies incredible distances, while the Wingblade Pro is larger at 13” and the Triblade is a triple blade ring. The Ryzr not only flies impressive distances, but also rises during flight thanks to its ingenious design. All Vivid’s outdoor ranges are supported by TV campaigns.

Character Options 01616 339 800 | www.character-online.com Character Options’ new Funatic Foam is a non-messy, indoor/outdoor super soap spray which offers an ideal solution for any foam party.

The soap-based spray comes in three bright colours; a simple press of the trigger will let loose a spray of bubbles that reaches up to eight feet in distance, allowing kids and adults alike to enjoy a soapy battle outdoors. When the weather’s not playing ball, Funatic Foam will add to the fun at bath time too. Funatic Foam will be available from spring, and can be displayed in a handy, nine piece CDU.

Little Tikes 0845 0533 333 | www.mgae.com Kids enjoy exploring the great outdoors as a key part of their learning and development. Little Tikes recognises the importance of outdoor play, and offers a wide range of products for little ones which assist in the development of social and mobility skills while ensuring hours of fun.

The Island Wavemaker Water Table is suitable for ages two and above; this large water table allows children to get hands on as they use the steering wheel to create wave motions. Pouring water down the top of the skull island turns it into a waterfall. The island themed characters, including a shark, mermaid, narwhal and a pirate on a boat, are joined by treasure and a water bucket.

The Magic Flower Water Table features a pond and fun accessories. The vertical table has multiple layers, allowing for numerous children to play together. Kids can use the watering can, watching as the flower grows and blooms. Each water table includes three staked turtles, two staked frogs, two floating ducks, two cups, a watering can and a swimming fish.

With its traditional garden cart styling, the 2-in-1 Garden Wheelbarrow has a real working water sprayer so kids can water the plants. The cart can also be transformed into a classic wheelbarrow by removing the flowerpot tray and awning.

The Cape Cottage playhouse is available in red, pink and tan. With modern windows and realistic brick details, the house adds contemporary style to any garden and features working doors, windows that open and shut, and a letter box. Children can keep the lawn around their playhouse trim and imitate adults cutting the grass with the Gas ‘n Go Mower. The mower features lifelike mechanical sounds and a removable gas can; children can with an opening cap.

The iconic Cozy Coupe continues to delight generations of children with several styles to suit every child. This classic ride-on features a removable floor and a high-seat that adapts with the child, as well as a working horn, an ignition switch and storage to the rear. Children can also embark on an adventure with the Magical Unicorn Carriage. This stylish rideon features a light-up mane and rotating light-up horn, and makes galloping noises as it moves. Children will also enjoy the motion of the Rocking Horse. Available in both blue and pink, this product is the perfect size for toddlers; its compact and contemporary style makes it an ideal addition to indoor and outdoor play spaces.

Available in blue and pink, the Little Tikes First Slide helps to promote active play. Aiding fitness, balance and coordination, this garden must-have builds confidence in children.

For added play value, the slide can be used both indoors and outdoors.

Finally, budding athletes can aim high with the TotSports Easy Score Basketball Set. The adjustable hoop helps toddlers jump and shoot the ball, furthering the development of both social and motor skills. The set includes an oversized basketball rim and a junior-sized ball.

Toy World 53

Special Feature

The Entertainer

A force for good Publisher John Baulch reports from The Entertainer’s autumn conference.

B

ack in September, I joined 171 store managers, along with area and regional managers, international franchise partners and the entire team of directors, at The Entertainer’s autumn conference.

The timing of the event was aimed at fostering dialogue and sharing information ahead of the crucial festive season. There is no doubt that maximising Christmas sales will be all the more important this year, given the prevailing retail trading conditions and, specifically, the toy market’s performance in the first nine months of the year.

Following a blast of ‘Uptown Funk’ and an outbreak of spontaneous dancing among delegates (although sadly not Gary!), executive chairman Gary Grant pulled no punches in his welcome speech: “We are in unchartered and changing times. The High Street is facing some major challenges; in particular, retailers are experiencing a huge decline in footfall.

Brexit is undoubtedly affecting consumer sentiment:

we are trading against 2008 levels of confidence.

Retailers are under pressure and many are closing stores.”

After this frank opening, Gary quickly went on to illustrate why retailers like The Entertainer are bucking the overall trend, with a passionate call to action: “Amongst the uncertainty, there will always be winners. We won’t be making any knee-jerk changes to our business model. We won’t be chasing turnover at the expense of margin. We have some fantastic promotional activity lined up – but it is all fully-costed and part of the business plan. We will react to items which aren’t selling as fast as we would like, but we won’t be reducing our stock-holding and we certainly won’t panic. We have a great line of products, our costs are under control and we make a good margin. None of that will change.”

Despite the prevailing trading conditions, The Entertainer has weathered the storm remarkably well thus far. Up to the end of July, it had secured

Toy World 54

an admirable 11% share of toys sold in the UK, an increase over last year. It has opened ten stores so far this year, with a further two due to open shortly in Bath and Macclesfield. Plans for 2020 are already well advanced; next Easter will see the re-opening of the Birmingham Bullring store, which Gary says will “take the best concepts from the White City flagship branch to a whole new level.” The Bullring branch will also include the first Early Learning Centre storein-store, ahead of the launch stand-alone ELC stores further down the line.

Indeed, the addition of ELC and Spanish retailer Poly to The Entertainer family has not only driven significant growth this year, but provides the springboard to take the retailer to a whole new level in the future. Ultimately, the company’s goal is to be the largest speciality retailer of toys anywhere in the world; it is a bold aim, but the transformation from a UK business to a multi-national business based in the UK is firmly underway. The Entertainer currently

turns over in the region of £400m from 928 stores worldwide, but its target is a global turnover of £1b.

Ambitious it may be, but the board of directors is adamant that there is plenty of scope for growth in all sections of the business.

Naturally, growth brings its own challenges and risks; new markets, different currencies and in particular, new cultures all have to be addressed – “one of our biggest challenges is ensuring people work our way” admits Gary. But the key is that ELC and Poly are not treated as separate businesses - they are now very much part of the extended Entertainer family, as Gary explains: “When we’re developing new product, we consider whether it can sell in an Entertainer store in the UK, a Poly store in Madrid or an ELC store in Dubai. Wherever a consumer visits one of our stores in the world, we’re aiming for consistency.”

That said, Gary is keen to stress that ELC and The Entertainer are very different beasts: “I see The Entertainer and ELC as complementary brands.

When ELC originally started to close its stores, its sales largely disappeared; very little transferred to The Entertainer, even when one of our branches was virtually next door. So we feel we can open an ELC store next to an Entertainer store and it will give us incremental sales, rather than taking sales away. ELC still has very high brand recognition amongst consumers and there is a strong emotional attachment to the brand. The next step is to use our expertise to take the business back to where it was and then on to where it has never been; we want to develop next generation ELC stores which remain true to the brand’s heritage. At its peak, there were 225 ELC stores in the UK, so that offers us tremendous scope for growth domestically, as well as in the international market.”

The acquisition of Spanish retail chain Poly last year also presents the group with an opportunity to extend its global reach: the Poly set-up currently consists of 52 stores in good locations across Spain, with its branches following a similar format to The Entertainer. Despite a few initial teething issues, Gary affirms that Poly is beginning to turn the corner: “We’ve rebuilt Poly over the past year, using our experience to add value: we have poured in stock, margins are substantially higher this year and the

turnover gap is closing. Last year it was losing money, so there was no investment from the previous owners. Now there is a firm foundation to grow the business in 2020. Not only is there the opportunity to open more stores in Spain, but the operation could also be extended into Portugal, as well as Central and South America.”

While The Entertainer has been busy extending its retail footprint across the globe, it has been faced with a fairly brutal trading environment, especially here in the UK: against this unforgiving backdrop, what practical steps can a retailer take to boost sales, especially over the all-important festive period? Last year The Entertainer served around 4.3m customers during the peak season. More than ever during this time, little improvements can have a big impact. The Entertainer’s research has shown that the difference between a satisfied customer and a highly satisfied customer can result in an increased spend of as much as 20-30%.

In times gone by, retailers like The Entertainer would talk of ‘working the crowd.’ But what do you do if the crowd just isn’t there? The new mantra seems to be ‘work the basket’; make the most of the people who are there. Outstanding customer service has never been more important – engaging with the customer, making them feel welcome, using knowledge to help them with their purchase and maximising on the sale through add-ons. With research suggesting that up to half of toys purchased are impulse buys, closing the deal is vital; people who leave the store without buying anything are a key target.

In addition to the customer-facing strategy, internal processes are also critical to boosting sales over the festive period, and Entertainer managers are given a high degree of flexibility and responsibility for their own store: they are encouraged to think “If this was my business, what would I do?” Managers devise their own sales plans and play a pivotal role in managing stock; if you saw the Poundstretcher documentary last year, you will know what can happen when Head Office dictates stock holding decisions without any input at all from branch staff.

While sales targets are set for them, managers are also encouraged to set their own KPIs and challenges, measure their performance and inspire their team. As COO Nick Hargreaves points out during his presentation: “You know your store better than anyone else, you are best-placed to make things happen.” In an age of retail homogenisation and head office control, it is refreshing to see store managers being given this level of autonomy and responsibility.

Of course, not all challenges are easily overcome: unstable delivery schedules are identified as a long-term issue, as they are for just about every toy retailer. In addition to the unpredictable nature of toy sales, financial considerations offer further clarity; a pallet is worth around £3000, so a truck generally carries approximately £78,000 stock. In comparison, a clothing retailer would get around £200,000 stock on a delivery lorry - no wonder The Entertainer’s annual transport bill is so high. It’s also the reason why delivery schedules for toy specialists have to remain fluid and dynamic, to ensure lorries are as full as possible. Simply making pallets 20% lower - and therefore easier to unload – would add £0.5m to the annual transport bill. Balancing internal tasks alongside the need to maximise sales is an eternal conundrum for the store managers, but they seem comfortable with the responsibility.

Ultimately, of course, sales volumes are what the managers will all be judged on, and one of the key topics of the conference was how to maximise sales over the peak period. Unsurprisingly, reactiveness and flexibility have a major role to play: Stuart Grant spoke about a particular much-hyped product which had been sitting on shelves at £25. A reduction in price to £20 moved the dial slightly, but not dramatically as has been anticipated. It was at this point that the item in question became a ‘focused SKU’: as a result, there was a 140% increase in the volume of units sold. I was curious to understand what ‘focus’ entailed in practice, and the answer turned out to be an intriguing combination of practical steps and clever psychology, which achieved more than a simple price drop ever could in

Special Feature isolation. The product was featured prominently in window displays and at the till, strategically placed in dump bins and merchandised at eye-height on shelves, as well as being demonstrated regularly instore, significantly amplifying its in-store presence.

So where does the psychology come in? Each branch is judged against all other stores on these focus SKUs, sales of which are reported on a daily basis: not only does this foster a spirit of competition amongst individual branches, it also means that no-one wants to be seen to be lagging behind their peers. Truly, modern retail is evolving…

Stuart also outlined the autumn winter product line-up which he believes will drive sales over the coming months. I could give you chapter and verse, but mindful of commercial sensitivities, I will pick out a few general highlights. First, as you would expect, the vast majority of major brands are represented; while on the Toy Retailer of the Year judging panel a few years ago, I was staggered when one of the judges claimed that The Entertainer didn’t stock most of the high profile toys. This is simply not true: a handful of SKUs are missing, due to the fact they don’t sit comfortably with the Grants’ well-publicised religious views, but the overwhelming majority of major ranges are all present and correct. Wide selections of L.O.L. Surprise!, Frozen, Star Wars, Barbie (“we’re on fire with Barbie” Stuart attests), Funko, Peppa Pig, Paw Patrol, Fortnite, Squishmallows and Toy Story will sit alongside hotly-tipped new lines such as Rizmo, Owleez, Capsule Chix, Kindi Kidz, Boppi the Llama, Nestlings and Blume Dolls to form a comprehensive offering. In addition, a broad selection of Star Buys - exceptionally keenly-priced promotional items – reflects the fantastic value that The Entertainer is renowned for. Representing up to 10% of the retailer’s turnover, Star Buys also play a pivotal role in driving both footfall and turnover during peak season.

The extensive product line-up will be backed by a wide range of impactful marketing activations, outlined by chief marketing officer Phil Geary.

The Christmas launch party on 19th October fired the starting gun on the festive campaign: in-store activity remains essential, with new window displays and vinyls, a new nativity scene, a wide array of POS assets and a brand new Postbox for Santa’s letter service. The launch of the Christmas catalogue also took place in October, with all the in-store activations complemented by some high-profile media campaigns in the run-up to the big day,

The Entertainer

none greater than the sponsorship of the seminal ‘How to spend it well at Christmas’ programme, a staple of modern festive TV scheduling. Last year’s sponsorship was such a huge success – leading to The Entertainer enjoying its peak online trading day straight after the programme aired, comfortably eclipsing Black Friday – that the deal was renewed this year. Having sold a massive 4,000 Sock Games in a single day last time round, hopes are high for another big sales bounce this time round. Add in a new sponsorship deal with Junior Great British BakeOff, plus regular social media activity featuring the popular Entertainer Squad, and you have a schedule of activity that will keep the retailer in front of customers on a daily basis.

The stage is set: the products are bought, the marketing is in place, the promotions are ready to activate – all that now remains is for the store staff to step up to the plate and deliver. At one stage during the event, Gary states: “We all have a part to play in this story”, and you sense that it isn’t just lip service – he really means it. It seems to me that this trust is paid back in spades; talking with many of the store managers throughout the two-day event, it is clear that they go above and beyond in their roles, with a level of passion, dedication and engagement that is gratifying to see.

Nowhere is this more evident than in the way the managers embrace The Entertainer’s charitable and social values - the fact that The Entertainer has been responsible for over £2.75m worth of

charitable donations over the past year alone shows that businesses really can be – in Gary’s own words – “a force for good. “ The Entertainer’s charitable initiatives are numerous: payroll giving has raised over £1m in eight years, while last year’s Christmas Toy Appeal – in conjunction with the Salvation Army – saw 40,000 toys donated to underprivileged children across the UK. The Christmas appeal will return again this year, and alongside the successful Toy Rehoming events in June and September, it will ensure that thousands of kids can share in the magic of Christmas.

The conference also gave managers the chance to share ideas and suggestions on how to improve the business with the directors; in an era where ‘top down’ management is the prevalent retail culture, The Entertainer is keen to encourage those at the sharp end to have the chance to have an input into the company’s modus operandi. To be fair, it’s a high bar, as the retailer already has an exemplary company culture, but it’s to The Entertainer’s credit that it continues to look for ways to raise the bar even higher. Listening to the managers’ ideas, it was clear that they were genuinely engaged, and appreciated the opportunity to contribute their ideas, particularly in the community area.

Last year’s conference saw several suggestions adopted and Gary closed the conference by promising to discuss the ideas put forward in a management meeting, where the best suggestions would be identified and developed.

What came through loud and clear at was that every team member has a valuable contribution to make towards the ongoing success of the business.

In many respects, the store managers are like an extended family; like individual Toymaster members, they are often in contact with other managers in their area, asking questions, seeking advice or exchanging ideas. Whether you own an independent store or are managing a branch of a national chain, everyone benefits from that sort of support network. In addition to the strong sense of camaraderie, there is a shared sense of commitment to ensuring The Entertainer thrives commercially, whatever the prevailing trading conditions. However, at its heart, the Entertainer is about so much more than selling toys: it cares about its reputation, it cares about its customers and staff and it places great emphasis on being a force for good – long may that continue.

FULL MEDIA SUPPORT IN 2019

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Company Profile

Wilton Bradley

Best of British Toy World spoke to Ross Bradley, international business director at Wilton Bradley, about the company’s ongoing success and what sets it apart from its competitors. and multi-national retailers to distributors. We also design, develop and manufacture OEM products for other brand owners.

Whilst product design and development are at the heart of what we do, we also distribute a select number of market leading brands in the UK. We are proud of the fact that next year will mark 25 years of working as Bestway’s UK office, one of the world’s leading inflatable/leisure brands.

For those who aren’t familiar with Wilton Bradley, can you tell us a bit about the company and the scale of operation it is today?

Wilton Bradley specialises in the design, development, distribution and marketing of consumer products in the toy and outdoor leisure markets. We supply our own brands and products to a broad range of customers, from independent

In recent years we’ve seen exceptional growth in both our domestic and international business.

Today we supply a range of over 4,000 products to more than 30 countries, employing 125 people in the UK and Hong Kong. In addition, we were recently recognised in the London Stock Exchange Group’s Report: 1,000 Companies to Inspire Britain.

This report acknowledges the fastest growing businesses across sectors and regions which have achieved significant performance, not only in consistent YoY revenue growth but also against sector peers.

Toy World 58

How has Wilton Bradley evolved in recent years and what have been the biggest areas of growth?

We pride ourselves on being a progressive company; embracing new technology has been a key part of Wilton Bradley’s evolution, whether by investing in our 3D product design capabilities to promote innovation or developing bespoke order management software to increase our supply chain automation.

This year we celebrate our fifth year of having an office and showroom in Hong Kong, which helps us to serve our global customer base and enhances our sourcing capabilities. Since opening our Hong Kong showroom, international business has seen significant YoY growth and now represents more than 20% of our group turnover.

Whilst we’ve built our reputation on having strong summer ranges, over the past five years we’ve been focusing on Q4 product development to create

more new, unique and/or exclusive products. One of the biggest areas of growth we’re seeing is in the wheeled toys category, especially our Xootz brand and our range of licensed electric ride-ons.

What do you see as the key strengths of the company – what sets you apart from your competitors?

Many of our customers value the flexibility that we offer when it comes to product selection.

Because of our strength in product design and sourcing, we can provide a range of options; these include buying our own finished products or working on joint projects from concept to delivery for the customer’s own brand.

We offer our customers a method of supply that best suits their business, from FOB and DDP container delivery to domestic trade supply and drop ship. We also carry domestic inventory in our 100,000 sq. ft. warehouse facility in the UK. We’ve always had extremely high standards when it comes to compliance and quality control. We have strict processes in place for vendor selection, product certification and QA, and benefit from a compliance team which spans both the UK and Hong Kong.

In short, we offer the full package - great products, flexible supply, marketing campaigns to drive sell through and aftersales to ensure consumer satisfaction, all with a strong customer focus.

How have you seen the Wilton Bradley team evolve since you’ve been with the company?

It might sound like a cliché, but the people that

work here really are a key feature of our success over recent and future years. We have a strong mix of youth and experience. Although we are not based in London, there’s still a fantastic pool of talent in the South West and we work closely with local universities to offer several graduate or work placement positions each year in our design, buying and finance teams. Some of our best-selling products of recent years have been developed with the input of students from Bournemouth University.

While bringing in exciting new talent we’ve also added some well-known and highly experienced people to our team. Laetitia Westerman has recently joined as head of international sales and brings a wealth of experience in the international toy industry, having worked with distributors and retailers worldwide. Scott Decker has joined the buying department, bringing with him many years of experience in the wheeled toy market.

What are your key new product launches that are coming up?

We have several new electric items in the Xootz range coming to market in Q4; highlights include the award-winning Typhoon Drift Trike and Electro & Evader electric scooters.

Our exciting licence with X Factor has produced some best-selling and award-winning lines, and this season we are releasing new products within the range. The Karaoke Disco Cube has a unique, eye-catching and retro design, and is the first of its kind to come with two microphones, while the X Factor Microphone Speaker XF1S is a progression from the current XF1 Speaker, with all the same fun features in a more compact size.

Another new product development worth highlighting is the re-branding of our officially licensed electric ride-ons. Considering the great success these best-selling products have had so far, the next big opportunity we identified for this expanding range was combining all electric ride-on designs to establish our new Vroom brand.

We’re also excited to be working with the iconic Volkswagen brand to create a unique and stylish range which both consumers and VW enthusiasts will love. This includes a scale replica kids pop-up play tent.

How has the approach to Christmas and the all-important trade fair season started for you?

The Q4 season has kicked off extremely well for us, with a selection of our products winning Right Start and Made for Mums awards. This has encouraged us to stock up on these successful lines, including our Yarn Animal kits and the X Factor Disco Cube Speaker. We are expecting these, along with our best-selling stocking fillers including the YoYoFactory F.A.S.T 201 YoYo, to fly off shelves, especially throughout the seasonal months.

We’re busy photographing all our new products in preparation for the big trade press push in January, and for our trade stands at the upcoming major fairs. We’re commencing this season with preview appointments of our autumn/winter 2020 lines in our Hong Kong showroom throughout October and January, ready for the full launch at both London Toy Fair and Nuremberg. Our Hong Kong showroom is having a refit in November, meaning it will be shiny and new for 2020.

Wilton Bradley will be exhibiting at the following upcoming trade shows: • Hong Kong Mega Fair - Hall 1CE, Stand 1T13 - 27

• Toy Fair London - Stand E89

• Hong Kong Toy & Gift - 1D-C28

• Toy Fair Nuremberg - Hall 7, Stand A26

• Giving & Living Exeter - Stand 444

• Spring Fair Birmingham - 5L10-M11 Toy & 5K10-L11 Beach

Toy World 59

Retail Profile

Very

All well

As attention turns to Christmas, Andrea Gornall, toys category manager at Shop Direct, operator of online retailer Very.co.uk, spoke to Toy World Magazine about its approach to the festive season for 2019.

How has Very found the toy category this year?

The toy market remains challenging, but our customers love the fact that we offer the perfect combination of must-have toys and flexible ways to pay. This approach has helped us to deliver incremental growth for both the business and the toy brands we sell. We expect this year to show another strong performance in terms of toy sales growth, and we’re excited to keep building this momentum into 2020 and beyond.

What have been your standout performers in 2019?

Toys by VTech, Leapfrog and Lego continue to be among our best-sellers, as does Barbie from Mattel.

We’ve also seen new L.O.L! Surprise products from MGA Entertainment, like the 2-in-1 Glamper and Winter Chalet Doll House, go straight into our top 10 this year.

Which lines do you think will be Christmas best-sellers for Very this year?

We think collectibles are going be huge this Christmas, especially new products from brands such as L.O.L

Surprise! and Barbie, as well as Funko. We’re also excited about the new licensed Disney Frozen II products, which have launched ahead of the film’s release date on 22nd November. These are likely to be among our Christmas best-sellers too.

Last year, a lot of retailers reported a surge of very late Christmas sales – did you experience the same thing, and what do you expect this year?

We planned for a later surge in Christmas sales in 2018 and expect to see a similar trend this year, particularly with Black Friday being almost a week later than usual. Customer confidence in online delivery has increased in recent years and the growth opportunity in December remains huge.

We’re focused on maximising that opportunity, with guaranteed delivery in time for Christmas on orders placed right up until the 23rd of December.

What was the thought process behind the timing of Very’s new toy advert, which launched in September?

Many of our customers start thinking about Christmas as soon as their children go back to school.

We wanted to drive awareness of Very as the go-to destination for must-have toys straight away, so we launched our toy campaign earlier than usual on 21st September. We find that customers want to shop for the big toy gifts early, giving them the chance to spread the cost and offering the peace of mind that comes with knowing their children’s Christmas toys are taken care of.

What was the main message you wanted to convey with this advert?

Our campaign is all about ‘toys that take them places’.

We wanted to show parents that investing in a meaningful toy can really open up a child’s imagination or ignite a passion that stays with them as they grow up. We’re spreading this message through an amazing TV ad and plenty of other creative media, like 3D bus shelter ads, animated screens and even an augmented reality game

Toy World 60

which gives players the chance to win toy bundles.

Do you find that Q1 creates a postChristmas bounce in sales?

There’s opportunity for growth throughout the year. Christmas is very much a key period, but the start of the new year offers potential for launching more newness and benefits from a shift towards outdoor toys later in the period.

Online pricing tends to be fiercely competitive, thanks to comparison algorithms etc. How does this affect Very’s business model?

The retail market is highly competitive, both on and offline. That’s not limited to toys; it’s the case across all the categories we sell, including fashion, home and electrical. Very customers trust our mix of competitive prices and market-leading ways to spread the cost of our products. We know that people who shop with us value that combination all year round, not just at Christmas.

Later this year, Shop Direct will rebrand to The Very Group. Can you tell us more about why you’re rebranding?

We’ve received overwhelmingly positive feedback from suppliers regarding the rebrand. It’s an important step forward in our evolution and will bring our corporate identity in line with our flagship retail brand, Very, helping us to attract and retain more of the best people and giving our business even greater momentum.

As a retail partner, what does Very offer its toy suppliers?

A true partnership approach is what sets us apart.

We strongly believe that we can deliver incremental growth for the toy category, and the most important part of that is building strong relationships with brands. We’ve got a great track record of doing just that. The toy industry has had a tough time in recent years and is going through significant change, both on the supply and retail side. Being a great partner to our toy suppliers is not only about delivering growth, but also going about it in the right way.

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Feature

Q1 Ranges

Coming soon Q1, the period between Boxing Day and Easter, can provide a much-needed kick start to the New Year with a post-Christmas boost in sales. Toy World spoke to a range of people within the industry to find out what Q1 means to them and how they plan on making the most of it.

W

eek 52, the week between Christmas and New Year, is one of Michael Cleary’s busiest. The owner of JKC Toymaster, based in Nenagh, Ireland, has seen 33 festive seasons come and go and is aware of how a good start to the year can carry right through to Q4.

“Retail has changed dramatically during my time in the toy industry, and it’s crazy that so many of us still put all our eggs in the Christmas basket,” Michael says. “Each year I try to pull further away from this line of thinking; Christmas will obviously be a massive part of the year, but all it would take is a disappointing Christmas to have a major impact on our business. With this in mind, we put a big focus on the first four months of the year. We hold Lego days, games days, colouring competitions and activities, supported by lots of social media to drive footfall.

During one of the better weeks of the year, week 52, a lot of people are home for Christmas or visiting friends and family, and kids have got vouchers and money to spend. This week is usually one of our top 20 weeks each year, and it’s not until the 2nd of January that the shop starts to quieten down again.”

New waves of collectibles and pocket money ranges are sure-fire winners for Q1, something which Skyrocket Toys UK is hoping to capitalise on with its new Blume ranges. Following a very successful 2019, in which it launched, the company is introducing several new lines for early 2020, which it hopes will

carry through the brand’s momentum well into the New Year.

“Since launching Skyrocket UK in February, we’ve hardly had time to come up for air,” enthuses Amy Saunders, general manager. “Not only has the company had a wonderful reception from retailers of all sizes, but our consumer audience has shown an incredible positive reaction to our products, with Blume Dolls making it onto a variety of retailers’ most-wanted lists after only a couple of weeks. We’re now enjoying a huge trajectory of growth, which is testament not only to the hard work of the team but to the must-have and unique product ranges in our portfolio.”

She continues: “Going into 2020, we have a great cross-section of products in our armoury, including more from Blume Dolls, introducing new price points and extra-special collectible surprises and hero lines. We’re also looking forward to our inaugural appearance at London Toy Fair in January, where we’ll be talking to retailers about bespoke marketing and PR campaigns to suit their needs. Working closely with valued partners, from independents to national multiples, is what’s given us the edge in 2019, and I look forward to further building on this next year.”

Toymaster, the independent buying group for independent toy retailers, supports its members during the Q1 period starting with previews of key suppliers in July. The group then follows these up in November, at which stage it can view any updates

Toy World 62

to product ranges and make final decisions. As Paul Reader, product manager, explains: “The planning process is very important, but final quarter sales are always crucial and can have a major impact on Q1. A successful Christmas generates both cash and space in-store, allowing members to buy and range new products.”

Brian McLaughlin, Toymaster’s retail manager, feels that Q1 will have its challenges, particularly on pricing and margins; the pound has been weak for some time now against the dollar and the euro.

He adds: “There was a Lego movie in February half term in 2019, but we have nothing comparable for 2020. That said, Frozen II and Star Wars both have late cinema releases this year, so sales from those will doubtless trickle over into 2020. I advise all our members to make sure their best-sellers and new ranges are clearly merchandised from Boxing Day, and to promote locally using social media.”

We asked Paul if he’s seen anything this year that he is particularly excited about. “We lacked a craze line in 2019, so one for early next year would be very welcome. We’ve seen a nice line up from Lego with some strong vehicles within City, and the partnership with Top Gear has created some noise. The L.O.L. Surprise! spring launch looks as good as ever too.”

Over the following pages, we take a look at the Q1 ranges that will have kids clamouring to spend their Christmas cash.

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Coding Critters Ranger & Zip LER 3080 23 Piece play set

Coding Critters Scamper & Sneaker

Coding Critters Rumble & Bumble

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LER 3082 23 Piece play set

Q1 Ranges

Siso Toys UK 01620 674 778 | www.simba-dickie-group.de Rainbow’s 44 Cats is currently airing on Nick Jr and Pop, and the first full season of 52 episodes will premiere on Netflix in December. Siso Toys will launch the toy range in February 2020. Each 3” 44 Cats figure comes with an accessory such as the instrument it plays in the show; Lampo, the lead singer, comes with his guitar, while Meatball comes with his piano. There are eight figures to collect in the first wave. The twin pack figures have a colour change feature that reflects the superpowers of each cat. Play sets themed around each character are also available, and include an exclusive 3” figure plus a bowl of spaghetti and meatballs, the favourite dish of the feline bandmates.

Rounding out the launch range is a line of plush. There are four 5” basic plush to collect, housed in a CDU, while the four 8” musical plush play the show’s theme.

Siso Toys will be supporting 44 Cats with an extensive marketing plan comprising TV, YouTube, influencers, digital and PR activity. Siso will also be partnering with retailers on bespoke activity to drive sell-through.

Following on from the acquisition of Jada Toys by the Simba Dickie Group in January, Siso will offer a wide array of best-selling Jada items from popular licences including Marvel, DC, Fast & Furious, Stranger Things and Harry Potter, as part of the new Hollywood Rides line. Jada Toys has developed a Fast & Furious die-cast range featuring cars from the eight-film franchise. 2020 will see Siso introduce new additions from Hobbs & Shaw and Fast 9, as well as Domenic Torreto’s Dodge Charger and Brian’s Nissan Skyline in 1:24 and 1:32 scale. Siso will also be offering a range of 1:32 scale Batmobile cars, which come with a mini Batman figure. The range includes Batmobiles from Batman 1989, Batman Forever and The Dark Knight. Harry Potter is also included; the 1:24 scale 1995 Ford Anglia comes with a Harry Potter mini figure. The collection includes a 1:32 scale Deadpool taco truck and yellow taxi, as well as the 1:24 scale yellow taxi which comes with a mini figure, while Stranger Things fans can now collect the 1979 Chevy Camaro Z28 and Chevy K5 Blaze in 1:24 die-cast form.

Simba Dickie Group has secured the licence for Hello Kitty. Available in pink, rose and turquoise, the new Stretch Slime has a unique texture, is mouldable and stretchy. The ‘shake & make’ Hello Kitty slime tub has a Hello Kitty lid and comes with the powder required to make pink slime. Siso also offers an assortment of four 20cm Hello Kitty plush in different outfits and themes, or the 30cm Hello Kitty Animal Onesie plush.

Chi Chi Love is Simba’s own IP. Supported with a TV advertising campaign, the Chi Chi Poo Poo Puppy comes with a leash, treats and a poo bag. Kids can use the dough to make Chi Chi some dog cookies and then feed her before taking her for a walk. When it’s time to ‘go’, Chi Chi will do a poo.

Siso will also be entering the infant market with its own-IP ABC infant range, aiming to deliver strong margins to retailers in the form of quality infant items. The range includes teethers, rattles, shape sorters and interactive toys including a first tablet, a first smart phone and a piano that plays animal sounds.

Alpha Animation 01293 804 599 | www.auldeytoys.us Alpha Group UK’s new inflatable range, Airnormous, is bringing the WWE brand to life with a new range of inflatable role play products that encourage children to become their favourite superstars.

The range includes a variety of props and accessories so kids, and big kids, can relive their favourite WWE moments.

The larger than life inflatable props from the show are perfect for WWE fans. Kids can re-enact favourite WWE moments with the inflatable Big Bash Fire Extinguisher, cut a promo with the Big Bash Microphone or become Triple H with the Big Bash Sledgehamer.

Also available are oversized titles, including the WWE Deluxe Belt Banner, the WWE Universal Champion title. This comes with real lights and sounds for fans to drape over their shoulders or hang up on their bedroom wall.

The oversized John Cena Massive Muscle Arms complete the collection, with real sound effects from the Champ himself. Hear phrases such as ‘You Can’t See Me”, “If you want some, come get some” and more.

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GLITTER DOLLS & ACCESSORIES

Q1 Ranges

Vivid 01483 449944 | www.vividtoysandgames.co.uk Vivid is launching into 2020 with Power Pux, a new action- and gameplay-oriented boys’ collectible brand. There are over 50 Pux discs to collect, including regular, rare, super-rare and ultra-rare, which can be popped into the air using a launcher.

Power Pux is launching to market with an engaging product line including the Starter Pack, a bling bag that contains five Pux discs and one slide launcher. Also available will be Challenge Packs which include a springloaded launcher for a powerful and easy launch, plus two Pux cups and five Pux discs, one of which is guaranteed to be a super-rare disc. The brand will be supported by a comprehensive marketing plan including TV advertising and online activity.

Ryan’s World sees some great new launches for fans and collectors of one of the world’s leading YouTube creators. Following a successful launch in 2019, Series 3 of the Ryan’s World collectible lines will include Mystery Figure, Mystery Putty and Squishy Figures. Alongside the standard collectible range, Ryan’s followers will be able to collect the all new Micro Figure range in blind bags and a fivefigure pack. The spring 2020 line will also include extensions to key items across the range.

For Crayola comes the introduction of Glitter Dots. Taking glitter play to the next level while reducing the mess, these sparkly, squishy dots allows kids to create 3D glitter effects on a variety of surfaces. The line includes three kits; Keychain Friends, Sparkle Fills and Stencil Stickers come with fun templates which let kids create glitter masterpieces. In addition, there will be a single serve dots assortment and a Sparkle Station, which includes all the tools needed for a range of dazzling designs.

Glitter Dots launches in January, with TV and digital support planned throughout the season.

Washimals welcomes the latest addition to its carry case sub-line, the Peculiar Pets Carry Case. This fold up castle allows kids to take their play set wherever they go, and comes with brand new Washimal characters.

Joining Crayola’s popular Color Wonder licensed portfolio will be Trolls World Tour, the sequel to the smash hit Trolls, which is due for release in March.

Mattel 01628 500 000 | www.mattel.com In 2020, Barbie continues to show girls ‘You Can Be Anything’. Barbie will kick off Q1 with diverse new Barbie Fashionistas, a new Barbie Wellness theme, engaging Barbie Sports dolls and the new Colour Reveal Doll, which delivers an unboxing experience that's full of surprises -- seven of them! A doll with a trendy fashion is guaranteed, but each doll's look remains a mystery.delivers an unboxing experience complete with seven surprises to discover. A doll with on trend fashion accessories is guaranteed, but each doll's look remains a mystery.

2020 marks the 90th birthday of Fisher-Price and sees the launch of a new brand campaign, Let’s Be Kids, which celebrates seeing the world as a kid does.

Fisher-Price Infant introduces the Giant Rock-a-Stack, plus the Laugh & Learn Time to Learn Smart Watch and Click and Learn Instant Camera, while Little People introduces the Babies segment, bringing nurturing play to toddlers.

Thomas & Friends will celebrate its 75th anniversary in 2020 by introducing kids to the world around them through dynamic new content and products. Key play sets include the new Trackmaster 3-in-1 Package Pickup and Trackmaster Diesel Tunnel Blast. Thomas fans can also collect the new Limited Edition Metallic Motorised Engines and the Small Push Along 75th Anniversary Diamond Thomas. New characters will also be available in Trackmaster Small and Large Push Along Engines.

Hot Wheels drives its ‘Challenge Accepted’ ethos further than ever in 2020 with the Hot Wheels City Robo Shark, as well as introducing a variety of Track Builder packs with innovative new components that let kids build, stunt and boost. The Hot Wheels Monster Trucks range continues to expand with the Hot Wheels Monster Trucks Loop Playset.

Polly Pocket, the original compact doll, welcomes the new Large Wearable Compact Assortment to the range, along with all-new compact themes for 2020 in both miniature sizes and larger play sets.

2020 will introduce a wider range of options to the new, gender inclusive, customisable doll kits from Creatable World, and in February, Mattel will launch a new surprise collectibles range, Cloudees. Inspired by weather elements, each offers a fun unboxing experience.

After a successful launch in April, Mattel’s Disney Pixar Toy Story range grows with new classic characters added to its Figure Assortment, and the Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom toy range continues to expand with the new Jurassic World Control & Conquer Carnotaurus. Finally, Fisher-Price Imaginext introduces new characters to its DC Super Friends range, and fans of Disney Pixar Cars will enjoy the new XRS Rocket Racing Super Loop Trackset.

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RETAILERS CAN’T GET ENOUGH OF SQUISHMALLOWS, WITH SALES CONTINUING TO GROW AND DEMAND INCREASING!

Visit www.squishmallows.co.uk to see the current phase 1 & 2 product range

Q1 Ranges

Jazwares 020 3598 5119 | www.jazwares.com 2019 saw new additions to Jazwares’ popular Fortnite toy line, including new scales of action figures and the introduction of vehicles. The line continues to push the boundaries of traditional toys, bringing the digital world to physical product. The Llama Loot Piñata has enjoyed particular success, and there are more exciting developments and range refreshes coming in 2020.

Winner of the Action Figure of The Year at the Toy Industry Awards, the Roblox toy line brings the imaginative world of Roblox to life with action figures, play sets and vehicles inspired by favourite characters and experiences from the world of Roblox. Fans can look forward to new spring/summer 2020 innovations inspired by popular creators on the platform.

Other properties poised for further growth in early 2020 include the Nerf accessories line and Domez, a stylised collection of miniatures. As well as new animal additions to Feisty Pets, Jazwares will be adding more adorable ‘eyecandy’ dwellings to Nanables, its own collectible brand.

Jazwares is exclusive distributor of WowWee products in the UK. WowWee’s latest launch, Pixie Belles, are cute and interactive creatures, while the Untamed Snakes have charmed their way into the mainstream and Lucky Fortune continues to be a success. For 2020, new lines will be introduced at all the major toy fairs, including a return to the robotic innovation that WowWee is famous for.

Following the successful performance of Wacky Putty in UK grocers this year, early 2020 will see Jazwares reveal a new Wacky compound range. There will be new tin designs with confetti and glitter putty, the addition of Wacky Sand tins and tubs and Wacky Cloud tubs, plus Under the Sea and Vehicle themed Wacky Junior Sand Boxes.

In addition to range refreshes to existing product lines, Jazwares will be debuting a full Blippi toy line in spring 2020, following its appointment as master toy licensee by the popular pre-school edutainer and YouTuber. The range will feature toys inspired

by Blippi’s most watched content with unboxing experiences that bring his energetic character to life, including blind-bagged collectibles, figures, vehicles, play sets, plush and more.

Flair / Just Play 020 8643 0320 | www.flairplc.co.uk Bringing the miniature food craze from the internet to the toy aisle is the rationale behind Flair’s new Totally Tiny collectible collection. The fun starts with the pocket money priced Mini Food sets. Each blind lunch box holds two mini food pieces and slimy ooze to decorate. There are 12 to discover, from the familiar Smores to more exotic treats such as Sushi sets and Hummus and Carrots.

The 9-piece Fun with Food sets allow kids to make a Totally Tiny food creation, with themed kits covering everything from a tasty Rise and Shine breakfast to a full-blown Pizza Party. For a veritable banquet, kids can indulge in the 16-piece Cook N’ Serve kits. These sets include all the ingredients for a barbeque complete with a BBQ and tongs, or a bakery bonanza with doughnuts, cakes and brownies, all with slimy ooze toppings for decoration.

Just Play’s PJ Masks spring collection will include the launch of a new micro scale of figures and play sets. The Night Time Micros product range has a strong Hero vs Villain theme, and offers a complete all-in-one package play at an attractive price. There are 12 micro figures to collect, each contained in a surprise blind bag. Standing 1.5” tall, the figures are compatible with the four new micro play sets.

The Night Time Micros Trap and Escape play set assortment is composed of three character-based play sets, each including two micro figures, a hero and a villain.

Kids can turn the nozzle on each set to change the scene from day to night. The PJ Masks can trap the villain in a cage, or use the catapult to launch them into space. Alternatively, kids can discover the multiple features within the Night Time Micros Romeo’s Lair Playset, including a shrink chamber and launcher pad to eject the figures.

The successful PJ Masks vehicle collection will also expand with a new Glow Wheelers assortment.

The pull-back-and-go feature not only prepares the vehicles for racing, but also lights up the chassis and activates sounds.

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Q1 Ranges

IMC Toys 01904 720 908 | www.imctoys.com

Character Options 01616 339 800 | www.character-online.com Treasure X has fast become the discovery brand of choice, with each season bringing a new element to the dig-and-reveal concept.

Spring will bring with it not one but two new series to look forward to. Treasure X Fire Vs Ice lets kids unwrap the volcano and peel open the top to reveal the crater underneath. Adding water will cause an eruption of either lava or snow, which will cascade down the sides; underneath this layer lies an all-new wax and carve experience.

Using the included X tool, kids can slice their way through and discover the hunter, weapon and staff hidden within. A meteor is also waiting to be discovered, which can be cracked opened to reveal the treasure – some of which has been dipped in real gold.

With 18 new Treasure X Fire and Ice themed hunters to collect, plus all-new treasures, this is a thoroughly engaging new theme for the established collectible brand.

Treasure X Aliens will introduce new Aliens to collect and dissect for spring in a range of new colours, as well as new hunters to rescue within. These extra-terrestrial creatures are set to create an out of this world unboxing experience together with all-new glow-in-thedark Ooze element to enhance the play pattern. Added to this is a new pocket money line, Treasure X Alien Ooze Eggs. Kids can crack open the hard shell then squeeze to hatch and release the ooze, along with a slime sucking creature who can suck up and release the slime time and time again. There are 12 different characters to collect, plus the chance to unearth real gems.

The Heroes of Goo Jit Zu have taken the market by storm since their launch this summer. These ninja warrior heroes each possess their own unique powers and goo-filled qualities, making them a highly collectible offering within the action figure market. This spring, even more characters will join the squad including the Praying Mantis Mantor, with his sand force power, Brawler the Bear, with his spongey gooey insides, and the pliable Graplock - a squid who can be stretch to new lengths.

Foam Alive is a new flowing foam with a mind of its own. The soft, squishy and fluffy foam moves in ‘Flow Motion’; when kids place it in their hands it will flow through their fingers like it’s melting.

Foam Alive is mess free and easy to clean up, and it never dries out.

Kids will be mesmerised for hours by how it moves and feels. This new compound will be available in single Flip Packs of three vibrant colours, a Double Flip Pack containing two colours in a reusable storage container, and a Make n Melt Ice Cream Kit complete with three colours of Foam Alive, scoops and cones.

IMC Toys is extending its range of bestselling bath toys, Bloopies, with Shellies - mermaid collectibles aimed at girls aged 3-6 years old. Shellies will be launched in January 2020.

Bloopies Shellies are little mermaids that live inside a shell in the Bloopies Mermaid world. When the colourful iridescent shells are placed into water, the shells open after 30 seconds to reveal the Shellie inside. Once opened, children can use the map to complete the maze and release the pearl, which can then be attached to the belt of the Shellie. Inside each of these pearls is a unique accessory which relates to the personality of that Shellie.

There are 12+ characters to collect, including a rare character with a glitter injected tail and silver accessory pearl, as well as an ultra-rare character with a thermochromic tail and golden accessory pearl. Just like all other Bloopies, Shellies can squirt water from their mouth and blow bubbles in the bath. The shell that the Shellies live in also comes with a chain so it can be used as a stylish bag.

Alongside the launch, there will be a new animated series on IMC Toys YouTube channel, Kitoons, from January 2020. Season One will have 13 five-minute episodes which will include all the Bloopies Mermaids, Divers, Mimi and Shellies.

Funrise 01908 555 640 | www.funrise.com Launching in spring will be the master toy line for Funrise’s own property and TV series, Rainbow Butterfly Unicorn Kitty. The range consists of plush, role-play, figures and play sets that bring to life of Felicity and her friends.

Heading up the range is the 9 Lives Surprise play set with five different styles and over 55 pieces to collect. This pop-up play set looks like a can of cat food, and opens into a multiple-level set with nine different surprises inside. Each style includes two character figures, six accessories and one sticker sheet. When kids are finished playing, everything can be stored in the retractable can.

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Q1 Ranges

Bandai UK 020 8324 6160 | www.bandai.co.uk Foodie Surprise, a new DIY sweet making kit, bridges collectability and craft play. With various food carts to collect, the line allows children to create real food that they can eat and share with friends. A major innovation within the range is Yolkies, which introduces edible slime and collectible surprise toys encased in mystery eggs.

One of Bandai’s best-selling properties, Bananas, introduces Series 4 of the peelable, collectible fruits. Colourfest Bananas bunches and singles feature new mummy Crushie collectible characters which correspond with new baby Crushies from the line of Baby Bananas. Extending the fruit collection, Pineapples accompany the Series 4 launch, and new Plush Bananas have been added to the range; each can be unzipped to reveal one of six 4” collectible Plushie Crushies.

Freak Lab is a new addition to the Bandai portfolio. Children can pour water into a chamber and then watch it fizz and bubble, revealing the bones of an alien. There are six different aliens and a rare character to collect, each in a variety of colourways. Aliens can be combined to create a giant ‘freak’ character. There are over 24 to collect in Series 1, each with an RRP of £9.99.

Film and TV lines feature heavily for the Q1 period. As master toy licensee for ITV series Robozuna, Bandai UK continues to support its range of action figures and character role-play accessories. The company also holds the master toy licence for Thunderbirds Are Go, and has reinvigorated the brand with the introduction of innovative features and show-specific lines. Q1 will see the unveiling of more action figures, vehicles, play sets and role-play toys.

A new wave of Dragon Ball collectible figures will be available in the lead up to Q1, with the company planning a major experiential-based campaign to support the brand throughout January and February.

The award-winning educational line National Geographic is establishing its position as an evergreen, go-to science range within the company’s portfolio. Bandai UK introduces new Super Kits for Q1 2020 including Explorer Geode, Super Gemstone, Super Fossil and Light-Up Crystal Kits.

A Crystal Garden and Break Open 4 Geodes kit will also be added to the existing collection.

Six new collectible characters have been added to the squishy plush range, Squishimals, available in either 10cm, 20cm or 32cm. Continuing the squishy theme, Smooshy Mushy enters its seventh series for Q1 2020 with a new series of minis, including a miniature Smooshy housed in packaging that becomes a shop or scene.

The interactive family game Froggy Party will continue to feature heavily within the company’s games range, with a focus on getting children up and enjoying physical activities. Everything needed to play the game is included, and Froggy tells the children what they need to do. Finally, the new Timber Tots pre-school range will be available in Q1, bringing younger children a host of outdoor scenarios and play themes featuring animal families and their woodland surroundings.

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Q1 Ranges

Kids@Play 01423 611047 | www.kids-at-play.com Kids@Play enters 2020 with a renewed focus on providing fun and excitement with its product offering. The rollout of Kid Made Modern continues, following its successful launch with Selfridges, while further lines will be added to the Fisher Price preschool range alongside new tooled Kids@Play lines for this category. The company’s plush offering continues to grow and develop with the DZNR range expansion, following the sell-out success of the Batman collectible range in Q4 2019.

The Harry Potter offering moves into its third year, transitioning into a stable year-round product line and introducing plush with sound features. Kids@ Play’s outdoor toys category benefits from the greatest increase in new product and development, with Bedazzle Bubbles, a Falk JCB tractor and a number of newly tooled ride-ons hitting the market for Q1.

As a business, Kids@Play states that it has come a long way in a short space of time, with 2020 promising to be a breakthrough year as several exciting projects come to life.

Zuru 01604 401 719 | sales@geemac.biz Due to Boppi the Booty-Shakin’ Llama’s global success, Zuru will be launching a Rainbow Boppi for Q1 2020. Driving the Pets Alive brand growth, new items will be introduced within the range including the Rainbow Boppi re-skin to refresh the hit llama’s look. The new Rainbow version will include new songs and the famous ‘booty shakin’’ twerk.

Rainbocorns, Zuru’s collectible plush IP, continues to grow with new series and even more surprises.

The brand encompasses on-trend cute animals, sequins and surprises, and more. In addition to a robust Easter campaign planned for the original Sequin Surprise Egg, Big Bow, and new Sparkle Heart ranges, spring 2020 will see the launch of a Rainbocorns licensing programme encompassing apparel, stationery and accessories.

A new wave of 5 Surprise blind collectible capsules will hit the UK market from February. Brand new Dino Strike and Unicorns Series 2 will bring a host of surprise toys to collect plus super rare character figures across both themes. The new Dino Strike collection includes 13 dinos to collect and battle, each with customised accessories.

Focus will continue with the Smashers Dino line and new Epic Dino Egg throughout Q1 and in the lead up to the Easter period. The Epic Dino Egg has introduced a new way to play for the Smashers brand, retaining the smash-open feature but with the added element of an engaging unboxing and construction experience. Each egg holds over 20 surprises for children to uncover an exclusive Smash-O-Saur Dino. All the Smash-O-Saurs bones are hidden within different compounds which children will need to excavate from putty, slime, fizzing volcanos and dino dirt before constructing the Smash-O-Saur itself. With three to collect, each Epic Dino Egg also includes six Smash Egg Smashballs, a digging tool, scratch-map and a Smash Egg rebuilder.

Cotton Candy Cuties from Zuru’s Oosh portfolio offers soft and fluffy scented cotton candy foam with a surprise squishy cutie inside. Series 2 features heavily in Q1 2020 with the new Glitter Sparkle line, which includes four new colours and six new squishy surprises.

All brands will be supported by PR and marketing campaigns, including global television commercials, and digital and social media content across all channels.

Skyrocket Toys 01489 668441 | www.skyrocketon.com

Blume dolls feature revolutionary, patent-pending reveal technology. Tipped to be one of this year’s most popular collectibles, the dolls have impressed audiences at events, in-store events and across social media thanks to their captivating opening experience.

Simply adding water to each flowerpot causes one of 22 collectible dolls to bloom, revealing 10 different surprises within the pot including stickers and miniature friends.

Blume Dolls series 2 is set for release in early 2020, with further ‘sun-sational’ surprises revealed with every doll. The bright packaging, which is appreciated by kids and parents alike for its clever use of materials to minimise waste, has been updated for the second wave and features a larger pot for even greater value.

There are 22 new dolls to collect across a variety of rarities in series 2. The dolls’ dramatic hairstyles have undergone a make-over, now delivering even squishier slow-rise foam as well as a dramatic colour-change element when the doll is placed in sunlight. Mix & match fashions, accessories and mini friends complete the surprises in each pot, all of which are compatible with series 1 for added play value.

The Blume hero line for spring/summer 2020 is the new Secret Surprise Garden. Including beach inspired must-have fashion accessories, the new play set is filled with over 30 surprises, sticker sheets, a Rare Blume Doll and a host of mix & match outfits and accessories, all compatible with series 1. New-look packaging and colour change technology make this a stand-out product for the New Year.

Further bolstering the brand is Blume Baby Pop. Each Baby Pop flower planter opens to reveal a secret nursery and 25 surprises. There are plenty of babies to collect complete with magic gender reveals, assorted baby moods, a snuggle buddy and over 60 accessories including costumes for dress-up play. In line with the brand, there’s a fun reveal to enjoy with each product; simply pulling on each sprout pops out a surprise. This play pattern can be repeated again and again. There are five themes to collect across the Blume Baby Pop series, all of which are based on key trends - Sea, Llama, Zoo, Woodland and Unicorn.

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www.swagdistribution.co.uk

sales@swagdistribution.co.uk

0121 3891 092

Q1 Ranges

Schleich 01279 870 000 | www.schleich-s.com/en Kids can look forward to new adventures in 2020 with Schleich’s Wild Life collection. The New Year will see more exotic figures join the range, together with some engaging play sets as Ranger Tom and his animal friends start their trip around the world. Fans can look out for the new Red Panda from the remote mountainous areas of the Himalayas, as well as a Wombat from Australia.

Schleich’s Horse Club brand goes from strength to strength; the upcoming introduction of new horse figures and play sets will expand this equine theme. Hannah’s Western Riding set makes barrel racing possible in the Horse Club arena, together with several new horse breeds to collect. Horse Club will see continued TV support well into Q1 2020.

Schleich’s Farm World range is a go-to brand for parents and young children alike. Single animal figurines will continue to be in the offering, and, from January, children can collect an array of new animals including some familiar domestic pets for the Farm World collection. Items include the

Rabbit and Guinea Pig hutch play set and the Playtime for Cute Cats set.

The Dinosaur range will benefit from a major expansion next year with fearsome new creatures to collect alongside the introduction of play sets and a strong new theme.

Schleich’s fantasy worlds will also be enhanced, as all-new creatures conquer the lava and ice worlds of Eldrador and glittery new additions join Bayala’s horse family.

The entire Schleich portfolio will be supported with substantial PR and marketing campaigns for 2020.

Canal Toys 01904 379 123 | www.canaltoys.fr/en Canal Toys launches So Slime Glam DIY, a new addition to the Slimelicious product range. Designed in-house, the team has created eyecatching perfume and beauty shakers, bringing a touch of glamour and even more fun to the DIY slime craze.

Slimelicious So Slime Glam DIY offers slime fans a different way to get creative. There are two three-pack designs to choose from; the So Slime Glam DIY Make Up collection, or the So Slime Glam DIY Perfume set. Both are available alongside a full range of products from single slime shakers to the So Slime Glam DIY Studio. Each product comes complete with shakers featuring either a make-up or perfume theme, which also provide ideal storage for the slime creations and help keep the scented slime smelling fresh. Each pack includes glitter, confetti and colours in addition to an attractive scent. Everything kids need is inside the packs; just add water.

Canal Toys So Slime Glam DIY will be available from January and will be supported by extensive TV and online marketing campaigns. So Slime Glam DIY entertains all price points between £4.99 and £19.99 to give the consumer a wide selection of items from across the range, and offers retailers the chance to expand beyond traditional slime play.

Hexbug 01925 454 093 | www.squishmallows.co.uk Following the success of Squishmallows in 2019, Innovation First will introduce a third phase of the plush collectible in early 2020.

Squishmallows plush toys combine the cuteness and wide-ranging appeal of the Japanese Kawaii look with an irresistible squishy softness. The Squishmallows ‘squad’ became an instant collectible phenomenon in North America and beyond in 2018, with more than 45m now sold since launch.

This success has been replicated across the UK with weekly sales reaching 10,000 units per week. Two phases of 13 characters launched this year, followed by new seasonal Halloween and Christmas characters.

For Q1, the newest collection will offer a further 12 7.5” characters for kids to enjoy, including Avery the Mallard and Lexie the Cheetah. As well as being priced at an attractive impulse purchase point, the range also captures the imagination of kids thanks to the unique personalities developed for each character. Children can also extend the play possibilities of Squishmallows thanks to a dedicated UK website which enables them to play games, print off adoption certificates and delve into the world of each character.

Extensive licensing plans are set to expand the range into different sectors later in 2020, increasing the popularity of Squishmallows even further.

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FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CALL +44 (0)1293 804599 OR VISIT WWW.ALPHATOYSUK.COM

Q1 Ranges

Tobar 01603 397105 | www.tobar.co.uk Tobar is going into 2020 with new additions to its growing pocket money collection. The current Dino World and Shark World ranges are already being expanded.

Ringing the changes will be a new rainbow line of accessories. Lucky rainbows is a theme for the new year and Tobar is on trend with new hair clips, rings and snap bracelets, along with colourful rainbow shaped squishies, rainbow clay and Pom Pom pens.

Tobar is also expanding its range of wooden pocket money toys for Q1, introducing some classics to a new generation.

Swag Distribution 01213 891 902 | www.swagdistribution.co.uk For the first quarter of 2020, Swag will be launching a range of highquality speakers from Mobility on Board. After success in the European market, Mobility on Board speakers are driving forward technological innovation and design. Featuring high quality, powerful sound, a long battery life and cute designs, MOB speakers are ideal for gadget lovers and kids alike.

The patented Dancing Animal speakers are available in a range of cute and on-trend animal designs, including a unicorn, llama and cat.

The Dancing Animal speakers move to music and each animal can be paired for the ultimate stereo sound. The Adorable Speakers are equipped with removable accessories that allow the customer to personalise their product by creating a new look, such as a Panda-corn.

Combining style and design innovation, the Cutty Clock features motion-sensitive technology that detects movement and sound. The display is triggered when motion is detected, and enters battery saving mode when there is no movement. Both the Cutty Alarm and Cutty Speaker feature a calming night light to enhance any bedroom and help children drift off to sleep.

Posh Paws 01268 567317 | www.poshpawsinternational.co.uk As the official plush partner for the 2020 release of the DreamWorks Trolls World Tour movie, Posh Paws new Trolls World Tour product line will be available from 1st January. The range includes key characters such a Poppy and Branch, not to mention new and exciting characters from the new film in a variety of sizes. With these plush toys, kids will be able to join Poppy and the crew on a brand-new musical adventure.

Following the release of Disney’s Frozen II movie, Posh Paws’ range of plush characters is sure to be a big hit in the New Year with all the most popular characters available in plush form.

New to the Posh Paws line up, Sunny Bunnies will light up the spring season. The five fun, colourful and excitable bunnies arrive on shelves from January. Available in small, medium and large sizes, all the toys will feature sound; the medium and large versions also offer a fun hopping movement to entertain kids.

As the new home of Ragtales, Posh Paws will distribute a range of traditional soft toys and rag dolls with heritage and character in the New Year. These high quality British-designed rag dolls and soft toys take inspiration from the heritage of British Life, utilising the highest quality fabrics and textiles.

2020 will also see Posh Paws introduce a whole host of premium plush from some of the hottest brands around, introducing characters from some of the biggest TV shows and movies to hit our screens.

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NICK.COM/SPONGEBOB © 2019 Alpha All rights reserved. © 2019 Viacom International Inc. All Rights Reserved. Nickelodeon, SpongeBob SquarePants and all related titles, logos and characters are trademarks of Viacom International Inc. Created by Stephen Hillenburg.

Viewpoint Time to invest in Amazon?

Jim Hawker Co-founder of Threepipe agency: a team of PR, social, content, SEO and paid media experts

A

round 12 months ago, we noticed more of our client discussions about growth strategies were coming back to what to do about Amazon. But there was almost a feeling of trepidation about how to tackle this ‘wild west’ of retail, where brands themselves are competing against resellers of their own products.

This, combined with a lack of understanding about how to work with the Amazon platform, or of the Amazon algorithm itself, has been a major barrier to brands investing their marketing spend into this e-commerce platform.

Over the last 12 months though, there has been a shifting of sands.

Amazon itself is starting to court agencies and brands and to position itself as a viable alternative to the existing duopoly of Google and Facebook, which consumes most brand media budgets.

With more product searches starting on Amazon than Google – and with higher purchase intent – brands realise that they must develop a well-considered strategy to protect and grow their revenues.

Brands choosing to ignore Amazon over the last few years has created massive gaps that challenger

The Long Black Friday

David Ripley David is currently EMEA category director for Toys, Nursery, Sporting Goods & Pet Care at Groupon.

His long career as a toy buyer has included stints at a number of the industry’s largest retail accounts.

O

nce upon a time Black Friday was a very short term and tactical opportunity to boost sales during a holiday that is not actually recognised as such and therefore doesn’t actually exist. The reality is that it is a Friday bridging a Thursday and a weekend without much else to do but shop for leisure.

Black Friday quickly morphed into a two day period with the addition of Cyber Monday, the weekend bridged to become Cyber Weekend and then onto the inevitable Black Friday week. My laboured point is that Black Friday is over-used as an opportunity to promote slashed priced product. For the toy industry, the timing of the 4th Thursday in

brands have filled. Brands that you have never heard of are actively stealing revenue from well-known rivals, because they have thrown themselves into the platform and understand how to make the Amazon algorithm works.

It is increasingly important therefore that new and established brands consider how they can both optimise organically for relevant product searches on the platform and also create effective paid media strategies that capture the huge product search volumes from a growing customer base. Brands need help in better forecasting and pricing competitively on a platform that requires a more dynamic approach to pricing strategies.

Because of the level of sales and forecasting data that it is possible to gather from Amazon, we are building out innovative revenue sharing agreements as part of our compensation model. This requires us to build out an agreed baseline of performance and a revenue share based on incremental sales and allows us to share the risk and reward with our clients.

The Amazon ecosystem will continue to evolve in the same way that the Google and Facebook platforms are innovating and making it easier for brands to

November is a perfect opportunity to create more sales velocity in peak trading season.

So is Black Friday commercially good for the toy industry, or indeed any industry? I still can’t answer that question without giving a long diplomatic response and one I don’t have the space in this column to draft, other than to state that if a company can turn a profit from deep discounting and clear through large stock volumes then it could be seen as a great commercial opportunity.

I am sure that this year’s Black Friday opportunity will bring most retailers to the table in terms of discounting within the main toys category, with high profile brands to drive both much needed footfall in-stores and customer conversion

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invest. It’s an opportunity which brands need to consider adding to their overall media plans, or at least start testing some campaigns to understand the impact of their marketing spend.

We were fortunate to have a number of clients over the last year who were willing to commit some test budget to Amazon. The results have given them the confidence to spend more and balance out their media plans. However, although it’s simple to think that Amazon should only be considered by physical products, we are seeing an increasing number of financial services brands keen to drive brand awareness campaigns through Amazon channels because of its urban ABC1 customer profile.

Amazon isn’t the only game in town though. We are seeing more interest from brands keen to help build out strategies on eBay but also on non-marketplace third party retail sites, such as Argos and Very. co.uk.

What is clear is that brands need to think about how to better manage their sales across third party online sites. Revenue is needlessly being lost every day because of a lack of understanding of how to work with the bespoke algorithms at play.

online. Sometimes a promotional hook is all that is required to get customers browsing the ‘full price’ offer.

There has been much made of the decline in retail employment levels in recent years and it is hard to see how retail at a macro level can return to growth, however I am still seeing lots of traditionally bias retailers taking digital talent to complement their commercial ranks.

There is also plenty of movement the other way with e-commerce pure players needing traditional trading skills in their teams - blending teams with the right capability and experience mix is becoming ever more important in the dynamic retail industry and I am sure a recipe for future commercial success.

B

y the time you read this article, the countdown to Christmas will be in full flow. There will be just over 50 days to Christmas, 30 days until we open our first advent calendar - and Brexit day will have officially arrived (or will it?).

Across the media, there are stories of excited bargain hunters trying to find out when national retailers will be dropping prices. When will the inevitable surge in demand come?

Retailers spend a significant amount of time trying to forecast the sales pattern subject to the way Christmas “falls”. If memory serves me correctly, the best sales performance years are when Christmas Day falls on a Monday, or possibly a Tuesday. People tend to finish work on the Friday and then you’ve got two or three shopping days with a dedicated Christmas focus. This year, Christmas Day is a Wednesday, which mean a stop-start Christmas break, as many will go to work on the Monday & Tuesday.

These subtle differences matter and

have real business impacts. Expect to see the headlines: “Christmas is coming late this year”.

Such retail nuances, and the associated pressures, affect suppliers in the run up to Christmas in a number of ways, but one area that kills me every year is having to accept that some products simply have not worked.

Every item that we sell, I have bought. If I bought it, I must have had good reason, and I must have believed it to be a good decision. Anyone who says business isn’t personal and/or emotional doesn’t get our industry - I love toys, I love what I do, and I am sometimes even guilty of overselling great toys that aren’t even ours!

All of our range is carefully curated to appeal to consumers, but the difficulty is getting it in front of the consumer. You can’t always quite convince the gatekeeper - aka buyer to showcase the items to the market.

Sometimes you simply forecast the volumes/success incorrectly, and are left with residual stock. Only one company in my working career

achieved a 97% sell through rate of all stock brought in for Christmas, and even that wasn’t repeated the following year.

It is at this point in the year you have to accept that some items have not worked with the buyers. I look at these items on a boring stock list, or on racking in brown boxes in our warehouse, and it is soul destroying.

If I open up a case and look at the brilliant toy within, memories flood through the brain: the excitement of that first view of the item; the excitement of sharing the product information with the sales team; the emails confirming a listing; the stock arrival in warehouse and the despatches. Oh, how we love it when the orders and despatches go through!

The rush and the buzz.

Unfortunately, time has moved on and this once beautiful product is no longer loved, so it becomes destined for the clearance or promotional offers list. I can’t be the only one who thinks, “you will always be beautiful to me.

Remember, I will always love you,” as the final order is chased.

You are so beautiful to me

Nat Southworth Nat is managing director of Kids@Play Ltd, has bought toys for Asda, and held sales & marketing positions with Vivid, HTi, and Hornby. He is completing an Executive MBA at the University of Leeds.

Feature

Frozen II

Snow business Disney’s Frozen II makes its long-awaited debut on 22nd November, almost six years to the day since the first movie premiered in the USA in 2013. With product now on-shelf, and excitement for the new movie reaching fever-pitch, Toy World looks at the history of the franchise and asks whether the sequel can live up to industry expectations.

W

hen Frozen was released on 27th November 2013 in the USA, no one could have predicted the lofty heights it would reach or the hype it would generate, least of all Disney.

Across its Wednesday-Sunday Thanksgiving weekend opening, the movie raked in $93m before going on to ultimately bag $1.27b at the box office, including $400m in the United States and Canada and $247m in Japan. It was the highest grossing film of 2013, and is currently the 15th highest grossing film of all time, ahead of Disney’s 2017 Beauty and the Beast live-action remake and behind Universal Pictures’ Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom. Outside the box office, Frozen also smashed records for home sales of DVDs and Blu-rays. With over 18m home media sales in 2014, it became the best-selling film of the year in

the United States. And by January 2015, Frozen had become the all-time best-selling Blu-ray Disc in the United States. If one thing is clear, it’s that Frozen II has an awful lot to live up to.

The film follows Queen Elsa as she attempts to uncover why she was born with her magical, icy powers. The answer is both calling her and threatening her kingdom. Together with her sister Anna, Kristoff the ice man, Olaf the snowman and Sven the reindeer, Elsa sets out from the kingdom of Arendelle on a dangerous but remarkable journey, travelling to the ancient, autumn-bound forest of an enchanted land to discover the truth.

Here, the sisters meet several new characters including members of the Northuldra – people who live in the forest and have a deep connection with their environment. According to Disney’s

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official character bios, Yelana (voiced by Martha Plimpton), the unspoken leader of the nomadic Northuldra, is fiercely protective of her family and community but is known to soften when people show an understanding of nature. Honeymaren (voiced

by Rachel Matthews) is a true free spirit and wants nothing more than to bring peace to the enchanted forest. She is bold and brave, with a reverence for the magic of nature. Eager and fun, Honeymaren's brother Ryder (voiced by Jason Ritter) embraces life with optimism and possesses a love of reindeer that might just rival Kristoff's. But, unlike Kristoff, Ryder has never roamed the great plains outside of the Enchanted Forest, and so longs to venture beyond the magical mist that surrounds the forest. And as no Disney movie is complete without an adorable animal, Frozen II introduces Bruni, a curious and

Magic Ice Sleeve

Whisper & Glow

Follow Me Friend Olaf

Ice Walker www.flairplc.co.uk

AS SEEN ON TV

© Disney

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Frozen II

cute salamander. The movie also reintroduces the sisters’ father King Agnarr (voiced by Alfred Molina).

The son of King Runeard and husband of Queen Iduna, Anna and Elsa’s mother, King Agnarr would do anything to ensure his daughters’ wellbeing and safety. As we know from Frozen, Agnarr and Iduna are supposed to have perished in a shipwreck when the sisters were quite young, and while Agnarr has only been glimpsed during flashbacks in the trailer, fans have been wildly speculating what his appearance might mean.

‘In Frozen, Elsa feared her powers were too much for the world,’ reads the official synopsis provided

by Disney. ‘In Frozen II, she must hope they are enough.’ At a time of turmoil within retail, stores and licensees are also hoping the film will be enough to significantly boost sales for the toy industry, following what’s been another turbulent and challenging year.

Having seen Frozen II at a special advance screening (we’re not jealous, honest), Stuart Grant, buying director at The Entertainer, is confident that the film will meet fans’ high expectations. “There’s a huge amount of excitement and anticipation for this movie from its young fans, and I think they will come out very pleased with what they’ve seen,” he told Toy World. “The storyline is more complex than the first movie, and there are some deep themes, some of which could be challenging for younger kids. However, Olaf is in Frozen II a lot more than the first movie, and he brings a light humour to some tough topics. I really feel that Disney has got it right, balancing its more mature storyline with moments of light-heartedness that we saw throughout the original movie.”

We asked Stuart if he feels that Disney is attempting to tempt back the original fans of Frozen with its grown-up plot, all of whom are now – obviously - six years older. “Good question. The demographic of the movie is pitched somewhat older; personally, I think Disney might struggle a little bit to pull in the original target viewer at their current age, but I know that the storyline will really appeal to them. I don’t know exactly what Disney’s strategy was, but perhaps you’re

right; it’s attempting to lure the original fans back.”

The decidedly aged-up plot is reflected in the official trailers for the movie. While Frozen was originally advertised and marketed as a light-hearted (if chilly) romp through some wintery Nordic landscapes, Frozen II has been billed as a darker, deeper, coming-of-age adventure from the get-go.

Perhaps Disney recognised that the gap between movies has been a reasonably big one, and wanted to use its adverts to speak directly to those kids who think they’ve moved on from Frozen. Time will tell whether this approach has worked.

Alongside Frozen’s strong visuals and appealing themes of family and sisterhood, the first movie was hailed for its music, with songs by husband and wife team Robert Lopez and Kristen Anderson-Lopez,

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and a score produced by Christophe Beck. Frozen’s stand out ballad Let It Go, sung for the movie by Idina Menzel, who also voices Elsa, snagged the studio a number of awards including an Academy Award for Best Original Song, a Critic’s Choice Movie Award for Best Original Song, and a Grammy Award for Best Song Written for Visual Media. The view counter for Disney’s official Let It Go sing-along on YouTube currently stands at 1.8b, and one of our contributors referred to it as ‘as good a karaoke song as Disney could ever create.’

In a recently released 75 second trailer, Disney gave fans their first real taste of one of the major songs from Frozen II, Into the Unknown, which is sung by Elsa. The title of one of Anna’s numbers has also been revealed as The Next Right Thing, and Disney appears to be tipping both as the major sing-along hits from the new film. While the music from the new movie will undoubtedly be impressive, the big question is whether Frozen II has a song which can rival the success of Let It Go. Frozen fever didn’t noticeably kick in until 2014, when the soundtrack really started hitting home. Driven by covers, parodies, viral videos and social media coverage, Let It Go propelled Frozen from simply a great movie to a genuine phenomenon.

Documentaries were made on the film’s success, a Broadway stage show was created, conventions hosted fan festivals, and meet & greets with cast and costume characters were overrun with giddy children. The unexpected popularity of Frozen also caused huge shortages in licensed product including dress-up, dolls and games – which only drove demand even further.

“Look at how the timeline transpired the first time around,” says Stuart. “The UK movie launch was on 6th December, and there was very little product available; even in that year, Mattel was closing out its master toy lines to me. Then the music took off and we had YouTube videos causing massive hysteria, so when the DVD came out for Easter everyone wanted product - but there wasn’t any. When product did hit in late spring, it simply evaporated; we couldn’t keep it in stock. At the time, my youngest daughter

The Magic is in Their Hands

© Disney ©2019 The LEGO Group.

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Frozen II

desperately wanted a Frozen birthday party, but there were no Elsa dresses to be had anywhere; they were selling out before you could blink. I had to call in a major favour with the Disney store to ensure she got one for her big day.”

He continued: “We’ve adopted a cautiously aggressive strategy to stocking Frozen II this time around, which we see as one of our big bets for Christmas. We’ve gone into every product category to offer a compelling range across dolls, role-play, arts & crafts and games, which we previously found to be the four core areas. We tried to be as scientific as possible in our ordering without seeing what the movie was like, but, now we have seen it, we’re so confident in our approach that we have upscaled orders with suppliers that can react to what we feel will be the most resonant lines.”

SMF Toytown is taking a similar approach, as explained by Brian Simpson, general manager.

“Originally, we wanted to keep our ranging extremely tight, but by the time you cover off all the age groups across the relevant categories you always end up with quite a large product offering. Personally, I think Frozen II will be big; while I always feel that Disney

over-licenses its properties, the reaction to our range has been strong so far. Rather than placing Frozen II in the girls’ aisle, we will have it as a separate end cap for the next few months – it’s the most exciting new thing to hit the shelves this Christmas.”

Toy Barnhaus is also expecting big things from the movie, and has Frozen II ranges set up in its stores both on-shelf and in the windows, where possible, to boost awareness. While the retailer has opted to group most of the product together, it has said that some of its licensed lines will sit in other areas of the stores. “While the girls’ aisle is crowded, I think there’s still room for Frozen II, although some of the smaller licences may take a hit,” suggests coowner and manager Stephen Barnes. “It’s generally a different market to L.O.L., though the rest of the Disney Princesses may slow down a bit. Products are selling well already, after only a few weeks’ worth of sales, and I think demand will carry on building over the next few weeks as we get closer to the film release.”

We asked if the same demand is expected for Frozen II product as with the original. “It’s difficult to judge, as when the first film came out there wasn’t

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much hype for it,” Stephen says. “It was the year after the film came out that the demand rocketed, and 2014 was like no other year in its demand for the licence in that respect. I don’t think Frozen II will be quite as big as that, but I am anticipating that it will be our biggest licence over the next six months.”

As the clock ticks down and new trailers continue to emerge, all the industry can now do is hope that Frozen II is as good as the trailers and early feedback would suggest it is. A response to the film that even comes close to that of 2014 would be very welcome at this moment in time, as retail continues to face its own particular set of challenges.

“Bear in mind that everyone is planning for Frozen II to be successful, but perhaps not as successful as the original,” finishes Stuart Grant. “This is in no way whatsoever a criticism of the movie; it’s just that Frozen was a cultural phenomenon. I would say that it will be impossible for demand to reach the same heights this time around, though I desperately want to be wrong. We need something in our industry right now to kick start things. Hopefully, Frozen II is it.”

To celebrate the release of Disney Frozen 2, Jakks Pacific have released an enchanting new range of products featuring all your favourite characters from the movie!

Dressed in her stunning purple nightgown, straight from the film, Elsa sings ‘Into the Unknown’ and says 14 movie-inspired phrases! Dress also lights up in a gorgeous pattern so kids can relive their favourite scenes and story moments! Includes one doll with dress and pair of shoes.

AAA Batteries Included

£39.99

Anna and Elsa Adventure Dolls Anna and Elsa are dressed in their adventure outfits and boots, inspired from the film, so girls can play out their favourite Disney Frozen 2 story moments! Includes Anna or Elsa doll with dress and pair of boots.

3+ years | Available: Now

£27.99

Sisters Snow Sceptre Celebrate the power of sisterhood with the Disney Frozen 2 Snow Sceptre. Anna and Elsa figures are dressed in their Adventure Outfits from the film, and are inside the fun snow globe feature. Press the diamond button to activate an instrumental version of ‘Into the Unkown’, a new song from the movie! Includes the sceptre only.

3+ years | Batteries Included

£16.99

£119.99

Playdate Sven Playdate Sven has over 20 sounds, three touch points and soft reindeer fur! Feed him his carrot to hear him chomp. He also makes galloping sounds as his reigns are pulled and bobs his head. At three feet tall, he can hold a child of up to 70 lbs and makes the perfect companion for any Disney Frozen 2 fan! Includes Sven and carrot.

3-6 years | 2 AA Batteries Included

For further details contact: 01344 638900 Email: jakksuk@jakks.net

©2019 JAKKS Pacific, Inc. © 2019 Disney.

Into the unknown Elsa Doll

Feature

Frozen II

A new journey Toy World spoke to Claire Terry, Disney consumer products general manager, UK and Ireland, about Disney’s hopes for Frozen II. Frozen was a genuine phenomenon, both in terms of box office and merchandise sales.

Realistically, what are your expectations for the Frozen II movie? Can it hit the heights of the first film? What level of performance would make you happy?

Frozen really was a global phenomenon; it fast became the highest grossing animated film of all time, taking $1.27b at the Global Box Office and winning two Academy Awards. Six years on, Elsa and Anna still track highly in terms of kids’ favourite characters, so we’re excited to see their reaction. We revealed product on 3rd October at our Frozen Fan Fest event and it went on sale 4th October. The initial response has been fantastic, with retailers reordering over and above what were already very ambitious forecasts.

The first-time round, there was an initial shortage of product in the market, followed by a huge volume of merchandise that eventually arrived after demand had built to a peak. Presumably the sales pattern will be very different this time round; how do you see the sales curve shaping up over the coming months?

The reaction to the first film and the product sales that resulted was overwhelming. We’re anticipating a similar demand, so we’re working hand-in-hand with licensees to ensure no one is left empty-handed. We saw a sales surge when product was first released, and we then expect a considerable increase in sales in the weeks leading up to Christmas.

After the first movie took off so spectacularly, a large number of licensees produced a huge volume of product for the first movie – is the licensing programme as extensive this time round?

We have a comprehensive but focused approach with our Frozen II licensing programme, working with a select number of licensees to create our most compelling and innovative range to date, across all categories and price points. The Frozen II ranges feature all the products you would expect to see, alongside new additions such as collectibles.

What has been the reaction of people who have seen Frozen II – does it have the same emotional resonance as the original movie?

The reaction to our recent full-length trailer shows that people are ready for this next instalment, with 1.2m in the Claire Terry UK viewing it within the first 24 hours of it going live. Writer and director Jennifer Lee says that Frozen II is a deeply emotional story about finding out who we are meant to be, with both films working together to form one complete story.

What plans do you have to keep the Frozen brand’s momentum going in 2020 and beyond?

2019 is just the start; demand for product went far beyond both the theatrical and DVD release of the original movie and we expect the same for Frozen II. We have a pipeline of new and innovative toys launching both for spring and next Christmas to satisfy the demand for new product; we expect Frozen II to be on all kids’ 2020 Christmas wish lists.

©Disney

Rubie’s proudly presents the Official Licensed Frozen 2 Dress Up Range Adult costumes also available Ask your Rubie’s account manager about our Frozen 2 range

Call us on: 08453 @Rubies_UK

070707

or email us: customerservices@rubiesuk.com @rubiesfamily_uk @RubiesUK @Rubies_EMEA

Over the following pages, Toy World rounds up a selection of the Frozen II merchandise which will be hitting shelves over the coming weeks.

Funko 020 3376 3223 | www.funko.com Funko unveiled its new products for the release of Frozen II at Disney’s Frozen Fan Fest in London last month.

Funko’s new products were bought to life in an autumnal setting, showcasing the new Pop! figures and the latest Loungefly apparel, as well as Funko’s Home & Gift range.

Each range includes favourite characters, both classic and new, from the film franchise.

The new Pop! lines include favourites like Anna and Elsa, alongside newer characters such as the 6” Water Horse and Earth Giant. With so much variety, the new range is ideal for Frozen fans to collect.

The Loungefly Olaf backpack will make a perfect travel companion once it hits retail in the next few months. The range will extend to three backpacks and matching wallets

by November. The backpacks provide plenty of sparkle and glitter, with one covered in sparkly white and blue reversable sequins.

Funko’s new Frozen Home & Gift line features a beautiful selection of tumblers, notepads and water bottles that will entice any age and bring the magic of Frozen into homes.

Lego 01753 495 000 | www.lego.com The Lego Group has released a new range of six new products ahead of the eagerly awaited cinema release of Disney's Frozen II. The new range is suitable for builders aged 4-6 and above.

Frozen fans can bring the movie home and recreate their favourite scenes with characters including Elsa, Anna, Olaf, Mattias and more. They can step into an enchanted forest adventure and unlock ancient magic with the Lego Disney Princess Enchanted Treehouse, travel the seas with the Lego Disney Princess Anna’s Canoe Expedition or take a ride in the Lego Disney Princess Elsa’s Wagon Adventure with Sven the reindeer.

Kids can also visit the market stalls with the Lego Disney Princess Arendelle Castle Village; the three floors can be easily removed, and builders can mix, match and move the furniture around. For more building fun, kids can create the Lego Disney Princess Olaf figure, which comes with adjustable neck and arms.

For children who love arts and crafts, the Lego Disney Princess Elsa’s Jewellery Box Creation, inspired by Elsa’s ice castle, can hold all their little treasures and comes with two new Lego rings inside to add to their collection.

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© Disney

© Disney

Jakks 01344 638 900 | www.jakks.com Jakks Pacific new Frozen II range is suitable for children aged three and above.

The Anna & Elsa Wig Assortment features wigs inspired by Anna and Elsa’s signature braided hairstyles from the film. Kids can complete their Anna and Elsa dress up play with the Anna & Elsa Boot Assortment. Innovative adjustable backing allows these boots to fit most girls. For a different style of footwear, kids can fashion Anna & Elsa Shoes – heeled slippers inspired by the story.

Elsa’s Enchanted Ice Vanity is inspired by Elsa’s ice palace and iconic design elements from Frozen II. Doors open to play music and magically reveal Arendelle’s castle. The Magic mirror cycles through three story moments and plays iconic songs from the film. It comes with a vanity, headband, snowflake clips, brush and comb.

Elsa’s Vanity Set is the perfect addition to Elsa’s Enchanted Ice Vanity. The set has over 10 hair play pieces including a hair twirler, comb, hair swirls, snowflake clips, snowflake barrette, ribbon clips, hair elastics and a reusable carrying case Sisters Snow Scepter celebrates the power of sisterhood. Anna and Elsa figures are dressed in their Adventure outfits from the new film. The snow globe feature activates as the sceptre is shaken, and it plays instrumental music from Frozen II. Disney Frozen II Anna & Elsa Adventure Dolls are dressed in their adventure outfits and boots, ready for kids to play out favourite Disney Frozen II story moments. Each doll comes with a dress and one pair of boots.

With the Anna & Kristoff Gift Set kids can celebrate Arendelle’s most beloved couple.

The gift set has authentic film details and designs and includes Anna and Kristoff dolls, Anna’s dress and shoes, Kristoff’s outfit and boots, ring and ring box.

Jakks “Into the Unknown” Elsa Doll includes depicts Elsa’s scene from Disney Frozen II with music and lights. Elsa is dressed in her purple nightgown from the film which lights up in patterns from the dramatic film moment. The doll sings Elsa’s new song and says 14 film-inspired phrases.

Kids can experience the action and adventure of Disney Frozen II with three-foot tall Playdate Sven, which features over 20 sounds, three interactive touch points and soft “reindeer fur” around his neck. Sven makes galloping sounds as his reigns are pulled and bobs his heads when pressed, triggering additional sounds. Kids can feed him his carrot when he asks for it to hear him chomp. Sven is the perfect size for a child to sit on and he supports up to 70 lbs; the product is suitable for kids aged 3-6 years.

Ravensburger 01869 363 830 | www.ravensburger.com Ravensburger’s line-up of Frozen II puzzles includes the Frozen II 3D Disney Castle Puzzle, which offers an engaging challenge with 216 interlocking shaped pieces. Once put together, this 3D puzzle showcases the impactful movie centrepiece and is perfect for display.

Ravensburger’s extensive range of Frozen II puzzles comprises ever popular formats, including Frozen II 4 in a Box puzzles and four Large Shaped Puzzles, as well as 35 piece, 100 piece and 200 piece editions.

The new Frozen II Go Elsa Go game encourages players to join Elsa in a race to reach Nokk the water horse. This family game is suitable for players aged four and above. Go Elsa Go joins Frozen II Junior Labyrinth, Frozen II 6 in 1 Games and Frozen II Mini memory.

Clementoni 020 3206 1397 | www.clementoni.com Clementoni has partnered with Disney with the launch of its Frozen II puzzles and craft kits across the UK and Europe.

Clementoni’s selection of Supercolour puzzles for children includes 104 pieces, 180 pieces, a set of 3 x 48 pieces and special feature puzzles with glitter effects and gem ‘jewel’ stickers. All puzzles use high quality materials and cut and print cut, with striking imagery from the movie.

In addition, the Frozen II Magic Crystal Set is a craft kit which enables children to create lots of iconic ‘Frozen’ crystals. The set includes a manual so that kids can also discover the chemical reactions of the salts used when making their own crystals.

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NEW

FOIL BALLOONS Available to order NOW!

Bouquet

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9

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NEW Options in the range

©Amscan 2019, ©Anagram 2019. All Rights Reserved. ©Disney www.disney.com/frozen

Hasbro 0208 569 1234 | www.hasbro.co.uk Hasbro has released a new collection of Frozen II products, including fashion dolls and playsets.

Inspired by Disney’s Frozen II, the ultimate Arendelle Castle Playset is a feature-filled fashion doll playset for young fans of the film franchise. The gates lead into the castle, comprising of four floors and seven rooms including a kitchen, music room and throne room on the first floor; a vanity room, bedrooms for Anna and Elsa dolls (not included) and a library on the third floor, plus a lookout tower on top. The Ultimate Arendelle Castle stands at five feet tall and four feet wide and includes 14 accessories, including a piano, throne, banquet table, vanity, sofa and more. When kids push the button on the moving balcony, they will see a colourful light show inspired by the Northern Lights. They can pull out the extending carpet to complete the royal décor. This playset is suitable for children aged three years and above.

Also available from Hasbro is the Disney Frozen II Fashion Doll Assortment, suitable for children aged three and above. The singing Fashion Dolls each feature the characters in the iconic dresses and hairstyles from the movie. Kids can press the button on the doll's bodice to hear a brief clip of an original song from the movie and see the bodice light up. The assortment includes Anna and Elsa dolls, each sold separately.

The Pop Adventures playsets are inspired by the new adventures in Frozen II and are suitable for kids aged three and above. By opening the case, an iconic movie inspired scene will pop up.

The pop-up effect is delivered through a soft plastic that collapses when the playsets are closed and rises when the playsets are opened. Storytelling accessories can be neatly stored inside the playset. Kids can recreate their favourite scene from the film and collect the characters from Pop Adventures Bling Bags.

Pioneer Europe 01279 501 090 | www.Qualatex.com The new Qualatex Disney Frozen II balloon range includes a new Bubble Balloon, featuring everyone's favourite Frozen characters. Also available are latex balloons in co-ordinating colours which are perfect for party decorations, or as a gift bouquet. They are available in packs of six or 25 balloons.

Pioneer Europe has also introduced a range of Frozen II tableware and party accessories under the Pioneer Party brand. The new range includes co-ordinating plates, cups and napkins, table covers and party accessories such as banners and party bags.

The full ranges can be found at www.qualatexeurope.com and www.pioneerparty.com.

Flair 020 8643 0320 | www.flairplc.co.uk Flair has a released a wide range of Frozen II toys and roleplay accessories.

Fans can act out their favourite Frozen scenes with Flair’s Frozen II Magic Ice Sleeve and Ice walker. The Magic Ice Sleeve is a magical glove which features jewel detailing and lace trimming, reflective of Queen Elsa's dress. The icy blue glitter bracelet secures the spray ice, and the ice trigger is connected to the bottom of the ring, so kids can simply lift their finger to activate the magic ice.

With the Frozen II Ice Walker, Frozen fans can imagine they are tiptoeing across an icy landscape. By slipping the magical foot projector over their shoe, kids can start walking or running and it will light-up and project snow crystals and ice on the floor.

This autumn the Frozen II Whisper and Glow Collection will introduce eight mini 3D characters that light up when kids blow on their heads. A single blow will activate the light up feature, whilst a second puff of air will see the light change colour to produce an illuminating rainbow experience. Mini Playsets with additional, exclusive characters will set a perfect frozen scene for fans to display their collection. Spring/summer 2020 will also see more exciting items added to the range.

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©Disney www.Disney.com/frozen

Includes a Sleepover Carry/ Storage Bag

My Dream Den

Fully Printed Anti-Slip Footplate Magical 10 Piece Fairy Lights

Rear Doll Carrier

Pretty Character Graphics and Shaped Plaque

Deluxe Tri-Scooter 14” Bike

A Journey Together!

Moose Toys 0845 602 2119 | www.moosetoys.com Moose UK has launched its new range of Frozen II products for Frozen fans to enjoy. The age appropriately designed beds and furniture ranges will appeal to aspiring Annas and Elsas, and make bedtime routines exciting for all.

The ReadyBed all-in-one sleep solution makes bedtime fun, whether kids are having sleepovers with friends or staying with grandparents during the holidays.

With the addition of the Frozen GoGlow Pop and Sven GoGlow Pal to the range, there is a nightlight solution for every child. The Pop is a 2 in 1 nightlight and torch – as it pops open it transforms into a lantern nightlight. The Sven pal is a soft and cuddly plush with night glow, offering comfort and security at bedtime.

Play Tents will aid imaginative play indoors and outdoors, whilst themed seating and storage options make excellent gifts for this year’s Christmas lists.

UK Greetings 01924 436384 | www.ukgreetings.co.uk UK Greetings has developed a new range of greeting cards and gift dressings for the release of Frozen II, featuring much loved characters from the film franchise and designs that capture the magic of the film.

The Frozen franchise remains a successful property in greetings cards and gift dressings. The product range from UK Greetings includes the popular Kids Age cards, for children of all ages, and female captions as well as new innovative formats including pop up and 3D scenes. A new gift card holder features Olaf.

As well as Birthday cards, the company has developed a range of greeting cards and gift dressings specifically for Christmas. The gift bags are large enough to accommodate any gift and feature iconic characters of the franchise.

UK Greetings also offers a 2-metre roll wrap and packaged wrap, both cornerstones of its Juvenile offering. They make easy pick-ups for busy parents and are ideal for larger gifting. Olaf features on both of these products to broaden the appeal and enrapture Frozen fans.

Amscan International 01908 288500 | www.amscan.co.uk Amscan has launched a new collection of foil balloons for Frozen II. The range features eight different options; from air-filled mini balloons, through to standard, SuperShape, Orbz, balloon bouquet and a Jumbo Sing-A-Tune, which with a simple ‘tap’ plays a tune from the upcoming movie. The balloons make a great gift for any Frozen fan, as well as creating an enchanting party setting alongside Amscan’s existing decorations and favours.

Key characters from the franchise feature on the balloons including Elsa, Anna, Kristoff, Sven and Olaf. Inspired by the new sequel movie, the designs feature an autumnal theme with vibrant red leaf patterns contrasted against the classic blue Frozen colour scheme. Not to be missed is the new ‘Nokk the Water Spirit’ SuperShape balloon which is a new addition for the sequel and is sure to be highly sought after.

Many of the new balloons have a two-sided design, providing great stand out for the key characters. The spherical Orbz takes this even further with an eye-catching four-sided design.

In addition to the new range of balloons, Amscan’s range of Frozen party accessories offers a wide variety of decorative products including pennant and letter banners, string decorations and paper chains. Cake accessories are also available, with both a decorating set and cake stand as part of the ensemble.

Amscan complete its Frozen offering with party dresses from its Disney Boutique collection. Styles include an Elsa aqua lace smock dress which comes with a matching headband, as well as a velvet dress with silver embroidery. The dresses are available in baby sizes and for children up to 10 years.

The full range of new Amscan Frozen II balloons and the existing offering of balloons, party decorations, favours and party dresses is available to order now.

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Posh Paws 01268 567317 | www.poshpawsinternational.co.uk Posh Paws is readying itself for the launch of its Disney Frozen II collection, as Frozen fans everywhere brace themselves for the upcoming release of Frozen II. Fans can choose from Olaf, sisters Anna and Elsa and faithful companion Sven. Each character in the premium plush collection will be available in a range of sizes, for on-thego fun or to use simply as a huggable, loveable companion.

Interplay 01628 488 944 | www.interplayuk.com VTech 01235 546 810 | www.vtech.co.uk VTech is launching four Frozen II products which will be available in time for the film launch. The VTech Frozen II Magic Learning Tablet features six Frozen II themed activities that help to reinforce the learning of letters, phonics, vocabulary, objects, spelling, matching, logic, classification, typing and more. The tablet features a Qwerty membrane keyboard, LCD screen, left and right cursor buttons, six activity buttons, fun animations and sound effects. Three-character buttons introduce Anna, Elsa and Olaf.

The Magic Secret Diary by VTech uses a voice activated locking system and involves 19 activities. Frozen fans can choose from five word games, four number and maths games, four logic and memory games, and in My Creativity there are five music, dance and shape creativity activities, all with a Frozen theme. The diary also contains a secret drawer and a settings menu to set the clock, alarm and put dates in the diary.

Other new introductions include VTech’s Frozen II Magic Colour Clock, with a soft glowing, colour-changing mood light that projects the time and silhouette of Anna and Elsa onto the ceiling and also includes motion-sensing controls; kids move their hand over the unit to interact with the games or change the colour of the light. The Frozen II Magic Colour Clock includes 10 Frozen themed clock faces to choose from and seven different coloured light effects. Kids can play two fortune telling activities and four mini games while watching their Frozen friends on the LCD screen. The colour changing light, built-in melodies and FM radio can also be used to create a relaxing atmosphere.

The VTech Frozen II Magic Learning Watch is a wearable gadget for children which shows the time and has an alarm, timer and stopwatch functions. There are four built-in games that introduce and reinforce the learning of counting, opposites, numbers and problem solving. The watch includes nine interchangeable digital clock faces and a glowing light.

Interplay UK has formed a partnership with Disney for a Frozen II licensed addition to its Face Paintoos brand.

Utilising its extensive expertise in the field, Interplay has created the new Disney Frozen II Face Paintoos with its advanced temporary face tattoo technology, making it easier than ever for fans to recreate the perfect Disney Frozen II face painting look and emulate their favourite characters. There will be five different designs in each box, featuring the key characters from the movie.

With Disney Frozen II Face Paintoos, it is simple to achieve great, long- lasting results every time. Face Paintoos transform face painting into a fun and easy activity for everyone, as they don’t smudge, and are quick and easy to apply and remove.

The new Disney Frozen II Face Paintoos will launch in time for the UK premiere of the new Frozen II movie in November.

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Disney Frozen 2 will hit UK cinemas this November 2019.

Order your Disney Frozen 2 Balloons & Partyware now!

Ask about our in-store marketing & display options

See our full ranges at www.qualatexeurope.com (Balloons) and www.pioneerparty.co.uk (Party) or call our friendly team on 01279 501090 to place an order.

USA Š2019 PBC SB-1907044 U.S. Patent No. 6,782,675

ŠDisney

Stor 07809 572 778 | www.storline.es Stor celebrates its 50th anniversary and the launch of Frozen II with a new Back to School range that includes eye-catching designs on both lunch bags and re-usable water bottles.

The Frozen II Stor collection offers products in tableware, lunch ware and bamboo ware, as well as porcelain mugs, 3D mugs and storage boxes.

Stor’s new Frozen II fashion drinkware items use chromed effects, glitter decorations and iridescent materials. Gift away charms and pompoms are integrated into the striking products.

To ensure the fullest support for the licensed housewares ranges, Stor has also made an additional investment in the UK sales operation by expanding the sales team and opening a new showroom. Stor will be presenting its ranges at Canton this October as well as at the Hong Kong, Nuremberg and Frankfurt shows next year.

Jumbo Games 01707 289 289 | www.jumbo.eu Jumbo has launched a new range of puzzles and a co-operative game for the release of Frozen II. Fans of the franchise can enjoy Frozen at home with Jumbo’s five brand new puzzles, aimed at children aged three and above. The new range includes a 4 in 1 Puzzle Pack, Puzzle & Colour, four Shaped Puzzles, Movie Collection Poster and 4 in 1 Round Puzzles.

To bring children and families together to experience the magic of Frozen II, Jumbo has also developed a brand-new co-operative game, True Friendship Board Game, suitable for 2-4 players aged four and above.

In this game, players must work together, playing as Anna, Olaf, Kristoff and Sven, to reach Elsa before the water horse Nokk does. By using the wind spinner as a guide through the Enchanted Forest game board, players will face various obstacles and challenges that they must overcome to reach Elsa in time to help save her.

Rubies 08453 070 707 | www.rubiesuk.com Rubie’s has developed a new range of costumes and accessories for the debut of Frozen II this month. Anna and Elsa will return to screens with new dresses, which will be a popular choice for gift buyers this festive season.

Elsa’s blue taffeta dress with sequin bodice detail comes with a soft suedette fabric belt adorned with a glittery snowflake and blue gems. The long length skirt has glitter detail, and the elegant look is completed with a detachable flowing organza cape. The dress is available in sizes small, medium, large and 9-10 years.

Rubies new range also features Anna’s new look, a smart satin dress and mock shirt with glitter print to bodice and skirt, plus some chunky gems. The belt is a separate piece, attached with Velcro at the sides. This outfit is finished with a luxe velour cloak with glitter print detail and is also available in sizes small, medium, large and 9-10 years.

Olaf has proven to be a popular character and Rubie’s has created an Olaf puffball glitter dress with moving arms, activated by air pump. This dress is available to buy in small, medium, large and 9-10 years.

Rubie’s Kristoff costume comprises a jersey printed top with mock ties and fringing detail. Polyester trousers with digitally printed foam boot tops complete the ensemble. Kristoff’s costume is available in toddler, small, medium, large and 9-10 years.

The Elsa, Anna and Kristoff costumes are all also available in adult sizes.

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360° mar keting campaign

Charades Board Game

Game p la in the M yed ovie

Charades Card Game

Phone: 01268 511522 Email: Info.UK@cartamundi.com

Character Options 01616 339 800 | www.character-online.com Squishy collectibles meet the characters of Disney’s Frozen movie with Character Options Mash’ems collection and Glow Friends plush toys.

Glow Talking Olaf is the perfect bedtime friend for any Frozen fan, complete with speech and light up effect.

With just a press of Olaf’s tummy, his face will gently glow, and he will delight kids with favourite Olaf phrases.

The Mash’ems range for autumn/winter includes a super squishy Frozen addition, which includes key Frozen characters such as Elsa, Anna, Olaf, and Sven.

At pocket money prices, Mash’ems make the perfect squishy and collectible pick-up treat. Presented in a handy CDU of 23 collectibles; the collectibles are perfect for displaying at till points, side-by-side with other key properties, or within a wider cross-category instore display. As 2020 is an anniversary year, Mash’ems is set to be at the forefront of Character’s marketing activity, including a key TV sponsorship campaign running from January through to June.

MV Sports 01217 488 000 | www.mvsports.co.uk MV Sports will be supporting the highly anticipated Frozen II film release with a range of wheeled toys, tepees and a Dream Den. All will be supported with a TV advert on Tiny Pop until Christmas.

The Frozen II trike and tri-scooter are decorated in an icy blue colour with flashes of Autumn colours and a bespoke shaped plaque featuring Elsa and Anna.

The three in one Scootin Suitcase is a fun way for kids to scoot around with all their favourite possessions. With three modes; carry case, trolley case and scooter, it also features an adjustable handlebar and internal storage pocket.

The bike range starts with a 10” two in one training bike, with a new and improved design. It has quick release pedals and easy to remove stabilisers, which make it quick and easy to transform the bike from a pedal to balance as a child grows in confidence. 12”, 14” and 16” Frozen II bikes are decorated in an autumn design, with the 14” featuring a doll carrier and the 16” featuring a handlebar basket, decorated with tassels.

My Dream Den, from MV Sports, is the perfect solution for sleepovers. Decorated with Elsa, Anna, Olaf and Sven, the My Dream Den comes complete with an inflatable mattress which quickly and easily slips inside the base to create a bed. Kids can decorate the den with the snowflake shaped fairy lights included.

With a closed top, integrated floor and durable polyester and PVC materials as well as water and UV resistance, play can continue inside or outside, come rain or shine. Simple tie back to the front flaps allow for the den to be left open, or closed for secret hidealways and a naptime spot. The whole product folds down to compact size for easy storage and comes with a carry bag for travels.

The Frozen II tepee also has an integrated floor, closed top and tie back doors, and is the perfect den to hide and play in.

IMC Toys 01904 720 908 | www.imctoys.com IMC Toys new Frozen II range includes the Frozen II Magic Light Micro Recorder; a microphone with light and sound effects that allows Frozen fans to practise singing to their favourite songs. The product includes preset melodies, as well as record and play back functionality so singers can listen back to their performances. Girls will love the Frozen II design and the features allow for hours of fun.

Also available are the Anna and Elsa walkie talkies, which encourage fun role play as well as helping with communication skills. They are perfect for enacting a secret mission, just like Anna and Elsa. The walkie talkies can be used both indoors and outdoors and have a range of 100 metres.

Other products in the Frozen II range include a secret diary bag, keyboard and microphone amplifier.

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Sambro 08458 739 380 | www.sambro.co.uk Sambro has launched a collection of Frozen II products with extensive ranges, from creative arts and craft, compounds, novelty and bags, to games and outdoor.

The Let’s Dough Frozen II range is one of Sambro’s most anticipated launches of the year and includes figural playsets, collectible surprise dough capsules and Make Your Own characters. The collection also features new formulations of slime, magical flow sand and brand-new compound creations.

Fun family games also feature in the Sambro line up, including the new Magical Whirlwind, where each player has a net and an Olaf card.

To play, they turn on the game and let the leaves and the Olaf pieces fly out. The first player to add all of the pieces of Olaf to their card wins the game. Elsa’s Magical Powers is a game of skill and speed, where the aim is to be the first player to collect one of each of the character cards that players land on around the board, to win the game.

Supported by a robust marketing strategy encompassing, YouTube, e-commerce and social, the full range launched in multiple territories from 4th October 2019.

Cartamundi 01268 511 522 | www.cartamundi.com Cartamundi is celebrating the upcoming release of Frozen II with its Charades Card game and Charades Board Game – perfect for the whole family to play this festive season. This classic family game mirrors the pertinent moment in the new film where the characters play charades.

The Charades Card Game comes with 52 Charades Cards which feature various Frozen II themed charades. For younger non-reading players, there are cards with illustrations. The game comes in a box and is perfect for on the go. The Charades Board Game takes the fun even further as each player acts out charades to move around the board and reach the North.

The Charades Board Game comes with four 3D figurines to be used as movers, featuring Elsa, Anna, Olaf and Sven. The interactive board has fun twists like the “Flip” squares where the charade is reversed. The charades games will be featured in Disney’s exclusive Frozen II TV ad across EMEA and will be heavily featured in the forthcoming unboxing events. Cartamundi has an extensive range of Frozen II games at every price point; from the entry level Pairs and Old Maid cards through to the Charades Board Game. The Four in One Card Game range has been very successful for Cartamundi and Frozen II will be added to the broad range of titles.

A Frozen II Home Sprint has also been added to the Disney games Race Home and Home Sprint range. The game is based on a classic goose game, where the aim is to get home as quick as possible, and comes with four beautiful 3D figurines as movers.

Spin Master 01628 535 000 | www.spinmastertoys.co.uk Spin Master Games’ selection of games and puzzles is themed around the new addition to the Disney Frozen II film franchise.

Based on the classic fishing game, the Disney Frozen II Ice Fishing Game involves catching snowflakes using fishing poles with fire spirits. Two barriers add extra challenges.

With Disney Frozen II Rumbling Rock Game, players race to the top of the mountain, being careful not to stir the resting Earth Giant. If they do the boulders will roll and then it’s anyone’s game. The game is suitable for 2-4 players, aged five and above.

Also new to the range is the Disney Frozen II 3D Ice Castle Puzzle. This popular 3D themed puzzle allows fans to construct Elsa’s Ice Castle, viewing it inside and out. Made from sturdy translucent plastic, the Frozen II 3D Ice Castle lights up when Frozen fans insert one of the three included character slides, featuring Elsa, Anna or Olaf. Kids can then use a phone to bring the vision to life. No app is needed, just the light from a phone. The 3D puzzle stands at 12” when complete and features spires, eaves, decorative trees and an elegant staircase, mirroring the castle from the Frozen II film.

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Feature

World Book Day

Take a book World Book Day 2020 is set to take place on 5th March, with kids nationwide encouraged to become their favourite book character for the day. A registered charity funded by publishers and booksellers in the UK and Ireland, World Book Day also promotes a love of reading, writing, illustrating and creativity. Toy World looks at what’s on offer from some key dress-up suppliers to help toy retailers make the most of the event.

D

ress-up and role-play options for World Book Day predominantly revolve around licensed kids’ properties, including everything from traditional titles parents will remember from their own childhoods to modern books fresh from the printing press. Though aimed at school-age kids, adults are increasingly joining in with the day, dressing to either match or complement their child’s outfit much as they would on Halloween. Teachers, too, appreciate the chance to join in the celebrations.

Alongside its existing David Walliams, Horrible Histories, Enid Blyton and Goosebumps ranges for kids, Smiffys has signed several new deals this year for licensed properties including Roald Dahl’s beloved books, which will be available in both child and adult sizes.

“Smiffys’ product range lends itself well to World Book Day because of the suitability of some of its popular ranges for all ages,” explains Dominique Peckett, director at Smiffys. “World Book Day drives sales in the dress-up sector for children, but the importance of the day is increasing for all ages of participants. Smiffys has responded to parent’s desire to get involved in the children’s licensed market with the launch of its Adult Roald Dahl Costumes, creating a look the whole family can wear.”

Dominique adds: “For kids, World Book Day continues to be heavily focused on bringing the magic of storybooks to life, and both schools and pre-schools across the UK are placing more emphasis on taking part. Role-play is a pivotal aspect of child

development; dressing as a favourite character is great fun and allows kids to learn by exploring through play. Smiffys has responded to increasing market demands with its new pre-school licences for 2020; Mog The Forgetful Cat and the Tiger Who Came To Tea, as well as new Spot the Dog, Where’s Wally and Roald Dahl baby dress-up collections.”

World Book Day compiles lists of the best new children’s books in the run-up to March, helping kids expand their reading repertoire with age-appropriate titles across both fiction and non-fiction. The charity also offers ideas for dressing-up, with suggestions from Spot the Dog to characters from Harry Potter and the elusive Where’s Wally. Away from licensed characters, World Book Day also offers the chance for kids to get creative with generic costumes based on animals or fairytale creatures, or to use face paints and accessories to create a look that’s all their own.

Pretend To Bee has an extensive range of accessories and costumes suitable for a wide range of dress-up opportunities, not just for Book Day, although its website has a helpful World Book Day section highlighting costume choices such as Robin Hood, Maid Marian, Farmer, Pirate and Astronaut.

The company’s range also lets kids pretend to be an animal or mini-Beast from their favourite story book such as Dear Zoo, The Enormous Crocodile, The Very Hungry Caterpillar, The Bad Tempered Ladybird, The Foolish Tortoise, The Snail and the Whale, Dragon Stew, and What the Ladybird Heard.

“Trends aren’t really our thing at Pretend to Bee; instead, we focus on premium quality costumes

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that last for many years and can be handed down,” explains Kate Skitt, marketing manager. “For us, it’s more about creating and offering the perfect Fox or Caterpillar costume that can be used in all areas of play. This offers a more sustainable approach to purchasing and a longevity in use of the costumes which is undeniably better from a cost perspective for the parents. We promote our ranges on social media in the lead up to World Book Day, highlighting relevant products to our customers while ensuring good availability and fast turnaround on all lines.”

Retailers looking to get involved with World Book Day in 2020 should consider looking into authors who lived or still do live locally, books that tie into local tales or legends, or titles celebrating landmark anniversaries that are likely to be in the spotlight with consumers. Spot the Dog celebrates his 40th anniversary next year, while Elmer the Patchwork Elephant and Eric Carle’s The Very Hungry Caterpillar respectively celebrated their 30th and 50th anniversaries this year, marked by celebratory events.

And although it was not originally a book, it would be remiss not to mention the opportunities offered for dress-up by the hugely anticipated upcoming release of Disney’s Frozen II (more on this from pages 80-102), where Rubies Masquerade is the official partner for dress-up and Jakks has an extensive collection of role play items.

Across these pages we detail some of the latest dress-up costumes and accessories ideal for World Book Day 2020.

World Book Day

Pretend to Bee 0115 921 5690 | www.pretendtobee.com Pretend to Bee’s award-winning ranges are industry renowned thanks to their high quality and attention to detail. The wide range of dress-up lines is designed to be both long-lasting as well as easy to wear, making use of durable, machine washable fabrics across all products. Most costumes are designed with Velcro fastenings, elasticated waistlines, large openings and will grow with the child too.

The family run company offers a wide-ranging collection of themed costumes aimed at expanding a child’s imagination, encouraging them to interact with others and learn through play. The ranges have varying themes, allowing retailers to capitalise on key selling periods throughout the year including World Book Day and Christmas.

This year sees the addition of a Llama Zip Top costume, which will sit alongside the best-selling Unicorn Zip Top, plus a new faux fur-trimmed Velour Cape with LED lights which comes in three eye-catching colours. Also new are two deluxe Knight costumes; accompanying Sword and Shield sets are available separately.

Also new for 2019 is a fresh range of accessories. The plush Jet Pack allows interstellar explorers to shoot to the stars, while the Light and Sound Wands are the perfect accessory for the Light-Up Capes and make great stocking fillers.

Amscan International 01908 288500 | www.amscan.co.uk Amscan has an extensive collection of costumes and wearable accessories to help children become their favourite character for World Book Day. The event is a key dress up occasion in the calendar and Amscan is continually developing and expanding its range of great quality styles in line with the latest trends.

As part of its licensed offering, Amscan’s range features some of the world’s most famous children’s literary brands including Dr Seuss, The Very Hungry Caterpillar and Elmer, in addition to other popular brands such as PJ Masks, Peppa Pig, Disney Baby, Top Wing and more brands to launch soon.

As well as licensed styles, Amscan also offers an extensive choice of generic costumes inspired by popular World Book Day themes such as fairy tales, history, animals and more. New additions for 2020 include Tea Party Hatter, a new Wizard outfit, Dazzling Cleo, Tudor Prince Boy and Pretty Peacock.

Amscan’s popular range of Ride On costumes are also ideal for World Book Day. The collection includes 17 different options; from Llamas, Dragons, Unicorns, Dinosaurs and more. Each style features adjustable straps to fit children aged 3-8 years.

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World Book Day

Smiffys 0800 590 599 | www.smiffystrade.com Following the successful launch of Smiffys baby dressup earlier in 2019, category extension will continue to be a core focus for the business. Smiffys recently announced the creation of a new baby dress-up range for Spot, Eric Hill’s loveable puppy. Spot has been an integral part of early childhood since he first appeared in the classic lift-the-flap storybook Where’s Spot? in 1980.

Another new partnership for World Book Day 2020 sees Smiffys teaming up with Mattel to launch an engaging new line of licensed Thomas & Friends dress-up options for toddlers. The partnership comes as Thomas & Friends gears up for the 75th anniversary of the brand in 2020, and brings to life the imagination and storytelling behind the famous engine. Smiffy’s in-house design team is working hard on exclusive pieces for both these new pre-school licences.

Mog The Forgetful Cat and The Tiger Who Came To Tea ranges are also launching for 2020.

Alongside licensed offerings, generic costumes offer an instant and cost-effective dress-up idea, and Smiffys has taken parents desire for quick and easy dress-up into consideration with its new products for World Book Day 2020. Kids can be transported to the depths of the ocean with the new 3D Ride-In Octopus Costumes, or travel to times gone by with the company’s new Viking Costumes. Finally, Smiffys’ new Children’s Tabards and Toddler collection creates even more time for play with a range of dress-up options that are easy and quick to put on and take off.

CHILDREN’S DRESSING UP COSTUMES AND ACCESSORIES FOR EDUCATIONAL PLAY High quality selection of designs for 6 months to 11 years.

No minimums.

Go to www.pretendtobee.com Tel: +44 (0) 115 921 5690 Email: support@pretendtobee.com Toy World 107

Allegedly

I became embroiled in a ‘lively’ LinkedIn debate last month about getting rid of plastic toys from fast food kids’ meals – which I dubbed ‘Mctat’ (other brands of plastic tat are available). So I was delighted to hear that Burger King has chosen to do just that - in my humble opinion, no more ‘BK tat’ could turn out to be a good thing for the toy community. In addition to the obvious environmental benefits, I have long believed that the practice suppresses genuine toy sales; how many parents say “you’ve already got one of those” when asked to buy a real toy that their child just got a free version of with their ‘cheery meal’. And what do these freebies do to consumer perception of the price of proper toys? That said, there is another view, eloquently espoused by Golden Bear’s Barry Hughes: “As someone who cut his teeth in toys on McDonald’s Happy Meals, I have no illusions that the environmental impact needs addressing and that was being discussed back at the turn of millennium when I was working there - so it’s long overdue. However, I would challenge the inference that McDonald’s Happy Meal always harms toy sales of the brands utilised.

When I joined Corinthian we did a MicroStars meal and featured a high price point set on the tray-liner, which meant that Corinthian sold a massive number of a £30-£40 line direct to the consumer that year – more than they ever did at retail. I used to calculate the advertising value to a brand of posters on every high street in the UK for four weeks and then the TV advertising on top (which doesn’t happen anymore), which was hugely compelling for the brands concerned. It’s actually all about the giveaway being an entry to the brand and an encouragement to trade up to the fully fledged toys.” I am sure there will be plenty of people who can relate to that viewpoint, and this is a debate which I suspect will run and run…

impropriety – although one might perceive a degree of lenience on the part of HMRC. So if you hear of a spate of spouses being asked to move to Jersey, it may not just be because of the temperate climate and the excellent standard of clotted cream…

Sainsbury’s has confirmed that it will be closing 60-70 standalone Argos stores and moving them into a nearby branch of Sainsbury’s. The move is part of a series of store closures which is aimed at saving the company £500m over the next five years, although the one-off cost of the closures has been estimated at £230-270m. I am still hearing from some suppliers that Argos sales numbers are significantly down on previous years, and while the closures may be prudent from a financial perspective and possibly even logical from a store estate standpoint, I remain to be convinced that they will do anything to reverse the current sales decline in its toy category. On the flipside, it certainly provides opportunities for other retailers to fill in the gaps…

The tie-up between Toys R Us and Target to relaunch the TRU website has certainly divided opinion. While MGA’s Isaac Larian described it as a “great move by Target”, others seem slightly perplexed by the arrangement. Essentially, Target will act as fulfilment provider for TRU, an echo of the role Amazon once performed for TRU. While some can see potential advantages for Target, there is confusion over TRU’s motivation, summed up neatly by a quote from a USA Today report: “If Tru Brands was truly trying to rebuild a sustainable toy business, they would never want to outsource their e-commerce to a third party and certainly not to a rival. Sadly this is probably a sign that the current Tru Kids efforts are a shallow effort to monetize a brand they own, rather than an attempt to build a serious toy competitor.” My reservations about the arrangement were also echoed

by Forbes in its report on the deal: “Toys R Us is never going to be reborn, post-bankruptcy, as a retailer. The new TRU business model is more social influencer than retailer. It will use its well-known brand to steer consumers to purchases that will be benefit its retail partners, and get a small cut of each sale. Toys R Us’ new strategy is to be a retailer in name only.” Ouch.

While the retail environment remains challenging, The Range appears to have been bucking the trend– the retailer has been trading so well, in fact, that founder Chris Dawson was able to pay his wife a £25m dividend this year. As she is based in Jersey, she was able to save a cool £9.5m tax on the dividend, due to the local tax laws. There is no suggestion of

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Meanwhile, times have got so tough for Mothercare chairman Clive Whiley - employed a year ago at the extremely modest salary of £480,000- that he has taken a second job with funeral provide Dignity. Come on guys, you’re making it too easy for me: some headlines just write themselves….or is it too early to use the words RIP and Mothercare in the same sentence…

Last month saw the unveiling of Mattel’s Creatable World, described as a ‘gender inclusive’ doll range which – in the company’s own words – “lets kids play as they want, without rules or labels.” The range attracted high-profile media coverage (over 90 separate articles in the UK alone) and plenty of comments online; the majority in favour of, frankly, a very nice-looking doll range which is well-proportioned (all those who have complained in the past about Barbie being unrealistic from an anatomical perspective should be happy) and reflects the positive impact of inclusivity. On the other hand, I saw a few uncharitable comments on LinkedIn, which seemed to have completely misinterpreted the concept of gender neutrality (i.e. it’s not transgender or anything to do with sexual orientation). I say good luck to Mattel for trying something different. It’s also important to keep things in perspective: ultimately, it’s a doll, which kids will play with whichever way they want. Because that’s what kids tend to do – with pretty much all toys…

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