Company Profile - Target Darts

Right on Target

Publisher John Baulch visited the Harlow home of Target Darts, a specialist supplier of an extensive range of darts products, which is now entering the mainstream retail channel, courtesy of its tie-up with prodigy Luke ‘The Nuke’ Littler.

Iwould wager that few of you were aware of Luke Littler before last December. He was suddenly thrust into the limelight when he became the youngest contestant to reach the final of the World Darts Championship at the tender age of 16 years old. Although he was defeated in the final, a star was well and truly born. Not only is the darts prodigy set for a long and distinguished career at the oche, but he has also become the poster boy for taking darts out of its traditional pub environment and into family living rooms across the land.

As part of that process, darts specialist supplier Target Darts moved quickly to develop a range of products endorsed by Luke, which is already making its way into toy stores. I visited the company to find out how it is capitalising on Luke’s new-found popularity, which it turns out is anything but an overnight success – it has actually been many years in the making.

I got the full story from Target Darts managing director James Tattersall and head of Marketing Adam Thompson, as well as well-known toy stalwarts Paul Dearlove and Jamie Tank, who were brought onboard earlier this year to help Target establish itself within the toy market.

Target Darts was founded in 1976, making dart flights from its Enfield base. The long journey to get where it is today featured many developments, including a long period of OEM manufacturing for many of the leading dart brands. In 2012, Target launched the Carrera dart range – a premium brand whose quality exceeded anything else on the market at the time. As did its price; it was almost double the cost of the standard dart brands. The dart industry was sceptical that a range that expensive would sell, but very soon it became apparent that there was an appetite amongst consumers for a high quality, high value range.

The success of that line led Target to approach some of the leading professional darts players to endorse the products, including the likes of Phil ‘The Power’ Taylor. The company also saw an opportunity to broaden the range by introducing new innovative products such as the Corona Light Ring - essentially dartboard lighting - and the Swiss Point System, a unique patented product which allows players to change their dart points easily (something that had hitherto required professional input).

James takes up the story: “We’ve always been a specialist brand, the market leader amongst serious dart players. In addition, we have always wanted to supply a more mainstream, family-oriented product, but we knew we needed to produce something that would stand out and offer a point of difference.

Then Luke did what he did, and we saw it as the perfect opportunity to attract a younger audience. Luke has inspired so many people to take up the sport, he’s the perfect ambassador to take darts to a whole new audience.”

Luke has actually featured on products in the Target range since he was 12. And his dart obsession goes back even further – I was shown a video of an 18-month-old Luke taking aim at a magnetic dartboard, showing remarkable technique for one so young.

Anticipating long-term success for Luke, the in-house design team had already put branding together for him – a logo, colour scheme, his own shirt design and signature dart range and flights – but nobody expected him to reach the final of the World Championships quite so soon (even though he is the current Junior and World Youth champion).

Luke being catapulted to fame at such a young age was, however, not just a happy coincidence. Target sponsors darts academies across the country, giving them equipment and training coaches to support the development of young players. Luke was one of the first academy signings, while prodigies as young as ten are already being snapped up.

The academies are integral to Target’s aim to broaden the appeal of the sport away from its traditional image of a bar/ pub-based sport. As Adam points out: “That isn’t the image a parent would aspire to for their kids. We’re determined to change that scene and make darts a family-friendly sport that kids can comfortably take up. The game is becoming more professional all the time. Darts is now a wholesome, sociable accessible sport - it’s not prohibitively costly to take up, you don’t need masses of equipment or membership of an expensive club. Darts is great for kids’ development too: it helps with hand/eye co-ordination, as well as honing maths skills – and anyone can win.”

The size of the Target operation might surprise a few people. Target Darts employs over 400 staff across the globe, including full creative teams in the three hubs based in the UK, US and Japan, as well as an extensive manufacturing facility in China. I toured the new expanded warehouse facility, which is also based in Harlow. It’s a large space, but very much needed to cope with the extended range being offered.  As James explained: “Controlling everything ourselves rather than outsourcing gives us far greater speed to market, flexibility and freedom. Last December, there was only one range of darts based on Luke Littler. After he appeared in the World Championship final, we moved swiftly to capitalize on his success: by March we had created three brand new ranges, and we had tens of thousands of sets in stock. Speed is essential when it comes to this business.”

The Luke Littler range aimed at toy and mainstream retailers is focused on creating a selection of products that can follow kids as they grow through every age group. It starts with a Fabric Velcro set, progresses on to the flagship Magnetic Dartboard set, then on to a soft-tipped darts set and finally the Dartboard and Cabinet set. Of course, the range also features darts and accessories, and it can all be showcased in an eye-catching FSDU to maximise in-store visibility and impact.

Jamie sees tremendous potential for the range in toy stores: “The hero line for toy retailers is undoubtedly the Magnetic Dartboard set. There’s no problem with sharp points, so it is suitable for even very young kids, indeed, Luke’s own journey started at eighteen months with a magnetic set. However, we offer a full range catering to every age, from young kids right through to seasoned darts players. Some retailers will definitely be able to accommodate a full darts range as a category within their store, especially shops with a sports section, department stores, garden centres and many other multi-channel retailers.”

Luke’s appeal reaches across all age groups, from kids to grandparents. Indeed, the average age of customers on the Target website dropped by ten years after Luke’s final appearance, and many more families have been seen in tournament audiences too.  As Adam admits: “One pivotal moment transformed our whole opportunity to take darts to a family audience. For someone so young, Luke is a consummate pro -he is very grounded and has incredible mental strength.”

Since his victory, Luke has already cultivated an enviable media profile, with appearances on Comic Relief, the Jonathan Ross Show and various events with the hugely popular Sidemen collective. Luke was even one of the faces of the launch of England football kit ahead of the Euros. As Paul points out, “No darts player has ever done anything like this before. Luke is brining a whole new audience into the sport, and the whole darts world is reaping the benefits.”

Luke will also be making an appearance on the Target stand at the London Toy Fair in January – the day after his eighteenth birthday. Paul is delighted that Target will have a strong presence at the show: “We have a good size stand upstairs, close to Playmobil and Lego. It’s been a real whirlwind for Jamie and I since we joined up with Target earlier this year. The company had started talking to retailers in February, but at that stage it had no samples and no staff with toy knowledge or expertise. They brought Jamie and I onboard and we’ve been delighted with the response from many specialist toy stores.”

Smyths was an early adopter of the Luke Littler range, working closely with Target to create a strong in-store presence. Luke will be making appearances in Smyths stores in the coming months, including the Warrington branch which is closest to his hometown of St Helens.

The Entertainer is now also on board, along with the likes of Argos, SMF Toytown, Arnotts, Booghe, Robert Dyas, Menkind and a selection of independent stores. Target will be attending the Big Christmas Press Show this September, looking to spread the word about the range to journalists, influencers and key media outlets.

Paul believes this is a great retail opportunity for a broad selection of stores: “It’s not just about a dartboard, it’s the whole Luke Littler phenomenon. There’s huge consumer awareness of Luke, and darts is unquestionably growing in popularity as a family-friendly sport. We see this as a fantastic opportunity to establish a solid presence in the toy retail channel. Target is fully committed for the long-term. The company has invested in people who know the toy market and has shown it can bring a great range of products to market incredibly quickly. We’re really excited about the prospect of establishing the brand in the toy space, and we’ll be delighted to talk to all retailers who would like to be part of our journey.”