Toyworld Dec 2016

December 2016 volume 6 issue 4

PROUDLY CELEBRATING

60 YEARS &

NUMBER 1 IN OUR CATEGORY *Source: NPD data 52 weeks to October 2016, Electric & Battery Car Category

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A HOST OF TOY PARTNERS ON BOARD

BRINGING THE FUN TO THE UK IN 2017 Despicable Me 3 is a trademark and copyright of Universal Studios. Licensed by Universal Studios Licensing LLC. All Rights Reserved.

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The Team...

CONTENTS December 2016 volume 6 issue 4

John Baulch

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

34 Retail Profile: Lego Store

24 Brand Profile: Despicable Me 3 Mark Austin

Advertisement Manager mark@toyworldmag.co.uk 01442 502 405

News 07 From the Publisher 08 News

Anita Baulch

Features

20 Generation Media:

24 Brand Profile: Despicable Me 3

Living in a Digital World

28 NPD column

16 Industry Moves Circulation and Financial Director anita@toyworldmag.co.uk 01923 711 439

Opinion

18 Marketing World 22 Licensing World

34 Retail Profile: Lego Store

30 Talking Shop

36 Face to Face: Steve Cooke, Hornby CEO

42 Touching Base

38 Hong Kong Preview

44 Viewpoint

46 Kidtropolis Review

66 Allegedly

47 Face to Face: Ian Edmunds, Toymaster 48 Nuremberg Preview

Clarabel Jones

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

Contributors David Ripley | The NPD Group | Mark Buschhaus | Stephen Barnes | Jim Hawker | Lutz Muller

Jonika Kinchin

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

38 Hong Kong Preview

Simon Morrison

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

48 Nuremberg Preview

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Toy World Magazine

A

nd so we reach the end of 2016.

Whatever I say about the past 12 months can’t come close to reflecting the tumultuous events that have taken place, but to point out that it has been an eventful year is probably one of the biggest understatements I’ve ever made.

The democratic decisions taken by UK and US voters in the past few months will have ramifications for years to come, and much of the impact in the short term – particularly in the wake of the UK’s Brexit vote – will be felt by the business community.

from the publisher

John Baulch - @Baulchtweet

As ever, everyone here at Toy World prefers to look forward rather than back – so we’ll be following developments over the coming months with a keen eye, aiming to reflect what the toy community is feeling about the changes that will be taking place next year. With the Hong Kong Toys & Games Fair kicking off toy fair season in only a matter of weeks, we don’t have long to wait before we get a sense of how things are starting to shape up.

Before then, we have a couple of the most crucial trading weeks of the whole year ahead. With Christmas Eve falling on a Saturday this year, there is an expectation that many consumer purchasing decisions will go right up to the wire this year, and that the last week’s sales numbers could be vital in delivering a positive festive trading performance.

I’m sure retailers everywhere are braced for the last-minute onslaught.

After that, we thankfully get a few brief moments of festive respite before toy fair season starts the process all over again. We’ve included a round-up of some of the new products that will be unveiled in Hong Kong, and a few thoughts from some of the companies who’ll be making the Far East trip in January, in a feature which starts on page 38.

This issue also includes the first instalment of our two-part Nuremberg preview, starting on page 48. The second part – for those companies which weren’t quite ready in time to be included in this edition – will appear in our January issue, where we’ll also be previewing the London Toy Fair and the Spring Fair. As ever, it will be a massive edition, so reinforce your letterbox and prepare to keep your pets well out of the way in the early part of the New Year.

As well as looking ahead to Hong Kong and Nuremberg, we have secured several exclusive interviews for this month’s edition; the first is with NBC Universal’s country director Hannah Mungo, who gives an insight into the licensing programme for next year’s eagerly anticipated Despicable Me 3 film. We also speak exclusively to Hornby CEO Steve Cooke, who talks about the company’s ongoing turnaround plan and the difference it will make to Hornby’s partnerships with toy and

hobby retailers. Steve was a refreshingly honest interviewee; there was no sugar-coating or attempt to downplay the size of the task that the company faces, but equally there is a clear sense that Hornby knows exactly what its main challenges are and what it needs to do to address them. Much of this insight was directly provided by Hornby’s independent retail customers, which comes as no great surprise to me.

Independent retailers are a body of people for whom the phrase ‘refreshingly honest’ can similarly be applied; without the influence of corporate politics, media training and a PR person hovering in the background to prevent them from saying anything remotely interesting, you get a very open and honest set of views and opinions when you speak to shop owners and managers. Which is why I love spending time with Toymaster members, as I recently did at the buying group’s regional meeting in Swindon. Much of what was discussed with individual members should probably remain off the record, but there were numerous fascinating observations and comments that are well worth knowing if you make your living writing about the toy market. There were also several preconceptions challenged during my conversations; while no-one came out and said it outright, I got the distinct impression that Toymaster members are now more concerned about a Toys R Us pop-up shop suddenly appearing down the road than a branch of The Entertainer, due to the different range options which each retailer focuses on. That said, while everyone was too polite to spell it out, a number appeared to suggest that the stellar performance of Pokémon trading cards over recent months – “as good as loom bands” according to Toymaster’s Ian Edmunds – hasn’t exactly been hurt by The Entertainer’s decision to remove them from stores in the autumn. Action and reaction: it’s a familiar tale for the independents. Find the opportunities that other retailers aren’t taking full advantage of and make the most of them.

You can read my article on the Toymaster regional events on page 46, while this month’s extended Talking Shop section also has some fantastic insight into the life of a 21st century independent toy retailer. If that wasn’t enough retail action, there is also a report from the opening of the amazing new flagship Lego store in Leicester Square.

There will be lots more exclusive interviews, insight and analysis – from both retailers and suppliers - in the bumper January issue. In the meantime, have a fantastic Christmas and New Year, and the whole Toy World team looks forward to catching up with you along the trail during Toy Fair season.

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• Event Management

News Gary Grant warns that retail prices will jump 10% next year

Argos boss returns catalogues to all stores Argos had previously moved to ditch its iconic catalogue of products, opening new stores in recent years without them. Now, however, all stores are to feature them once more, after they were found to boost turnover by as much as 3%.

John Rogers, Sainsbury’s ex-finance chief, faces his first Christmas in charge of Argos, which the supermarket took over in September. He said there “will always be a case” to keep its catalogue, after bringing it back in digital-only stores lifted sales.

John explained how 50% of customer buys now start online, and this could rise to 80% plus, but the catalogue is still a huge draw. “I don’t necessarily have the emotional attachment to the iconicism of the catalogue. I just look at it and ask ‘what do customers want?’ If the customers want the catalogue, that’s what we’ll give them.”

The catalogue was launched in 1973, with 20 million copies printed at its peak. John said when the catalogues were put back into digital stores “it made a difference”, and that although the uplift was single digit, in a retail business 1, 2, 3% is very important.

“Now when we roll out digital stores we have catalogues for those customers who we know like the catalogue,” he added.

VTech announces 2016/2017 interim results The company’s overall revenue has risen by 5.9% to $983m for the six-month period ending September 2016.

European group revenue was up 10.4% to $412.6m in the first six months of the 2017 financial year, as higher ELPs and CMS sales offset a decline in TEL products. Europe is the second largest market of the group, representing 42% of group revenue.

There were higher sales of Kidizoom camera and the Kidi line, with sales of the Toot-Toot family of products remaining stable. VTech’s ELPs also continued to gain wide recognition across Europe.

Growth was recorded in all the group’s key European markets, particularly in the UK, France, Germany, The Netherlands and Spain.

Sales of standalone products in Europe also grew, led by infant, toddler and preschool products.

North America accounts for 48.3% of the company’s group revenue, and results show sales rose by 28% to $474.4m.

facebook.com/DKL.Toys twitter.com/DKLtoys

DISTRIBUTING AND MARKETING QUALITY CHILDREN’S BRANDS FOR OVER 25 YEARS. tel. 01604 678780 email. dkl@dkl.co.uk web. www.dkl.co.uk DKL Marketing Ltd, 11 Deer Park Road, Northampton, NN3 6QD, UK

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The Entertainer’s founder and chief executive said the retailer is “looking at 10% plus retail price increases” following the Brexit vote. He insisted, however, that consumers wouldn’t feel the impact of price inflation until 2017.

“We have bought enough dollars for this year, so it’s not going to affect this Christmas, but there will be an impact on prices as we go into the New Year,” Gary said, adding that The Entertainer will keep inflation to an “absolute minimum” to ensure its customers are “impacted less”.

Nonetheless, he insisted that prices would go up across the sector because “if any retailers’ cost prices go up, retail prices in shops will follow”.

“Consumers will see the price of petrol go up,” he added.

“Even items bought from UK suppliers in pounds will go up because they will have been bought in dollars.”

He also noted that price inflation could be the “saviour” of rising retail costs, such as the national living wage, if it leads to an increase in turnover. However, he said that was based on the assumption that “the customer has more money in their purse”, but warned that “we’re not going to see salaries increase 10% next year”.

“We’ve built a business model knowing what we know, and now we’ve changed it all,” he said. “How can you plan over the next one to five years to build and grow a business in Europe when we don’t know what it looks like?

Everything is on pause.”

In other news, The Entertainer is opening its first European stores this month in a franchise partnership with Ermes Group, the country’s largest and most diversified retailer.

The Entertainer branded toy shops initially launched in November within Ermes’ own Debenhams stores in three leading retail destinations in Cyprus: Larnaca, Limassol and Nicosia. The first standalone store is targeted for opening next year.

08453 070707

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News

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Mookie Toys announces partnerships with Turbospoke and Silverlit

B&M’s profit grows as it steps up store openings The company, chaired by former Tesco boss Terry Leahy, is on track to open 69 new stores in its 2016-2017 year, 50 of which are in the UK and 19 of which are based in Germany, where it trades as Jawoll.

Some 20 net new stores were opened in its first half in the UK, including its 500th store, and a net 10 were opened in Germany.

After reporting a 15% rise in first-half core earnings, B&M said that it expected to meet expectations for the full year, as it continued its aggressive store opening programme.

The retailer made adjusted earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation of £99.2m in the six months to 24th September, and group revenue was up 18.9% to £1.11bn. It also increased its interim dividend by 18.8% to 1.9 pence.

“We are mindful of the current economic uncertainties in the UK, but given the strength of our retail model, and with the full benefits now flowing from the step change investments we made last year, we are confident of making expectations for the remainder of the year,” said chief executive Simon Arora.

Analysts are on average forecasting a 2016-2017 EBITDA of £230m, according to Reuter’s data, up from £203m in 2015-2016.

Vivid partners with Headstart for Ooshies The company will distribute the collectibles range across the UK, France, Benelux and Germany.

Vivid has already established a strong working relationship with Headstart, and is relishing the

Mookie Toys has partnered with Tomax as the official UK and Ireland distributor of Turbospoke, using its expertise in the outdoor market to further develop the successful brand. The agreement will begin from January 2017, and the company will be showcasing the entire Turbospoke range at London’s Toy Fair.

Guy Orr, director at Mookie, commented: “Turbospoke is a great brand with a strong product range. It’s different from anything else available, and has already proven its popularity in other markets. It fits perfectly with the rest of our product portfolio, and we’re keen to utilise this knowledge of the sector in order to grow the Turbospoke brand further.”

Turbospoke will receive a heavyweight TV campaign throughout the year, focusing on key school holidays. This will be supported with in store FSDUs, PR and online activity.

Mookie Toys has also become the official UK partner for Silverlit, and will showcase the brand at Toy Fair 2017 with a dedicated hands-on experience and demonstration area.

Silverlit has been creating high quality toys for the past 40 years. Originally establishing itself as a market leader in remote control cars, Silverlit has built on this expertise to develop a range of helicopters and drones. In addition to its success in remote control toys, Silverlit is the master toy partner for Robocar Poli, a children’s TV show which currently airs in 20 countries, and is set to air in the UK on Nickelodeon from 2017.

Guy Orr, director at Mookie, commented: “We are thrilled to establish this partnership with Silverlit - a pioneering company with brands that have a great potential in the UK market. At Mookie, we are always looking to develop our product portfolio, and this move offers us the opportunity to expand into exciting growth categories with strong product ranges. 2017 is set to be a big year for Mookie Toys, and working with Silverlit will strengthen our position further.”

Mookie Toys will be offering the Silverlit range on a domestic basis in the UK for the first time in its history.

opportunity to work with the Ooshies brand, which is currently enjoying success in Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Canada and many Asian countries.

Mary Wood at Vivid has outlined initial plans for the range for 2017: “This is a fantastic opportunity for us to grow an established and successful collectibles brand. We will be putting together a comprehensive

marketing plan encompassing TV, social media and major in-store retail support to drive awareness in the UK, with the aim of making Ooshies the No. 1 collectibles brand for 2017 and beyond.”

Vivid will be taking over the distribution of Ooshies from Flair with effect from 1st January 2017, and will work closely with both Flair and Headstart to make the transition as smooth as possible.

Specialist Traders in all Licensed Merchandise Buying/Selling We are active buyers & sellers of all licensed merchandise.

We specialise in toys, games and gifts. We supply bricks & mortar stores and market traders.

Hemel Hempstead, Cash & Carry Warehouse. 01442 259612 Visitors strictly by appointment

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We are moving warehouse and will have our largest ever range of offers, with low carriage paid orders and show incentives

Featuring: Playmobil, Gibsons, Melissa & Doug, Aurora World, Cheatwell Games, Le Toy Van, Learning Resources, & many more...

News Shop Direct plans new London hub Shop Direct, the company behind Very.co.uk, Littlewoods.com and VeryExclusive.co.uk, will have space for up to 250 staff at its new 250,000 square foot site on Buckingham Palace Road, which is set to open next summer.

Many will be new hires, some will move to the new site from its Liverpool headquarters, and others will split their time between the two. They will work across data, ecommerce, IT, product and brand.

The London hub is set to play an important role in delivering and maximising some of the company’s growth initiatives, including investment in advanced analytics, machine learning and AI, the continued development of advanced IT capabilities, and the expansion of its brand roster and recently launched own label, V by Very. It will also be the new home of the VeryExclusive.co.uk team.

Alex Baldock, group CEO at Shop Direct, commented: “We need to keep innovating to meet the ever-changing needs of our customer.

That’s why we’re opening this fantastic new hub. The new space will reflect everything we stand for and are striving for. It’ll help us attract even more of the best people and get even closer to our existing partners, as well as forge important new partnerships. But above all, it’ll be a place where our colleagues will have the space and facilities to thrive, delivering new innovation every day to help us continue making good things easily accessible to more people. There’s lots of work to do before we open, but I can’t wait to see the collaborative, digital workspace we’ll create.”

Lego ends give-away deal with the Daily Mail The Stop Funding Hate campaign is calling upon companies to stop advertising with the tabloid newspaper, in which Lego had previously been running free promotional give-aways. The company has now officially stopped the promotional deal in response to the online campaign.

On Saturday 12th November, Lego tweeted Stop Funding Hate: “We have finished the agreement with the Daily Mail and are not planning any future promotional activity with the newspaper”.

The company’s spokesperson, Roar Rude Trangbaek, commented: “We spend a lot of time listening to what children have to say, and when parents and grandparents take the time to let us know how they feel, we always listen just as carefully. We will continuously do our very best to live up to the trust and faith that people all around the world show us every day.”

Stop Funding Hate has applauded Lego’s decision. A spokesman said: “People are becoming more aware that the money they spend could end up supporting publications whose stories, language or portrayal of certain people fuels division. This urgently needs to be addressed.

These headlines harm people.”

Hamleys to open in Korea Gym World will operate the branch, and held a ceremony at the British Embassy on Thursday 10th November.

Hamleys CEO Gudjon Reynisson, Gym World CEO Park Kee-young and British ambassador to Korea Charles Hay attended the ceremony.

Gym World will choose the site to build the store on by the end of the year, and is considering opening 20 stores nationwide, including in Busan, Daegu, Daejon and Incheon.

“We know the philosophy, spirit and vision of Hamleys well, so we will create stores which meet its values,” said Park. “We will reflect our educational values – the biggest asset of Korea – in our store and make it a role model for the world.”

He also noted that Gym World wants to use Hamleys as one of the most important platforms to sell its Magformers range.

Esdevium Games to supply Exploding Kittens Launched in mid-November, the Kickstarter phenomenon is being supplied to the UK market by Esdevium Games.

Exploding Kittens made history by becoming both the most backed and the most funded project in Kickstarter history, meeting its $10,000 goal in just 20 minutes. The game went on to amass $8.7m from 219,000 backers across the world.

The game is available initially in three different editions. Along with the Original Edition, there are two special variants: the First Edition and the NSFW Edition.

Esdevium MD, Steve Buckmaster, commented: “Exploding Kittens was a truly record-breaking success on Kickstarter, both in terms of funding and the number of backers, which has allowed the game to generate an even wider buzz and awareness.

We feel Exploding Kittens fits particularly well within our range of quick-fire Party Games, and we can’t wait to get started.”

All three games are available to order now from Esdevium.

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Dunelm acquires Kiddicare

Lego opens its first factory in China Asia’s first Lego factory, and the fifth in the world, opened in China’s eastern Zhejiang province on 25th November.

Lego first announced plans to set up the Jiaxing factory in March 2013. The 40acre factory now employs more than 1,200 people and is expected to manufacture nearly 80% of the company’s products sold in the Asian market.

“We have built a state of the art factory in Jiaxing that adheres to the same global production standards as our factories across the world,” said chief executive officer Jørgen Vig Knudstorp. Lego also owns and operates factories in Denmark as well as Hungary, Mexico and the Czech Republic. The investment for the Chinese factory amounts to a “3-digit million Euro figure,” the company said.

Located in the city dubbed National Model City for Greening, the new factory has 20,000 solar panels on its roofs. The technology is expected to generate almost six gigawatts of clean energy annually, and reduce CO2 emissions in Jiaxing by more than 4,000 tonnes per year, according to the company’s estimates.

Revenue in China climbed up 40% in 2015, double the company’s global average.

In May this year, Lego set up its largest retail store in Shanghai. The country’s commerce and finance hub is only around 100 kilometers from Jiaxing, making the distribution of products easier.

Poundland to offload up to 80 stores

Dunelm has agreed to buy Kiddicare in a push to boost its online offering. The furnishings retailer will acquire the baby goods retailer as part of an £8.5m deal for online shopping group, Worldstores.

This move is the latest twist for Kiddicare, which was bought by supermarket chain Morrisons for £70m in 2011 before being sold for £2m just three years later.

Kiddicare was bought by Worldstores from private equity owners in 2014, where it joined the group’s portfolio of home and furniture websites.

Dunelm said the deal for Worldstores would more than double the size of its internet operation.

John Browett, chief executive of Dunelm, said the group’s “unique platform for next day delivery and flash sales” would also strengthen Dunelm’s position in UK homeware.

Worldstores has annual revenue of about £100m and 650 employees, but is expected to make losses of £5m to £10m this year, Dunelm said.

Geomag expands UK sales team Geomag has announced the addition of three new sales agents to its UK team. Brian Sage will be covering the Northern territory, while Graham Blair and Wally Cummins will be joining the business in Northern Ireland, Eire and Isle of Man. “Brian, Graham and Wally are all well known and respected members of the trade, and will greatly enhance our reach in the UK. We are delighted to welcome them aboard,” said Geomag’s UK head, Clive Wooster.

OBITUARY

Poundland is planning to close up to 80 stores, just over two months after it was taken over by Steinhoff International.

A list of the stores spread across the country has been circulated to property agents as Poundland, which leases the stores, aims to consolidate its portfolio.

The move comes after a year of change for the retailer. Its shareholders voted in favour of the takeover by Steinhoff in September after a protracted bidding process, with the resulting deal valuing Poundland at £597m.

Steinhoff’s takeover was viewed as an opportunistic move after Poundland’s £50m acquisition of the 99p Stores chain, which was approved in September 2015 after a sixmonth investigation.

Poundland blamed the delay in approving the merger for a loss of credit insurance for 99p Stores, meaning its stock levels had plunged and sales had slipped by the time it came under Poundland’s control. As a result, Poundland reported a 84% plunge in pre-tax profits to £5.9m in the year to 27th March.

After the deal was agreed, Poundland converted 235 stores to its own brand and sold or closed 17 others. It is understood that some of this new wave of store disposals are to limit duplicates following the merger. In total, the company has almost 900 stores.

The move to reduce its portfolio follows years of expansion by the company, which was one of the success stories of the last recession. It grew by moving into shops vacated by high street retailers as trading got tougher, and hooked savvy consumers with its single price-point offer.

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Robin Jukes The sales agent passed away on the 26th October aged 72. Toy World was contacted by well-known sales agent John Nicholas, who had the following to say about Robin.

“As one of the gang of midlands reps, then in later years agents, he was always happy to attend celebrations, parties, farewells etc. for any of the toy trade shops, fellow salesmen’s retirements come what may, and we had some fun. There was a group of us who often used to meet at Alan Caswell’s Arcade Toy shop in Dudley, usually on a Friday, to put the trade right on the topics of the day.”

He started in the trade as a rep for Ideal toys then moved to Bandai, and was brave enough to take the step to become an agent in the mid 1980s, working solely on commission. Turtles, the first time round, got him firmly established, and over the next thirty years he worked for several toy companies, and for the past ten plus years for Javis and House of Puzzles.

His wife Sylvia has helped Robin with his agencies along with some of her own and is hoping to continue with the principals he worked for.

We send our sympathy to her, and all of Robin’s family at this sad time.

News Rapid growth in toy sales for 2016

Michael Gibson celebrates 50 years at Gibsons Gibsons would like to wish its chairman, Michael Gibson, a very happy 50th anniversary.

Michael joined the family firm when he was 20 years old in 1966, when the company sold indoor and outdoor games and pastimes. Together, both Michael and Gibsons have come a long way since then, thanks to hard work, gut feeling and his ingenious idea of introducing jigsaw puzzles to the range back in 1986.

“It’s been a very interesting journey over the last 50 years,” Michael said.

“There have been tough times, especially in the early years, but I guess you could say that it never is going to be easy – that’s the way business works. It’s a fantastic industry to have been a part of for such a long period, and having seen so many companies come and go, I’m incredibly proud that the family business my grandfather started in 1919, which has been through wars, recessions and a lot besides, will be celebrating its centenary in just over two years’ time. I couldn’t have wished for anything better.”

Gibsons recently announced that Kate Gibson will become MD, with Nicki Gumbrell taking on the role of Sales Director, representing the fourth generation of the family to helm the Company.

Playtime PR to represent MTW Toys and Thames and Kosmos MTW Toys, which is headed up by Darran Garnham, is one of EMEA’s fastest growing distributors, and a key partner for Thinkway Toys.

Boasting some of the hottest movie IP in the business, including Universal’s Minions and Pixar’s Toy Story 4, the company will use Playtime PR to assist with PR support around its debut at Toy Fair 2017.

Geoff Sheffield, VP sales UK and Ireland at MTW Toys, commented: “As master toy partner to Minions and Toy Story 4, it’s vitally important

that we work hand-in-hand with a PR agency that’s known for delivering. We have some fantastic new products coming through in the next couple of years, and we’re confident we’ve found the right PR partner to help us tell those stories in the right way, to the right audiences.”

Playtime PR will also handle all of Thames & Kosmos’ UK trade and consumer PR throughout 2017.

The remit includes developing activity around the brand’s growing presence at shows such as London’s Toy Fair and the UK Games Expo, as well as supporting a number of new product launches.

“We’re really looking forward to working with Playtime PR across our ranges in 2017,” said Jo Drage, sales director at Thames & Kosmos UK. “They have some great ideas for making the most out of our presence

The NPD Group has unveiled the UK toy market’s year-to-date (YTD) sales performance and Christmas trends.

According to retail sales data, toy sales grew by 5% from January to September, compared to the same period last year. Crucially, NPD expects the UK toy industry to sell more than 400 million toys by the end of 2016 – the highest number of toys sold per year to date. Almost one third (32%) of 2016’s annual sales value of £3.3bn will be recorded during the Christmas period. Equating to £1.1bn in total, that’s an average of £105 spent per child, each of whom will receive an average of nine toys.

Nine out of NPD’s 11 super categories tracked at retail have posted year-on-year growth. The fastest growing category to September 2016 is games and puzzles, up 15%.

Plush is up 12%, followed by Dolls, up 9% – buoyed by the popularity of Shopkins. With games and puzzles

performing so well – Pie Face is in the top ten sellers YTD week 41 (see table) – NPD believes that quality family time is definitely back on the agenda this Christmas.

The average selling price of a toy is now £7.54, a slight drop from last year’s figure of £7.81. Unit sales grew 9% in the same time period. This is due to the popularity of cheaper priced collectibles, including Panini stickers, Shopkins, Hot Wheels and Lego Mini Figures. Sales of collectibles increased 37% in the first nine months of 2016, representing close to £1 for every £8 spent on toys. Last year, the same comparison was £1 for every £11 spent.

Frederique Tutt, global industry analyst of toys at NPD, commented: “This year has been particularly good for collectibles, and we expect their sales to continue to be strong over Christmas in the shape of ideal stocking fillers and as their more expensive playsets become main presents. The variety in the toy sector is highlighted by this year’s Dreamtoys list, from pocket money collectibles to higher-priced favourites such as Star Wars U-Wing Fighter and Thomas Trackmaster Sky-High Jump.”

Top 10 best-selling toys in the UK YTD 15th October** MANUFACTURER

TOY

FLAIR PREZIOSI PANINI SPIN MASTER FLAIR PREZIOSI HASBRO LEGO LEGO MATTEL FLAIR PREZIOSI LEGO

SHOPKINS 2 PACK UEFA EURO 2016 FRANCE STICKERS PACK PAW PATROL VEHICLE AND PUP SHOPKINS PACK OF 12 PIE FACE GAME MINIFIGURES DISNEY MINIFIGURES HOT WHEELS SINGLE CARS SHOPKINS 5 PACK STAR WARS MILLENIUM FALCON

at both trade and consumerfacing events, plus have a proven track record in exploiting media opportunities for toy and games brands in the UK. We like the fact they’re championing the tabletop gaming sector in the UK with initiatives such as Board Game Club, and a genuine interest in the trend, and feel they’re the right fit to help us get our products showcased in the most effective ways.”

Playtime PR’s MD, Lesley Singleton, added: “The whole Playtime team is delighted to be working with MTW Toys, handling some of the strongest movie IP in the world. With Despicable Me 3 set to be a huge 2017 hit, fans are

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RANK 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

going to be chomping at the bit for new Minions merchandise, and MTW Toys has come up with some utterly superb playthings that we can’t wait to showcase to press in the New Year.”

“We’ve also admired Thames & Kosmos’ board game range for sometime now, with many of the titles becoming firm favourites at Board Game Club. It’s a genuine thrill to be asked to handle their PR activity in the UK, and we’re looking forward to complementing the brand’s brilliant in-house team and really getting under the skin of their amazing new products in the world of games, STEM and science.”

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Lucie Follett stands down as Arklu creative director Lucie is stepping down from her role as creative director, and is leaving to set up a new company, Lucie.

Having founded Arklu together with Ian Harkin in 2010, Lucie was the company’s creative director, with responsibility for all brand building, product development and product partnerships.

Shortlisted for the ChiTAG (US) Toy Designer of the Year TAGIE Award 2015, Lucie will retain a small equity stake in Arklu. She commented: “I have enjoyed the part I have played in creating Lottie. Stargazer Lottie’s recent trip to the International Space Station with Tim Peake was a particular highlight of the journey we have travelled together. I look forward to seeing how Lottie develops over the years ahead, and have confidence in Ian’s ability to push forward and take the business on to the next level.”

Ian Harkin, MD of Arklu, added: “We wish Lucie well in her new venture. Arklu is a young, vibrant and fast-growing company with exciting plans to develop the Lottie concept over the years ahead.”

Mothercare reports a half-year loss as sales fall The company has reported a fall in half-year profits and like-for-like sales following “difficult trading conditions”, blaming unseasonal weather and warehouse changes for the figures.

It has reported a loss of £800,000 for the six months to 8th October, compared to a profit of £5.8m last year. UK sales at Mothercare dropped 2.3% to £231.2m in the 28 weeks to 8th October year-on- year, and underlying profit before tax fell 15.7% to £5.9m. Total losses in the UK racked up to £8.8m, from £6.1m in the same spell last year. It said that the unseasonal weather during spring and summer led to bigger price cuts in order to shift stock.

CEO Mark Newton-Jones commented: “The last six months have been challenging and, not withstanding our progress with our strategic pillars, our sales and margin stalled in the period”.

International sales, however, grew 7.7% compared to sharp declines towards the end of last year, as the company extended its digital sales push beyond the UK. Mothercare is currently in the process of a turnaround plan that has seen it move many high street shops out of towns and close loss-making branches. It opened 84 new stores globally, an addition of 29 after closures.

Reportedly, 40% of sales are now accounted directly to online, with 80% of those coming from mobile devices.

Hornby “making good progress” with turnaround plan Hornby PLC has reported a slightly widened loss for the first half of fiscal year 2017, due to higher distribution and other one-off costs.

For the half year ending 30th September, Hornby made a pre-tax loss of £4.7m, compared with a loss of £4.5m a year earlier, on revenue that slipped from £22.3m to £21.9m.

A statement from Hornby added that significant fluctuations in exchange rates, particularly following the Brexit vote in June, could have a material effect on the group’s future results. The company continues to hedge short-term exposures by establishing forward currency purchases using fixed rate and participating forward contracts up to twelve months ahead. It also said the company plans to increase prices to recover the increased purchasing costs.

Looking forward to the second half of the year, chief executive Steve Cooke said that revenue is expected to decline significantly year on year as the planned rationalization of product lines, channels and certain international brands takes effect. “We remain confident of meeting the board’s financial targets for this financial year,” he added.

Toy World 15

@toyworldmag

Simon Hedge takes group VP licensing role for Giochi Preziosi It has been announced

by Mr Berte and Mr Lischetti, respectively chief executive officers for sales and marketing and for finance and corporate of the Giochi Preziosi Group, that Simon Hedge will be promoted to group vice president for licensing and distribution development. This will be in addition to Simon’s role as managing director of GP Flair.

Mr Berte commented: “Mr Preziosi and I have been most impressed with the achievements of Simon and his colleagues at Flair, and we felt the time was right for Simon to take on a bigger role within the Giochi Preziosi Group by working even more closely with key suppliers and our licensing partners. Simon’s considerable experience and knowledge will be of significant help to the group going forward.”

Flair was acquired by the Giochi Preziosi Group in 2008, and Simon Hedge became MD in 2013. As part of the GP Group, Flair has enjoyed considerable growth, and within the last fiscal year sales has grown by nearly 20%.

OBITUARY

Brian Hughes Brian passed away at the end of October, just six months short of his 80th birthday.

He initially joined the toy industry in the late 1960s, working for Thomas Salter, eventually becoming the company’s sales and marketing director. In the early 1980s he joined Adam Leisure in a similar role, and then became the marketing director of D.Dekker Ltd. He subsequently stepped up to become MD of Kingsley and Forrester, and then in 1986 became MD of Blue Box Toys, a position he held until his retirement in 2001.

His funeral was held at St Mary’s Catholic Church, Langho, Blackburn on Thursday 3rd November.

A memorial page for Brian has been opened where anyone can leave tributes, memories, pictures or make a donation to the Cardiomyopathy Association in his memory.

Industry Moves Spin Master names Sara Taylor as head of UK sales

Kidicraft welcomes new operations administrator The company is delighted to welcome Charlotte Brown as its new operations administrator.

Charlotte will be responsible for overseeing logistics and credit control.

iGen Insight makes new appointment Sarah Frost has joined the company as Insight manager. She commented: “I have always been passionate about research with young people, and am really excited to be joining a team that has such an in-depth and specialist knowledge of this market.”

Sarah is an experienced insight manager, with a background in kids, youth and media research, previously working at Kantar Media. Her expertise covers both quantitative and qualitative research methods, and she has worked on a wide range of projects, from small bespoke studies to large scale projects, both in the UK and internationally.

Sara joined Spin Master just over eight years ago from Funrise, where she managed both the UK retailers and international distributors.

She joined Spin Master to manage its Western European markets of Spain, Portugal, Greece, Nordics, GAS, Benelux and Italy, preparing the latter three markets for transition to affiliate status. Sara then jumped onto the growing opportunity within Eastern Europe, where she has been instrumental in the preparation of the company’s CEE region to affiliate status.

Sara is thrilled to be taking on this new challenge to lead Spin Master’s UK sales and work closely with the team in Bourne End and the company’s valued retail customers.

Mayur Pattni joins Simba Smoby Mayur has been appointed as the company’s new head of marketing and licensing.

Mayur brings a wealth of toy industry experience, having started his own venture, Pattni Imaginations, licensing football player action figures, before joining GP Flair as brand manager, where he coordinated brands such as Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Ben 10, Grossery Gang, Lionel Messi Footbubbles and Star Wars.

Mayur commented: “I am delighted to be joining Simba Smoby at an exciting period for the company. We have a fantastic portfolio of brands including Masha and the Bear, Bob the Builder, Steffi Love and Smoby, and some major new launches planned for 2017 with Cars 3, Transformers 5 and Wissper, which we are very excited about. The company has ambitious growth plans, which includes becoming one of the top 10 toy manufactures, and I’m excited to be a part of this journey and build a team capable of achieving our goals.”

HTI announces new appointment and promotion within its sales team Benoit Depagneux has joined as head of the EMEA region, and John Jo Cassidy has been promoted to senior national account manager.

Benoit has 16 years’ experience in the children’s toy industry. In his new role, Benoit is based in Lyon, France and is responsible for managing HTI’s EMEA sales team, creating and developing relationships with retailers and distributors and developing new business within the EMEA region.

John Jo Cassidy has worked for HTI for nine years, latterly within toys and previously as head of sales for the company’s Pagoda garden furniture division. The new role as senior national account manager will see John Jo responsible for managing and developing key accounts, as well as identifying and developing new channel opportunities for the company.

Philip Morris to head up Bertoy within UK and Ireland markets Bertoy, the exclusive European distributor for Crocodile Creek and Krooom, will be expanding its presence within the UK and Ireland markets. The company is pleased to announce that Philip Morris will be heading up the sales and marketing side for both territories.

Bert Vekemans, CEO of Bertoy, commented: “We are very pleased to welcome Philip into our team. We have a fantastic range to offer, both from Crocodile Creek and Krooom, and we look forward to expanding our portfolio of accounts with Philip’s wealth of experience.”

Toy World 16

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Marketing World

Barbie comes to life across London for new campaign Hasbro Gaming partners with Sense for Bop It! tour The latest version of Bop it! is visiting UK shopping centres, encouraging consumers to ‘GIF It A Go!’.

Showcasing its motion technology, Hasbro Gaming’s Bop It! game is touring shopping centres across the UK in the run-up to Christmas, giving consumers the chance to try out its 10 new moves, and share the fun through social media.

Bop It! delivers a series of commands that players must follow to win. The classic Pull It, Twist It and Bop It actions have now grown to include a whole new range of moves, such as Whip It, Drink It, Selfie It, Answer It, Hammer It, Sing It, Golf It, Cradle It, Comb It and Saw It. The Bop It! experience, created and run by Sense, first went live at shopping centres in October and November, and will continue to run throughout December.

“The central feature of this 10-week tour is the ‘GIF It A Go!’ booth, where visitors can try out the latest Bop It! moves and have them turned into a funny GIF video for social sharing,” said Sense senior account director Nick Swift. “Those who share their GIFs online get a chance to win their choice of Hasbro Gaming games, while a partnership with toy retailer The Entertainer pushes consumers in-store to collect their prizes.”

Magformers unveils Mobile Mall The company will use the state-of-the-art Mobile Mall as a centrepiece for instore demonstrations with key toy retailers.

The high-quality branded Retail Merchandising Unit (RMU) features shelving with LED light strips, a demonstration zone and a seat with till-point desk and storage.

Viral content showed the iconic doll soaring across London landmarks on her hoverboard. The content celebrated the launch of the new Barbie Star Light Adventure RC Hoverboard toy, marking the first time Barbie has ever had a flying remote controlled vehicle.

For the creation of Barbie as a 3D character, specialised projection mapping artists used photogrammetry to model Barbie from scratch, before mapping her movement onto the exterior of London locations. Locations included Marble Arch, Tower Bridge, Parliament Hill, Tate Modern, Westminster Tunnel, Embankment, BAFTA 195 Piccadilly and the National Gallery.

The Barbie Star Light Adventure RC Hoverboard toy is a remote controlled toy with functions including auto-launch, auto-land and a 360-degree spin, while four propellers work to lift the flying toy into the air.

The PR stunt is part of Mattel’s all-encompassing PR, marketing and digital programme to support the new Barbie Star Light Adventure range, with further plans including an integrated TV and digital advertising campaign, continuing to drive awareness and excitement into Q4.

The unit formed the focal-point of Magformers’ stands at Kidtropolis and the Digital Kids Show. At both shows, thousands of children and parents engaged with the brand through unlimited free play sessions, while the merchandising unit helped to generate thousands of pounds worth of sales.

The modular unit has now been installed at Bentalls, Kingston upon Thames as its first retail location, where it will provide branding and merchandising support in the store during the run-up to Christmas.

Magformers’ demonstration manager, Matt Donald, will also be staging live in-store demonstrations from the RMU, as well as training Bentalls’ staff on the best way to showcase Magformers products.

David Kelly, Magformers’ MD, commented: “We’re fully committed to supporting our key retail partners with live demonstrations, as we know these have an incredible uplift on sales. The mobile merchandising unit will become a key part of those demonstrations, as well as creating a branded retail area which shows off the quality, features and benefits of Magformers. The sales figures from the shows were outstanding and reflect how important it is for retailers to have a Magformers demonstration area in their stores – however small that may be. Getting the product into children’s hands leads to sales, and following a full summer and autumn demonstration programme, we have data that underlines that. We’re now investing in creating pop-up and permanent play-tables so all our partners can create a ‘play before pay’ area in store - from a 500 square foot store to a 45,000 square foot store, the support and options are endless.”

Toy World 18

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Opinion

Living in a digital world For many marketers and retailers, December and January are a time for reflection as they review marketing activity for the year gone by. It’s also a time to look forward, to take learnings from the season past and apply them to the year ahead.

O

ver the course of 2016, I have been asked a lot of questions. I tell our clients that there is never a silly question, only silly answers – and that puts the pressure firmly on me and our nGen Digital Online team. I’m therefore ending the year with a look ahead at the areas that are generating the most discussion as we move towards 2017.

Looking at the year as a whole, the most posed questions centre around allocating budgets: how and where a digital budget should be spent.

It’s the million-dollar question that the industry has yet to provide a standardised answer for. We know our young audience are migrating to digital online but the finer details of where they are and for how long are still a challenge to find. With TV, we can definitively measure the stations that kids are watching and for how long in a given time period. This allows us to place marketing budgets effectively by matching advertising activity with the viewing habits of the selected kids’ audience.

In the digital space, it seems counterintuitive that the platforms with the potential to be the most accurately tracked are often the least so. That’s why Generation Media spent much of 2016 creating and developing The Media Aggregator (TMA). Our proprietary tool analyses key marketing objectives and variables and uses behavioural and statistical data along with expert input to indicate the level of media budget that should be allocated to alternative AV media investment. It is proving both popular and successful with clients and creating a standard approach to cross-media campaigns. Presenting this research at New York Toy Fair earlier this year was a personal highlight for me.

The other end of this process is accountability.

Anyone who works in marketing will know the adage about knowing that half of an advertising budget works, but not knowing which half; in the future of digital online that attitude is no longer good enough. We are therefore developing tools that help to measure and health check the accountability of campaigns: the sophistication of these programmatic tools allows us to do things that were not possible five years ago, such as switching on or enhancing display advertising when

a TV spot is aired. Our Social Listening tool allows us to monitor and measure the buzz generated from consumers on social media when a campaign is live, or conversely when a competitor is running activity.

These tools are game changers for challenger brands looking to gain an edge.

Social Media continues to increase in prominence for both kids and parenting campaigns. Our spend as an agency has never been higher with platforms from kids specialists such as PopJam to the world’s biggest social network, Facebook. In the past month, the hottest topic has been the US election, on which I won’t dwell for too long, but there is an angle that has a child-focused perspective. The election result came as a shock to many people, as did the summer’s Brexit result. That surprise, in my view, was amplified by the fact that as people we surround ourselves with like-minded friends, both in the real world and online. Online we have the option to block out the counter-opinions unavoidably overheard in the offline world. For such reasons, you can view social media as one of the best and worst developments of the past decade, if not the past century. Regardless of your viewpoint, social media is undeniably something that we must educate children on, because not only is it here to stay, it is set to influence kids’ lives in unpredictable and potentially disconcerting ways.

The fact that social media is cited as a main news source more often than TV amongst young people means that fake news, fact checking and polarised viewpoints are likely to be hot topics in what may be a democratic revolutionary year in Europe. I’ll be looking at these topics in my columns of 2017.

This brings me on to the broader area of conversation – protecting children online. As an industry, we need to ensure we are leading the way on that front. Generation Media, along with the BTHA and other industry figures and organisations, is part of the CAP Guidance group for the Children’s Critical Understanding code currently being prepared for the industry. We expect digital online to move towards tighter regulation next year.

Furthermore, expect preparation and rhetoric to step up in earnest for the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) launch in 18 months’ time. The legislation comes into force on May 25th

Toy World 20

Martin Doyle

Head of Digital, Generation Media.

Tel: 0207 307 7908 martin.doyle@generationmedia.co.uk

2018, is likely to be before the UK leaves the EU, and we can expect it to remain in force or be mirrored when Brexit happens. I would advise anyone working in the toys & games space to consider how GDPR will impact them and their business – a case not of “if”, but of “how much”. We have developed our own accreditation for those wanting to get in the know.

It’s going to be a very exciting year to be involved in the digital arena, but one that will carry unique challenges for retailers, advertisers and agencies alike. We’ve sought to make our business futureproof, as market conditions, viewing behaviour and digital online consumption habits evolve, so will our approach and tools, ensuring that our clients can be confident that their budgets are being spent in an effective manner driving strong ROMI. Standing still is not an option for an audience that is sprinting into the future driven by technological, behavioural and political change, but we in the toys & games industry don’t make a habit of standing still.

From myself and all at Generation Media, we wish you success in your final push for Christmas and I look forward to seeing you in 2017 and sharing thoughts on our fascinating journey, living in a digital world.

e l b a l i a Av y r a u n a J

2017

See our full range at: www.greenboardgames.com

Call: 01494 538999 © ABD Ltd/Ent. One UK Ltd 2003.

sales@greenboardgames.com Toy World 21

Licensing World PMS International to launch new Gruffalo products in 2017

eOne unveils first partners for PJ Masks’ UK licensing programme To meet growing consumer demand in the UK, eOne is gearing up to the launch of the market’s PJ Masks licensing programme. The roll-out will be spearheaded by Flair’s Just Play division, which will distribute the brand’s master global toy line from February. The initial range includes plush, vehicles, action figures and dress-up.

The PJ Masks UK merchandise offering will be bolstered in autumn/winter 2017 as publishing and apparel merchandise debuts at mass-market UK retail. Hachette has been appointed as master publishing partner, and will produce an extensive line of publishing formats. eOne has also inked a deal with Immediate Media for a standalone official PJ Masks 4-weekly kids’ magazine, and Redan will introduce PJ Masks content into its Fun to Learn Favourites and Fun to Learn Friends magazines. The first partner signed in the apparel category is Aykroyd TDP, which will see the launch of kids’ nightwear and underwear.

Simon Hedge, MD at GP Flair, commented: “On previewing our collection, retailers were keen to launch as early possible, hence the early spring release of the collection. To support this we are putting together a marketing strategy, targeting both boys and girls, which will ensure awareness of the toy lines at its height from the moment the toys hit the stores.”

A global digital marketing strategy for PJ Masks is driving fan engagement through a dedicated content-packed website, plus Facebook, Twitter and YouTube channels. The licensor also released the brand’s first free app, Moonlight Heroes, globally in June, and the first PJ Masks paid app, Super City Run, launched in multiple international territories at the end of November.

Magic Light Pictures has appointed PMS as a new partner to the licensing programme for The Gruffalo. The deal will see a new collection of outdoor and creative play lines being developed for spring/summer 2017 under the Gosh! Designs brand.

Ruth Leonard, head of brand and licensing at PMS International, commented: “Adventure and play are at the heart of The Gruffalo brand, and we look forward to showcasing our new collection including play items, travel accessories and explorer kits, which reflect such positive values over the coming weeks.”

Magic Light Pictures’ brand director, Daryl Shute, added: “We’re really excited to be adding to the Gruffalo collection with playful, outdoor activities and creative toys. PMS is the perfect partner for us to be extending our lines out to this market, with a range of new products totally aligned with our brand values of exploration, independent learning and creativity.”

HTI signs deal with Zapf Creation HTI has signed a multi-territory licence deal to manufacture and supply Baby Annabell and Baby Born dolls prams and pushchairs with accessories.

The collaboration is part of a strategic move by HTI to consolidate its strong portfolio of dolls prams and pushchairs ranges across nursery and children’s licence brands. The agreement grants worldwide rights, excluding North America and the German and Austrian markets.

The three-year contract will see HTI launch extensive dolls prams and pushchairs ranges under the Baby Annabell and Baby Born brands from autumn/winter 2017. The two ranges will feature separate distinct fabric colourways, yet will still incorporate key stylistic iconography unique to each brand. The collections will offer a selection of designs across price points, with features and styling that are inspired by real-life nursery prams and pushchairs.

Alison Downie, HTI’s global licensing and brand director, commented: “We’re delighted to have secured this licence partnership with Zapf Creation. Their huge international presence in the girls’ toys market, with particular focus on doll play concepts, ensures the Baby Annabell and Baby Born names are globally wellknown and respected by girls and parents alike. This licence deal will enable HTI to strengthen its position and offering within dolls prams and pushchairs, and expand international business.”

Toy World 22

licensingworld

Product ranges for Disney’s Moana announced Disney has revealed a new product collection which will bring the magic of the film to children across the country.

The wide array of products include the Musical Moana of Oceania by Hasbro, Moana’s Magical Necklace by Jakks Pacific, and Kakamora Soft Toys by Posh Paws. The range will also include a Moana Movie Collection Storybook by Parragon Books, and puzzles from Ravensburger.

The collection is inspired by the adventurous teen, Moana, who leaves the safety of her island to embark on a journey to save her people. Along with her are Maui and her two animal companions, Hei Hei the rooster and Pua, her pet pig.

Tomy signs deal for Molang Tomy UK has signed a Pan-European and Australian master toy licence for Molang.

The first products to market will be a range of plush and collectible characters in spring/summer 2017, followed by figures and playsets in autumn/winter 2017.

Mark Foster, executive vice president at Tomy Europe, commented: “We are delighted to be European and Australian master toy partner for Molang. When Millimages first shared Molang with us, we immediately fell in love with the property’s loveable characters and core values of happiness and friendship. This inspiring collaboration has sparked a fantastic toy collection ranging from plush to playsets, designed to bring the magic of Molang to life for children across Europe.”

In addition, Aykroyds and TDP Textiles are on board for nightwear and underwear for children and adults, with products launching from spring 2017.

Ian Wickham, director at Licensing Link, the agency which brokered key agreements for the brand, added: “Molang really is gathering momentum at pace and we’re delighted to have Tomy and Aykroyds TDP on board for key launch categories.

The initial TV series goes from strength to strength, having now been sold into over 150 territories, with a second currently in production on the back of pressing broadcaster demand based on viewership.

Additionally, content engagement on the social space has exploded with millions now watching on YouTube alone.”

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Brand Profile

Despicable Me 3

Minion dollar questions The recent acquisition of DreamWorks Animation by NBC Universal has brought together two global leaders in entertainment to form a hugely exciting, united business.

The newly combined portfolio of entertainment properties and franchises is unprecedented in the entertainment industry and makes NBC Universal home to six of the biggest Consumer Products franchises; Jurassic World, Fast & Furious, Despicable Me, Secret Life of Pets, Trolls and How to Train Your Dragon.

Toy World spoke to Hannah Mungo, Universal’s country director for the UK and Ireland, to get the lowdown on the licensor’s extensive plans for the Despicable Me franchise in 2017.

Can you give us an idea of the scale of the Despicable Me franchise?

The franchise has amassed over $2.5B at the box office and is a clear brand leader. Gru and his family have been embraced by audiences all over the world and their relatable family dynamic is why audiences keep coming back.

When will the new movie be released in the UK? Despicable Me 3 will hit UK theatres on 30th June 2017, and the first trailer will launch alongside our new movie release, Sing, in January 2017. Universal has seen tremendous worldwide success with this franchise in a very short space of time. Propelled by the massive success of Minions in 2015, we will continue that momentum and excitement with Despicable Me 3 in 2017.

Will we be introduced to any new characters in the new movie?

Alongside the return of Gru, Lucy, the girls and the Minions, we will be introducing two major new characters: one of which will cause Gru to question everything he thought he knew about his past and the other will be his greatest nemesis to date.

Of course, there will be plenty of Minions madness too.

What will be the focus of the licensing programme?

The merchandise focus for DM3 is truly all-encompassing. The audience will cover the whole spectrum - kids, tweens / teens, young adults and of course, families – so there will be something for everyone.

Toy World 24

Which key licensing partners are on board for Despicable Me 3?

The toy programme spans a vast array of different categories and we have many newly-appointed partners who weren’t in place previously. The toy lines align with the story-line of the film, featuring brand new characters, new environments and gadgets, as well as new-look Minions.

Master toy partner Thinkway, distributed in the UK by MTW Toys, leads the charge for 2017 with brand new figurines, play sets and feature plush. Posh Paws, Moose Toys distributed in the UK by GP Flair, Wow Stuff, Sambro, HTI and Eolo are all new to the toy programme for 2017. Posh Paws will be producing a range of basic plush; Moose has developed a wide range of collectible figurines, play sets, figural keychains and novelties; Wow Stuff has created a selection of quirky toy lines which cleverly capture the essence of the Minions; Sambro is on board for pocket money toys, bags and stationery; Eolo for outdoor sports lines and HTI for wheeled and roleplay cases.

In addition, we have ongoing partnerships with Bladez for radio control inflatables; IMC for bath toys, audio electronic and radio control; Rubies for dress-up; Hasbro

for Play Doh and co-branded games; Clementoni for adult puzzles; Mega Bloks for construction; Lexibook for consumer electronics; Ravensburger for kids and 3D puzzles and RMS International for art and craft lines.

Quite simply the toy range for Despicable Me 3 is going to be the biggest and best yet.

In addition to the toy partners, which other licensees are on board within the broader children’s market?

We have just over 100 licensees on board in the UK, covering an array of category areas including apparel, home, stationery, publishing, health and beauty, FMCG and gifting. We’re anticipating strong retail listings across the board.

When will merchandise hit the shelves - will licensees be releasing it a while before the film is launched, or will they wait until nearer the release date of the movie?

There are two distinct strands to the merchandising approach. Think of the Despicable Me franchise as the evergreen programme; it is perpetually on shelf and the associated artwork is not linked to

specific movie storylines. Despicable Me 3, on the other hand, has a limited sales window (1 May 2017 - early 2018) and the style guides are thematically tied to the movie storylines. Each programme has its own logo and branding, but visually both sets of packaging belong to the same family, so they won’t disrupt one another should retailers decide to range them side-by-side at retail.

What do you see as the main points of difference with the merchandise programme this time around, compared with the previous instalments of Despicable Me and the Minions movie?

The themes in the film will differentiate and define the merchandising programme for Despicable Me 3 and provide a strong point of difference to the previous programmes for Despicable Me and Minions. Without giving too much away, several new characters will feature, including new Minions, and there is also a sub-plot featuring the much loved Fluffy the Unicorn. There is a diverse range of different style guides for licensees to utilise across all the core themes, and the product ranges reflect this.

Given the broad age range of the target audience, which aisles do you feel will have the strongest presence of Despicable Me 3 merchandise?

Boys 6-11 years are our core target market, with girls of the same age coming a close second, particularly with the dominant play on Fluffy the Unicorn. Adult and younger kids will be a secondary target market, but still a very strong demographic.

What are your long-term plans for the Despicable Me franchise?

Strategically, we’re very much seeing this franchise as a long-term, all-year-round proposition, and we consider it a range opportunity as well as a key driver in event space.

Now that the new NBC Universal team in the UK is handling the licensing programme directly, we’ll be responsible for driving and maximizing the brand, but also ensuring that we manage the property to ensure its long- term viability. We’re looking forward to working with licensees and retailers to maximise the potential of the franchise in 2017 and beyond.

All of these companies will not be sending out Christmas cards this year. Instead, they have generously supported the Toy Trust by donating their Christmas Card budget to the Industry’s charity.

In 2017 The Toy Trust will again be inviting the Industry to get involved with a number of exciting new events as well as the annual fundraising activities. Details and dates will be publicised in the New Year and updated on the BTHA website

www.btha.co.uk/toytrust

Toy World 26

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Toy World 27

NPD Insight Expect the unexpected NPD’s Rory Partis considers the danger of making assumptions when predicting toy category purchase trends.

T

he toy industry produces a welter of product for children of all ages and tastes but there can be big differences in what ages and genders are driving growth. There is also the question of which parent is more likely to purchase certain types of toys for their kids.

This column will explore the age splits and genders that are driving growth in toys currently, and whether mum or dad is the primary purchaser.

The NPD Groups Consumer Data collects demographic information which can give insight on who is buying toys, who they are buying them for and the reason for that purchase. To highlight the pitfalls of making assumptions, let’s consider the two largest properties in toys in 2015, Star Wars and Disney Frozen. I’m sure most people would consider Star Wars a boys’ property but in 2015 over £6m was spent on the property where girls were the recipient; this spend also grew by +90% compared to +70% growth for boys. Frozen is frequently considered a girls’ property, and sales data confirms that it is overwhelmingly so, with 97% of purchases of the property bought for girls. However, the 3% bought for boys still equates to nearly £3m and this is also growing at +31%. If there are such counter-intuitive trends in two of the largest properties in the market, what else can we uncover by looking a little deeper?

Looking across the age ranges in the toy market with the latest NPD Consumer data, which covers the 12 months to June 2016, there is growth across all key ranges, with the 5-8 year age range the strongest performer at +12%. The second strongest growth is actually coming from the 13+ age range, with +10%

value growth versus the prior period; this is being principally driven by males who are growing at +13%.

That’s over £40m added by males aged 13+ in the toy market over the last 12 months, nearly one fifth of all the growth in the market. Looking at the areas that this growth is coming from, the top two categories in terms of value gain are Outdoor Toys and Games & Puzzles. Both could certainly be deemed popular categories for slightly older kids, but wouldn’t necessarily be thought of as purely boys’ categories.

The older age group may be one of the growth drivers, but the key age range for toys is still the 0-4 year age group, which has accounted for over £1.2bn in toys spend over the latest 12 month period -well over a third of all toys sold. The top categories for this age group are largely what you would expect, with Infant & Pre-school toys making up the lion’s share of value, worth over 40% of the overall figure. However, when we look in more detail, the categories that are leading the growth here are Plush and Arts & Crafts; these categories combined added over £25m in value to the 0-4 year age group in the last 12 months.

Looking at the top properties for this age group, they are not quite the traditional pre-school characters that might be expected, with Frozen being at number three and Minions also appearing in the top 10. This shows that the top licensed properties are appealing to younger kids, and fits with the recent trend of seeing Action Figure extensions into the Pre-school area, with Batman Imaginext proving a big hit, as well as Turtles Half Shell Heroes.

Taking a slightly different view and looking at who is buying the toys, we can see that mums are the most likely primary purchasers; around 23%

Rory Partis

Senior Account Manager, NPD of all toys purchased for their family are bought by mum compared to around 17% purchased by dads. Looking at the trend versus last year, this actually shows that dads are the growing purchaser, growing by +15% in value compared to only +1% for mums as purchasers. Dads have gained £72m in value compared to only £8m, which is growth that is nearly eight times as fast as mums. Though some traditions still hold true; the most popular properties purchased by dads were Lego, Star Wars & Avengers, whereas Disney Frozen was the clear number one bought by mums.

I think it’s clear that although there are still longstanding trends that exist in the toy market, you really do have to dig a little deeper to truly understand what’s happening, as who knows with what age and demographic the next toy trend will be a hit.

VALUE % MAT JUN 2016

RECIPIENT-PURCHASER RELATIONSHIP

100

Self

15

Child

39.5

Grandchild

18.6

Family Members

19.2

Other Relatives

0.6

Other

5.6

Multiple Recipients

1.5

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Property Progression: Total Property (Brand + Licence)

Sep 2016 Rank

Oct 2016 Rank

Hatchimals

#302

#22

The Hatchimals property has moved up 280 places over the last month so that the property is knocking on the door of the top 20. The sales are certainly living up to the hype of the Spin Master items being the must have toy for Christmas 2016 and The Hatchimals Assortment was the #1 item for the month of October. The Hatchimals brand is already the #4 property in Youth Electronics for YTD October and was #1 for the month with 24% share of Youth Electronics in October.

Top 10 Fastest Growing Subclasses The subclass trends for YTD October are showing that the collectible trend we have seen for the year in toys is showing no signs of slowing down.

Playset Dolls is the #1 subclass in terms of value gain and being driven by the continued success of the Shopkins brand. In the top 10 growing subclasses, we also have Collectible Stickers, Action Figure Collectibles and Strategic Trading Cards all growing strongly. In terms of other subclasses performing well PS Vehicles are at #3 for growth and this is being driven by a property that is another big success in 2016: Paw Patrol. Paw Patrol is now in fact the #3 property in the toy market YTD with over £30m in sales.

The NPD Group provides global information and advisory services to drive better business decisions. By combining unique data assets with unmatched industry expertise, we help our clients track their markets, understand consumers and drive profitable growth. Sectors covered include automotive, beauty, entertainment, fashion, food/food service, home, office supplies, sports, technology, toys, video games, and wireless.

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

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Talking Shop Presents required All of a sudden, Christmas is upon us. With prime selling weeks ahead, Jonika Kinchin spoke to a selection of independent retailers to find out about their plans to maximise sales at this key time, how they celebrate the festive season and to discuss the ongoing struggle to compete with online retailers.

Michael Baker-Kilburn, Co-owner Toys at Knaresborough Christmas in Knaresborough officially started on 24th November with the switch on of the lights and the annual light parade which the local children get involved with, but for us it started much earlier. We already had the window decorations up mid-November, it only seemed right as we had customers coming in even earlier looking for gifts big and small. At the beginning of the Christmas buying period, we tend to do better with stocking fillers rather than larger items. Sales of higher price ticket items tend to pick up at the end of November. We order the right stock levels of large items and top up on stocking fillers weekly, looking at what’s in demand and what’s not. There are a few products and ranges that I’m rooting for this year, including Little Live Pets which we’ve seen huge success with, especially Flutter Butterflies.

Peppa Pig is as superb a seller as ever, along with evergreen favourites Paddington Bear and Peter Rabbit.

We do particularly well with classic licences and Thomas the Tank Engine and Hot Wheels both also accomplish excellent sell through.

Game of Thrones Monopoly and Risk are performing strongly, along with Star Wars Rogue One figures and Toucan Teksta. Stocking fillers we’ve done particularly well with this year include Num Noms, Twozies, Disney Palace Pets, Hot Wheels, Mashems and Fashems and Match Attax. These are all lower priced items, which is what many of our customers are looking for; smaller items that don’t break the bank. To celebrate the seasonal period, we

had a visit from the big man himself: Santa came to see us on Saturday 3rd December, which was also the weekend of our town’s Christmas market. We put on promotions such as an offer on Peppa Pig, where customers who spent £30 on any Peppa brands received a plush talking Peppa from Character Options for free.

We sadly had to close our other branch, Toys at Wetherby a few months ago. As I’m sure other independent retailers will be able to sympathise, the rent and rates were far too high for the small market town that we were in, compared to our Knaresborough store. We were spending far too much on overheads and had severe competition from other toy shops in the area, as well as larger retailers and supermarkets.

I would advise anybody who is struggling that if you can’t afford to take a wage for yourself, then it’s time to move on. I don’t regret the Wetherby store as it has taught us a great deal which we have been able to apply to the branch in Knaresborough.

We have now been in Knaresborough for nine months and it has been fantastic from day one, we have built up a great relationship with our customers and we always listen to what they want.

Knaresborough town also holds lots of events throughout the year, which has helped with our success. The town has year-round tourism due to its castle (our next door neighbour), Mother Shipton’s Cave and lots of holiday caravan parks.

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Simon Wilson, Owner Piccola Toys, Brentwood Like most toy retailers, Christmas really starts for us in January and February at Toy Fair Olympia and at the Nuremberg Toy Fair. We make sure we work those shows as comprehensively as possible, looking closely at the new products.

Our strategy is always to bring those new lines into our shops at the back end of the year, as it freshens up the stores before the key selling period.

We wait until after Remembrance Sunday to get the stores into the Christmas spirit, after which we really go for it with decorations and festive windows, as well as Christmas music. We always say it’s never too early for Mariah.

In November, we get lots of people looking and thinking about what they’d like to buy, though Christmas shopping starts in earnest when the lights are turned on in the High Streets, at which point it gets pretty manic. This year we tried something different, which was to offer 20% off all toys for one week in a preChristmas flash sale, to encourage early buying and clear stock to make way for new lines, which worked really well.

We do have quite a bit of stock left over, but this is inevitable when carrying a broad range. However, we feel it is important to do this as if we don’t meet our customers’ needs, they are going to find a way to buy the product they want online. If they then sign up their details to a website that is stocking the product we didn’t have, not only do we have an online competitor we may not have had before, but that competitor will also be pinging offer-led emails to them for ever more afterwards - so by not having something in stock, we may also lose even more sales in the future.

It’s always the same brands that do well at this time of year, with Fiesta Crafts being our number one and two best selling items so far in 2016 – the Teddies Train is a firm favourite. They’ve also brought out new puppets, stickers and baby gifts that have already sold really well. Orange Tree Toys have quickly become a key part of our product

range – they’re pretty much unique in our experience, in that there’s not a single line we’ve bought from them that hasn’t sold well. Le Toy Van’s beautifully crafted Petilou range is a very stylish addition to the infant gift market – the Sensory Shapes Puzzle in particular is a hugely innovative design that I predict young children will love.

On Saturdays in December, we send our staff out into the town with Piccola branded usherette trays to give away mince pies, little gifts and helium filled balloons.

The balloons in particular work well as an advertising tool, as every child carrying one is a reminder that we’re here. We’ve found that sending our staff out with them first thing in the morning often brings customers to us earlier than normal.

To complement this, we make sure the shops looks amazing, and this year we have a giant moving Santa that we bought from Denmark for our window – he’s already drawing crowds of delighted children. Some people don’t like shops gearing up for Christmas too early, but for every one of those people there are five others who are delighted to feel like Christmas is nearly here – we often get people telling us they don’t have any children to buy for but they just wanted to come in to feel Christmassy.

As the back end months approach, we focus on increasing the value of the products we sell, to reflect the requirements of our customers.

During the early and middle parts of the year our customers enjoy buying smaller toys, or art and design products to keep their children occupied and entertained during the weekends and down times, but as Christmas approaches the toys we sell become more gift led, so we reflect that in the products we stock. One of our buying mantras is to always remember that unless a child is spending his or her pocket money, everything we sell is bought as a gift; it’s not a seismic shift, but it’s important to remember that customers want to buy bigger,

more expensive products in the last three months of the year – size definitely matters when it comes to Christmas presents.

The challenge in today’s climate with the larger priced items, however, remains the issue of online discounters. For example, many websites are now prepared to sell dolls houses, kitchens or garages - for which they’ve paid £40 or £50 at wholesale - at less than a £10 net profit, which is creating enormous issues for traditional retailers like ourselves.

We want to stock a full range of fantastic products that our main suppliers produce, but we’re slowly coming to the conclusion that we can no longer do so, until someone finds a way to regulate the discounting. A 10% margin may be good business for bedroom sellers or warehouse run online operators, but we would be making a loss if we match their prices, after rent, rates, staff and all our other costs are taken into account. So, this leaves us with an impossible choice – do we sell at a net loss, or do we carry on looking expensive in comparison, while we act as a showroom for discounters to make sales at our expense?

We’re genuinely amazed that some very well-known suppliers are not more concerned about who they are selling to, as the natural consequence of this process is that the many beautiful, traditional toy shops in this country will no longer carry their products, and their lines will only ever be seen at a reduction

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on discount websites whose only real commercial agenda seems to be to move the quickest to the bottom.

We learnt a long time ago that there’s no point in complaining, what we need to do is adapt, which is why we are reluctantly moving away from some of our main suppliers and working more with companies that are looking to operate mainly at a retail level.

We’re performing well in both our shops, with strong growth across the board, and our new internet platform, which has been up for less than a year, is already seeing very healthy sales. I don’t need to tell anyone that, even after 50 years, you have to keep evolving as a business – it’s a relentless but hugely enjoyable process that all of the very talented staff who work for Piccola get a big kick out of.

Our plans for 2017 are to keep improving and searching for new brands to bring to the UK – we are already the only UK retailer of some of the brands we stock, and we’re going to America, Australia and of course to Nuremberg to look for new opportunities. We’re also looking to become far more focused on our relationship marketing and social media presence, and we’ve hired an expert in these fields to help us grow the business in that direction – though if someone had told us when Piccola opened in black and white back in 1966 that one day we’d be selling to the whole world at the click of a button, I would have said they were insane.

Talking Shop James Colclough, Co-owner East Midland Toy Company After taking the initiative to open my own toy store, Melton Toys in Melton Mowbray in 2009, and having known my partner Dave Westerman for a number of years, we decided to join forces and the East Midland Toy Company was born. Dave already had one store under his belt, over the next few years we opened up three more stores together and now have five to look after under the East Midland Toy Company name. We have stores in the market towns of Retford and Newark-on-Trent which opened in 2011 and 2013 respectively.

We also have a store in the seaside town of Bridlington which opened our eyes to another side of the market. The summer season selling period tends to start around Easter and can last up to anytime between September and October, so we must balance providing the right stock to cater for holiday makers and tourists with making sure we continue to be a traditional toy shop for the local community.

Our most recent venture, York Toymaster opened in October and has become our flagship store. We celebrated the opening with an appearance from Toby Toymaster himself, as well as other costumed characters. We scouted many other locations but decided that this was the best bet for us, both geographically and rates-wise. The town has a historic heritage and we believe it combines all of the best things about our other store locations. We gave out 2000 goody bags to customers throughout our opening day, which was supported by many of our suppliers. We also introduced a marketing initiative which is unique to us and endorsed

by Toymaster. We printed out specially designed £1 notes which transferred into £1 off purchase vouchers, with Toby’s face on. These were given out in goody bags to be used in store and were very popular with both children and adults; the child gets to feel like a grown up and the adult gets to save a bit of money.

As well as other in-store promotions we held a competition to win four

tickets to Legoland Windsor. We asked customers to like and share the post on Facebook, in the hope that more and more local people will find out about us and come on down. As well as the vouchers, we also give out Toby loyalty cards.

Being a Toymaster member really came in useful to us during our opening, as the Toymaster brand is so recognisable.

We are lucky to have some very supportive and knowledgeable members of staff, particularly Kayleigh and Kerry who have been with us a few years and know the business inside out. They take care of everything in the stores and hold down the fort for us. They also come in handy when it comes to the buying and merchandising decisions, as Dave and I just tend to look towards those ranges we find cool. I’ve found that they enable us to give a more balanced offering, particularly for our girls’ sections.

We’re excited to see what impact Christmas will have on the new store, and hope that the local community will get more involved than ever. In general Bonfire Night and Black Friday are triggers for the Christmas buying season to begin.

We have taken part in Black Friday for the past few years but found this year to be a bit of a disappointment compared to 2015, when it added around 50% to the business.

Buying for Christmas starts at the Toymaster show in May. We have a good look through all of the catalogues and discuss what we think is going to do well, and what will be right for our different locations. We also have another look in July and August, which is when we tend to have individual meetings with suppliers. One of the biggest issues we’ve encountered is doing our buying too early. We really learnt from our mistakes in 2014 when you literally couldn’t move in one of our stores because we had far too much stock. Another consequence of buying early can be that something which is extremely popular in the early stages of the year could die a

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indie viewpoint

fast death later on, and there could be no demand for it come Christmas.

We had this issue last year with one particular licence, which we had to discount very heavily.

In terms of what we think will do well at Christmas, the traditional lines will always be best-sellers, and we see great results from Sylvanian Families and Magformers. We had a particularly successful Magformers demonstration day which drew in a massive crowd. We promoted the event on Facebook, as well as live streaming the actual event on social media. It created a huge amount of interest and we managed to sell around three quarters of our entire stock on the day. We often use Facebook to promote events and interact with customers. We give our store staff this responsibility, as they know the local area and therefore can get more involved with the communities. We make sure we get involved whenever there is a Christmas light switch on or Christmas event.

Most parents tend to buy one or two high price items for their children and many more low ticket items. As an independent toy shop, we tend not to stock many items over around £50. We’ve found that we tend to lose out as people look to online retailers who offer much bigger discounts on high priced items. We don’t want to be stuck with stock taking up space which we then have to heavily discount and barely make a profit. Higher priced items that we are confident will be popular

include the bigger Lego sets, Baby Annabell, and large Magformers sets. Low priced items that we’re expecting to sell through include the new pocket money Spinners from Tobar, as well as other generic stocking fillers such as bouncy balls and pocket money items. We’ve found that this year hasn’t been great for movie licences. A lot of bigger releases haven’t done as well in the toy market as expected. I believe this is due to the fact that children are growing out of toys much younger, and looking to other categories such as merchandise; lunchboxes and the sort. But pre-school licences such as Peppa Pig and Paw Patrol enjoy better success, and are becoming our biggest growing category.

Opening any new store doesn’t come without its challenges. The biggest problem we faced when opening York Toymaster was the red tape and the bureaucracy of it all.

We like to get things moving quickly but sadly that’s not always possible when landlords and solicitors are involved. It got to the point where we had about eight pallets of stock waiting outside the shop with no key.

Fortunately, it has worked out for us and we’re looking forward to 2017.

Our plans are just to take everything in, assess where we are and fix the little bits. We want to look closely at our costs and see where we can make improvements. Instead of opening a new store we’re looking at developing one of our current stores and moving it to a bigger and better location – so fingers crossed for next year.

If you would like to get involved with next month’s Talking Shop, please get in touch with assistant editor Jonika: 01442 502 406, jonika@toyworldmag.co.uk

Mark Buschhaus and Stephen Barnes Toy Barnhaus

Christmas stock-ing

A

s we write this, we are just beginning the start of Black Friday week, and are getting ready for when things really ramp up. For many of our customers, Black Friday marks the beginning of serious Christmas shopping, and for us, it is a significant 35% week on week uplift in sales. Since its arrival a few years ago, it has become a wellpublicised fixture in the retail calendar, and it is something that, overall, we approve of. We find it tends to bring sales forward, so everything is not condensed into December. We have a mixture of existing lines and stock bought specifically for the week that make up our offering. Hopefully by the time you read this, that will have generated significant sales.

Trade over the last few weeks has been encouraging, off the back of strong figures from last year. Pokémon continues to show no sign of slowing down. There seem to be several new Pokémon items released each week; whatever it is, and whatever the price point, it seems to be selling. From mid-November, we really noticed the games starting to move. Soggy Doggy and Silly Sausage from John Adams have sold extremely well, along with old favourites like Rubiks Cube and Doggie Doo. Speak Out is still the game that everyone is after, there have been a few companies offering alternative versions, and they seem to be helping to satisfy demand. Lego has seemed a bit slower for us, but I think that is more down to comparisons with the Star Wars Episode 7 sales from last year than any real downturn, as it is still our biggest supplier. Trolls has been a real hit, with the lines from Hasbro and Flair all flying out. This has been one of the best film licences of the last few months, and has provided a healthy boost in sales.

The months of October and November are always the most competitive when it comes to pricing. The early customers are organised, and there is always a lot of advertising by the grocers and other multiples on key lines. We aim to be competitive on price where we can, and also offer a price promise.

It is something we introduced a year ago, and it really does help at this time of year. The message to customers is that we will match any local competitor, and means that they can come to us first, knowing we will honour any other prices, although we will only match other high street stores when they have the item in stock. It is difficult to quantify how much this benefits us, but being in high profile shopping malls, it is something that really helps our price perception in our customer’s minds, and will lead to loyalty and increased sales in the long term.

We cannot go through our last column of the year without mentioning the one real must have for Christmas – Hatchimals! This is a line that has clearly exceeded all expectations worldwide, and stock is like gold dust: we are getting a huge amount of phonecalls, emails, and facebook messages about it on a daily basis. We may not have any stock currently, but it is good to have something like this; it keeps customers coming in, and if we do get some stock it will be fantastic. We are of the opinion it is definitely better to stock this type of line than not. On the subject of Christmas, you will not be surprised to hear we have already had two Christmas dinner work outings, in preparation for our well-earned turkey on Christmas Day. Happy Christmas to everyone!

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Retail Profile

Lego Store

New kid on the block November saw the largest Lego Store in the world take up residence in London’s Leicester Square. Featuring never before seen customer experiences and products exclusive to London, Toy World’s Jonika Kinchin got a sneak preview at what the flagship store has to offer the capital city.

T

he new London flagship Lego store is home to an incredible three million Lego bricks, impressive models including Big Ben, and a life-size London tube carriage featuring some special guests.

With a number of ground-breaking features, an enviable location and exclusive products, there is so much to take in when first entering the store. There is a strong focus on customer experience throughout with the majority of product based on the first floor. When first entering the store it is impossible to miss the impressive archway, which is a Leicester Square underground sign sitting between two lampposts made of 81,000 Lego bricks at 4.2 metres high. This is only a sign of things to come, as overall there are over five tonnes of Lego big-build models displayed within the store. One of the noticeable aspects is that there is a generous amount of empty floor space, no doubt aimed at catering for the vast crowds that the store will attract.

Through a partnership with Transport for London, Lego has created the life-sized London tube carriage using 637,903 bricks, which took 3,399 hours to build. The carriage offers customers a photo opportunity sitting next to a soldier of the Queen’s Guard and William Shakespeare. The range of models in the store took a combination of 10,000 hours to build. “The models are unique and exclusive to London and really give people a view of what can be made with Lego”, said Glenn Abell, vice president and general manager, direct-to-consumer EMEA at Lego.

“We also have the largest assortment of Lego on sale here, with over 800 items exclusive to this store”. He went on to explain that the project has been in the works for the last

two years, with the actual store taking five months to build and complete. “London is one of the most iconic cities in the world”, he continued, “and Leicester Square is such an iconic part of London. We were lucky enough to secure this space and we have had a great time ensuring the store is unique and specific to its surroundings”.

The store’s location is a desirable one, with M&M World and the Nickelodeon store just opposite, not to mention the amount of movie premieres, events, tourist activity and pop-up Christmas stalls that attract millions of visitors to the square every year.

Customer experience is at the heart of the store’s design. Martin Urrutia, head of global retail innovation at Lego explained one of the most interesting features of the store, the Mosaic Maker. “In just 90 seconds, customers can partake in a fully immersive experience, resulting in being able to make a Lego mosaic of yourself”. While sitting in a photo booth you are instructed by Lego mini-figures on the screen how to achieve the best picture of your face.

In a minute and a half, your photograph comes out on a laminated sheet as a mosaic version of yourself. A box will also come out which includes all the Lego pieces needed to complete your face. “We just want to make sure customers have fun when they come into the store, and have experiences like no other”, added Martin.

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Other features that make the store unique include the Lego version of passport control.

When entering the store, visitors can pick up their very own Lego passport and use the stickers included to make their own passport photo. They can then visit each Lego statue and receive a stamp from the staff member at the point. As well as Big Ben and the tube carriage, other notable statues include a classic British Telephone Box, which is a full-size replica standing at 2.6m high, created using 220,470 Lego bricks.

Children (and grown up children) who visit the Lego store can also experience a Master Builder session, where certified Lego builders share tips and tricks on what to build and how to get the best out of the bricks. Toy World had a go at making

Toy World 35

Christmas trees with certified Lego professional Duncan Titchmarsh, and can report that, while it is definitely not as easy as it looks, the Master Builder sessions definitely helped.

Lego itself is known far and wide, but how did the team get the word out that a new store would be opening? “It’s hard to miss our mascot Lester, a human sized mini-figure dressed in classic British gentleman’s attire. He got to meet lots of people on the street and create a buzz. Our strategy also included decorating London taxis and buses with Lego motifs, as well as traditional advertising on social media and digital areas”, explained Glenn. London is home to some of the biggest toy stores and departments in the country, such as Hamleys and Harrods, most of which stock Lego products. “The UK is one of Lego’s biggest markets in the world, and is where people love it the most”, said Glenn. “So, when we build our stores we hope that not only our company will benefit, but our retail partners benefit as well”.

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, was present at the official unboxing of the store on Thursday 17th November, and helped to declare the store officially open with the help of Lego CFO John Goodwin, Lester the mini-figure and some lucky children. The store is the 131st Lego store globally and the 14th in the UK. When asked if there will be any more developments or new store openings, Glenn commented: “We are always looking for new opportunities in the right place, so when we know, you’ll know.”

Face-to-face

Hornby

Cooking up a plan Publisher John Baulch spoke to Hornby CEO Steve Cooke about the company’s turnaround plan and why it is putting its customers back at the heart of everything it does.

What shape was Hornby in when you took over as CEO back in April?

It’s no secret that there have been a lot of problems at Hornby over the past few of years – in February 2016 the business wasn’t in a good place. It was important that we recognised that and moved swiftly to fix the problems we faced. The company’s financial struggles have been well-documented: we reported a statutory loss of over £13m for the last financial year. To some extent, we’ve been shielded by our strong portfolio of brands; we would have paid an even higher price if we hadn’t been protected by our brands. But we had a lot of work to do to come up with a turnaround plan and secure shareholder support for it – it was a substantial undertaking.

Where did the problems arise?

We undoubtedly chased too high a sales target last year. Our cost base was designed around meeting that target, and when we fell short, we inevitably ended up with significant financial losses. The turnaround plan is an unapologetically financially-driven plan designed to reverse the big losses we announced at the end of March 2016. Hornby’s brands are undeniably strong and important, but no business has a divine right to survive; it needs to be run properly for both its customers and its shareholders.

How did you set about coming up with the turnaround plan?

It was important to refocus our attention on our retail customers.

The basic level of engagement with our independent retail base was sorely lacking, we simply hadn’t been putting them first. Over the past few months, I’ve personally been out meeting many of our customers, particularly independent retailers. I’ve been delighted to find that there is still a lot of goodwill towards the business within the retail community, but I think it’s fair to say that their patience had begun to wear a little thin. On the plus side, I received some great feedback from retailers about where we can improve – they were full of good ideas. I was constantly being told: “We need a successful Hornby; we want you to do a good job in the market place.”

And there is no doubt that they’re prepared to work with us to make that happen. That’s a great foundation to build on.

What differences in approach will retailers see from Hornby going forward?

What has been the reaction from your customers to the new approach?

The turnaround plan will fundamentally address the way we work with and support our independent retailer base. We’ll be taking a significant amount of operating cost out of the business, particularly through a comprehensive range rationalisation process and with major changes to our European business. We need to focus on the profitable lines in our range. We did have some problems with our supply chain in the past, but we’re back to producing the kind of high quality products which our retail customers and consumers expect from us.

We’ve had a hugely positive reaction, but I’m not complacent.

Our customer’s trust has been eroded over a long period, and we need to demonstrate that we’ll do what we say we’re going to do. We’ve made a firm commitment to trading in a certain way – there is understandably an element of some retailers saying “That all sounds great, now let’s see you deliver on what you’ve promised.”

I understand that sentiment, and this will be the first step towards rebuilding both our performance and our credibility. In future, whatever we do, we want to do well. If we make a promise, we want to deliver on it.

How do retailers feel about the reduction in SKU count? Given all the changes you have implemented this year, I’m not hearing any concern what impact has this had on from retailers about the range trading in 2016? rationalisation, I think it has been recognised as something we needed to do. We found ourselves in a situation where the sheer volume of product in our range had overproliferated. There needs to be a sensible balance between depth of range and a workable SKU count.

What other changes can retailers expect?

We’ll be less ambitious with our sales targets, so we won’t have to resort to doing the things which irritated our retail customers – excessively discounting stock and putting it into the market through certain channels, including our own internet channel, rather than making it available to all of our retail partners. The net result of this will be far less promotional activity and discounting at retail, which I’m sure will be welcomed by our independent partners.

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2016 has been a transitional year; a period where we have completely re-orientated the business. What happens next will come out of that process. Our aim is that by the end of the financial year in March 2018, we will return the company to a modest level of profit.

What will success look like at the end of the process?

Most of my career has been in finance, so first and foremost I am looking at this from a financial perspective. We need to return Hornby to a profitable, cashgenerating position. But in order to achieve that financial result we need to get back to doing the basics well for our customers. It’s important that in 12 months’ time, our customers look back and are able to say “they made a promise and they delivered on it.” I am confident that we will do that.

W NE FOR 2017

Just one of next years EXCITING new range.

Visit our Hong Kong Showroom!

1105, SOUTH SEA CENTRE, TOWER 2, 75 MODY ROAD,TST EAST , KOWLOON, HONG KONG.

Toy World 37

Feature

Hong Kong Toys & Games Fair

Hello Hong Kong!

The 43rd edition of HKTDC’s Hong Kong Toys & Games Fair will welcome over 2,000 exhibitors from around the world. Clarabel Jones finds out what we can expect from 2017’s show.

K

icking off at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre from 9th to 12th January, the Hong Kong Toys & Games Fair will see over 2,000 quality exhibitors from around the globe showcase a wide variety of products, ranging from traditional toys to high tech games. 2016’s event attracted over 45,000 buyers from 121 countries and regions.

The largest fair of its kind in Asia, and the second largest in the world, will see an expansion of its British Pavilion for 2017, while there will also be two new additional theme zones to keep up with the fastpaced market.

The introduction of new theme zones is predicted to further broaden the global appeal of the show.

Popular theme zones such as Kidult World will highlight toys targeting adults, including hobby goods, models and figurines, magic items and action and war game items. The new Pet Toys Zone will bring in a variety of new brands, while the new Fireworks Zone will highlight fireworks and related products.

The Smart-Tech Toys zone will include toys and games incorporated with Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality technologies.

The signature Brand Name Gallery will gather over 200 renowned brands including Hape, VTech, 4M, Bburago, Eastcolight, Intex and Welly, as well as new exhibitors such as Nanoblock. To top it off, seminar programmes such as the Hong Kong Toys Industry Conference 2017 will welcome experts to share their insights on different topics, such as the international market trends and global safety updates.

Also held concurrently with the Toys & Games Fair are the 8th Hong Kong Baby Products Fair, the 17th

Hong Kong International Stationery Fair and the 15th Hong Kong International Licensing Show. The four fairs will provide abundant trading opportunities and good potential for crossover business activities among the participants from various sectors.

Various group pavilions will present a wide variety of products from around the world, including the Chinese Mainland, Taiwan, Korea, Spain, World of Toys Pavilion and many more. Among them, the scale of the UK pavilion is more than double compared to that of 2016.

Stuart Whitehill, from the Overseas Fairs division of the Birmingham Chamber of Commerce, which is responsible for organising the British Pavilion, asserts that the pavilion enjoyed a successful launch in 2016.

Stuart said that the decision to expand the pavilion next year arose after speaking to UK companies at other events, leading to the realisation that there was significant interest in the show. “Exhibitors in 2016 had commented on how good they had found the exhibition, and then naturally their positive experience spread by word of mouth to colleagues and friends within the toy industry.”

“The expansion of the UK pavilion has therefore been very successful indeed,” he continued. “For 2017 we booked twice the area we had in 2016, and very quickly filled that space by almost a third again. We were delighted with the level of interest, and even more so by the companies looking to return to the Fair in 2017.”

“The UK pavilion will physically stand out as the largest individual country pavilion at the show, by means of bright eye-catching graphics. In addition to the visual appearance, there are a number of UK companies in the group who have entered the awards, as well as the business matchmaking programme.

Our expectations are once again high, and we see no reason why our exhibitors or the visitors to the pavilion will be disappointed.”

All in all, UK companies certainly aren’t disappointing the show’s organisers with their boundless enthusiasm and involvement in the trade fair, something which Stuart believes is becoming increasingly recognised. “The show organisers are delighted with the UK companies participating at their show,” he said. “Our increased presence is even mentioned on the show’s press release home page.

UK companies are highly regarded by visitors, we are seen to be leaders for innovative new products of the highest quality and standard. People like to do business with the UK, we are well respected, trusted and highly regarded around the world.”

Over the next few pages, Toy World presents a selection of new lines which will be unveiled at the hotly-anticipated show in January, as well as in the myriad Showrooms of Tsim Sha Tsui.

Toy World 38

Toy World 39

Hong Kong

Eduk8 Worldwide 01434 672 335 | www.eduk8worldwide.com Eduk8 Worldwide will be exhibiting a range of exclusive and awardwinning toys at the show, as well as offering top priority customer care. The company’s ethos is to make learning and education fun and accessible for children of all ages and learning levels.

New additions include a focus on the STEM range, with new items launching which are ideal for encouraging STEM learning in young minds.

Also new for 2017 are the Large Play Mats, which will be available in a variety of different themes including zoo, city, construction and farm. The roll mats measure 200 x 120cm, are colourful and anti-smudge. They are ideal for stimulating children’s imaginations, and can be used for either indoor or outdoor play.

Other new additions this year are the Dice Domes, which come in both large and small sizes.

Sambro 0845 8739 380 | www.sambro.co.uk Sambro is renowned for its cross-category licensed ranges, and the company’s Hong Kong showroom enables it to display all of its products to full effect, so that buyers can see how licensed ranges can work for them.

The extensive Sambro Hong Kong showroom is an exact replica of the UK head office showroom, and recently celebrated its first anniversary. The company looks forward to welcoming even more buyers and guests during 2017.

The purpose-built showroom is situated in Kowloon, and is managed by a dedicated buying and sales team, overseen by buying director Collette O’Kane, who is based in Hong Kong. Sambro’s showroom is designed to showcase all of the company’s new key lines for 2017, including Disney, Universal, Nickelodeon, Hasbro, Sanrio, MGA and Twentieth Century Fox ranges.

Brainstorm 01200 445 113 | www.brainstormltd.co.uk Brainstorm will be debuting its new creative brand, Craft Time, at the fair, and will also welcome new additions to its The Original Glowstars Company and Natural History Museum portfolios.

Craft Time is a high quality and competitively priced range of Mosaic projects designed to entertain kids and allow them to develop their creative and motor skills. There are six mini mosaics to collect, including unicorn, pony, kitten, dragon, angelfish and dolphin pictures, and three large mosaics including fairy, princess and mermaid designs. There is also a 3-in-1 Mega Pack and My Pretty Journal, which features 150 pages, 500 mosaic pieces and plastic gems.

Brainstorm continues to add to its Torch and Projectors range with the new Dinosaur Projector and Nighlight. It projects 24 high-quality images of dinosaurs up to one metre wide, and the night light can also be used as a torch. New for 2017 are Cute and Cuddly, the Must See UK and NHM Sea Creatures Torch and Projectors.

The new Brainstorm Toys 14cm World Globe is the ideal size for desks or bedside tables.

There will also be new additions to The Original Glowstars Company collection, including Glow Stars and Planets and the Glow 3D Moon decoration.

H. Grossman 0141 613 2525 | www.ozbozz.co.uk Hong Kong will see a new range of Grossman scooters, with over 50% of the existing range revamped and several new brands introduced.

Parents are going to be looking for cost effective toys, and with this in mind Grossman is introducing over 150 new pocket money lines.

The Grow Your Own Alien will feature strongly.

Toy World 40

Hong Kong

Addo Play 01494 917 250 | www.addoplay.com

Infantino Bkids BV 07557 640 097 | www.bkids.eu

Addo Play will be showcasing a number of new products in January to bolster its growing portfolio. Visitors to the company’s showroom in Hong Kong will be given the opportunity to view Addo Play’s full product offering, including the recently launched and bestselling Nick Jr. Ready Steady Dough range, plus three craft focused collections and its Busy Me role-play range.

Throughout the previews, Addo Play expects to secure further distribution partnerships for the ongoing international growth of Addo Play, extending its European, Middle East, Africa and Far East business, following on from a successful first year of business. The company will also be updating existing distributors on multiple other new product offerings for 2017, which will be announced over the coming months. By January 2017, the company’s portfolio will contain over 150 products to present to potential, new and existing customers.

2017 is set to be a strong year for Infantino Bkids BV, and January will ensure the company starts the year with a bang.

Next year marks the UK launch of the company’s new sensory toy collection.

The range will officially be launching at Toy Fair, but visitors to Hong Kong can look forward to a special preview.

The Sensory collection includes a multitude of toys that will educate and entice babies. The collection of high quality sensory toys feature loveable characters, great textures, endearing sounds and bright colours, all brought together to stimulate little senses.

Highlights from the Sensory toy collection include Leon the Chameleon Light and Shape sorter, which has already won awards in Europe, and is packed with functions.

This learning-made-fun toy will allow little ones to practice motor skills by pushing buttons to match colours, letters and shape sorting.

The Sensory Discovery Robot comes with sounds, flashing lights and expressions, which will activate every time baby pushes, pulls, twists and turns it upsidedown. The 3-in-1 action-packed Walk and Drive Discovery Car will spark curiosity for little explorers with its colourful textures and buttons, lights and sounds.

Kidicraft 01282 505 988 | www.kidicraft.com Kidicraft plans to introduce more than 15 new 3D puzzle titles in 2017, as a way of building on the 3D Magic Motion puzzle range during 2016. There will also be some super gift packs that each contain three puzzles.

There are more Animal Selfies, plus new farm and country scenes, and even more products based on the artwork of renowned British artist, Howard Robinson. The puzzles based on the images taken from the vast National Geographic and National Geographic Kids library will now include dinosaurs, sea creatures and wild animals.

In addition to the increase in the company’s puzzle ranges, there are also new Children’s 3D Wall Posters and 3D Table Place Mats, plus a selection of new stationery products which will include bookmarks, A6 notebooks and postcards. All new products will continue to feature Kidicraft’s 3D lenticular imagery.

Kidicraft 3D products offer both toy and gift retailers a potentially generous margin. There will be floor display units, counter display units and spinners for each of the product ranges, to make sure that everything is attractively displayed in-store.

Interplay UK 01628 488 944 | www.interplayuk.com Following a strong performance with international distributors in 2016, Interplay will be showcasing a host of new products at its Hong Kong Showroom in January 2017.

My Fairy Garden, the company’s leading range, exceeded all expectations in 2016 with excellent sales both home and abroad. New developments available for the international market will add further strength and depth to the range. On display will be entry level kits including a Fairy Bean Pot, for growing a magic bean, and a Fairies and Friends pack, featuring the most popular Fairies. A mid-price addition is the Fairy Watering Can, and at the top price-bracket end, Interplay will be introducing Woodland Fairy Garden, an indoor or outdoor playset.

FabLab, Interplay’s range of experimental kits for older girls, sets the benchmark for quality and play value. With modern themes and fun activities, the collection boasts 10 kits, including the hero line: Glitter Tattoos.

Fuzzikins Craft, launched in 2016, has sold strongly and attracted a great deal of international interest.

Fuzzikins are flocked creatures that can be coloured and personalised, and each kit includes extra accessories to extend the play. These craft sets encourage imagination, role-play and creativity. Two new playsets in the range will be unveiled in Hong Kong.

Another highlight of Interplay’s portfolio is the Craft Box brand. New for 2017 is a Charm Jewellery range of fun activities for girls. Kids can thread together sparkling charms and beads to create jewellery based on the fantasy themes of fairies and mermaids.

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Hong Kong

Casdon 01253 608 428 | www.casdon.co.uk

Hape 08456 000 286

With an array of role-play toys for pre-schoolers, Casdon will start the year with a stand at the Hong Kong Toys & Games Fair and a newly refurbished Hong Kong showroom, with key new items including the Dyson Cord-free Vacuum Cleaner.

The Dyson Cord-free Vacuum enables little ones to copy their parents’ cleaning ritual. With its realistic hose and vortex cylinder, little helpers will be keen to take part in pretend cleaning.

The Cord-free Dyson joins other Dyson toy merchandise, together with branded role-play collections with household names such as Kenwood and Morphy Richards.

There will also be a refresh of the Baby Huggles range - a one-stop shop for baby dolls and accessories. Adding to this is the collection of Casdon classics that are ideal for little helpers, little shoppers and little cooks.

www.marbel.com Hape’s new train range offers everything from trains packs and track sets, as well as traditional pieces. Design styling focuses on natural elements, such as jungle landscapes or expansive country settings. In addition, there are rain tables and play surfaces engineered for multiple functions, optimising space and storage.

Also being previewed is the new bath play range.

Joining Hape rail and bath play ranges, another launch the company is looking forward to unveiling is the new licensed wooden walkers.

In 2017, Hape will hold the worldwide toy licence for Volkswagon classic T1 and Beetle vehicles.

Hape is taking Quadrilla to a new level with story-telling value.

The new Medieval Quest is full of family fun opportunities.

Designed by Adam Shillito, the wooden scooter and ride-on offers an opportunity to go on adventures, both on-road and off.

touchingbase

Hong Kong happenings As we wave our final goodbyes to 2016, we welcome the Hong Kong Toys & Games Fair with open arms.

Clarabel Jones speaks to a number of the event’s exhibitors to find out what the main talking points of the show will be this year.

Toy World 42

Phil Ratcliffe MV Sports

The main challenges that FOB suppliers will face in 2017 will be striking a balance between increasing raw material prices from suppliers versus the cost of importing goods when retailers convert from USD to GBP. There is no doubt that there is increasing pressure on supplier and retailer margins, which will inevitably increase retail prices.

I believe that this will be the main talking point throughout the Hong Kong trip this year, alongside speculation over whether or not rising prices will lead to lower volumes.

MV has three new battery operated vehicles which we’re very excited about unveiling at the show. All three are on big licences, and we can’t wait to show customers in our Hong Kong showroom.

touchingbase

Hong Kong happenings

Terry Crew IMC Toys

In my opinion, the key challenges that FOB suppliers will face in 2017 will be exchange rates, Chinese manufacturing costs, MOQs, lead times and the potential implementation of the Union Custom Code.

Price increases and retail prices wars will be the main topic of conversation I think, alongside Donald Trump and Brexit of course.

There are going to be quite a few fantastic new additions to IMC Toys’ range in 2017, especially in our doll and plush ranges. However, for me the most exciting launch has to be Bambo - all will be revealed in Hong Kong.

David Martin Addo Play

Vance Withers Worlds Apart

The exchange rate changes will lead through to potential impacts on RRPs; with no benefit to suppliers of the revised rates, pressure will be on retailers to either accept reduced margins or increase RRPs. In a market lacking confidence, no one wants to increase RRPs, as this would certainly impact consumption in key areas, and so discussions will take place to target promotions for key periods.

My main concern would be that we lose sight of opportunities and focus purely on exchange rates, Brexit and Donald Trump - not necessarily in that order. Innovation will still be key in 2017, and those suppliers still willing to invest in developing new and exciting products will continue to have an audience willing to listen.

We previewed a number of concepts during our meetings in October, and I’m really excited about being able to show the progress that we’ve made in those areas. In particular, I can’t wait to demo our new developments in the games, girls and boys categories.

We’ve had great results with SelfieMic and LimboHop this year, and I’m excited to talk through the plans for further development. We’re also showcasing our range of outdoor products under the Kid Active brand, which provides retailers with a fantastic opportunity to offer a comprehensive range to get kids moving.

This year is going to be a strong year for licensing overall, and we have a number of fantastic new developments in GoGlow, Headphone Hats and Room Accessories.

For UK customers, the change in GBP to USD exchange rate will certainly be top of the agenda at this year’s show. Shipping rates are also set to rise, and the UK retail market continues to be extremely competitive, so sourcing genuinely great value toys is still really important, but has just got significantly more difficult. For all other international markets, the latest exchange rate change fortunately isn’t such a problem, but in an uncertain global environment, distributors and retailers everywhere will still want to ensure they find the best possible solutions.

Given the challenges outlined above, I’m sure that these points will be a big part of the conversation, alongside how we work together with all our partners to find those great solutions.

As Addo Play enters its second year since we launched internationally in January 2016, so much of what we have to show at Hong Kong is still totally new and fresh to the market. We are also really excited to be showcasing several completely new brands to our portfolio. In total there will be 14 contemporary, consumer focused, great value brands on show.

Gary Wood

Nancy Davies

I think the main issue for FOB suppliers this year will be the dreaded exchange rate, and how it has impacted RRPS out of previews.

I think, given this exchange rate issue, people will need to examine the price points and ensure that every item justifies its price. Therefore, innovation will certainly be a key focus for us in 2017. I believe that we need to ensure our point of difference is maintained, and that product is developed at the right price.

For us, Hong Kong is about two key things. On the nursery side of our business, the biggest range will be our Infantino baby carriers - a fantastic range of ergonomic M position carriers, starting at £29.99 and going up to £69.99. On the toy side, we are most excited about our Sensory range, which officially launches in January at London Toy Fair.

This is a phenomenal range of products focused on 3-9 months old, and ranges from £3.99 up.

Every product has different sensory textures and materials that will develop young minds.

I’m not sure about other suppliers, but our biggest challenge at Interplay will be working out how to establish a pricing strategy that will be commercially viable in an extremely volatile economic climate, especially with those customers who demand long-term fixed pricing months before actual supply.

I guess there will be a lot of talk about the extraordinary political upheaval in 2016; however, with regards to specifics, who can say? The landscape is changing so quickly that I expect there will be a whole load of interesting new topics by the time we get to Hong Kong in January.

Interplay has had an extraordinary year with My Fairy Garden, both at home and internationally. We are very excited about introducing some wonderful new extensions that will both broaden and strengthen the brand. If I had to pick a favourite, it would be the new Fairy Watering Can, a delightfully detailed play activity set with the Fairy Fenn, who swings as the Watering Can pours.

B Kids

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Interplay

Viewpoint Christmas cheer from consumer engagement

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

Trump Tops It!

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.

‘Tis

the season to be jolly but, more importantly, it’s also the time to acquire new customers.

New customer acquisition is of course the lifeblood of any business, but is especially so in the toy industry with such a “leaky bucket”, as children get older and toy brands come and go in popularity. The toy business is practically conditioned to constantly acquiring new customers.

Manufacturers with multiple brands that bear no common thread must build prospects fast or products will fail. Pre-launch and launch phases become absolutely critical to success, to ensure that retail partners do not lose confidence, start discounting, or removing shelf prominence.

There has recently been a number of interesting pieces of research examining the reasons why certain brands grow and others stagnate or fail. Simply, it’s because brands are focusing on the wrong groups of audiences. Talking to the people that regularly buy a brand is not enough: these are people who will buy

L

eicester City, Brexit, Donald Trump, Honey G…… it’s fair to say that it has been an interesting year for peculiar events across the World. If I had been brave or stupid enough to wager a fiver on a treble accumulator bet on the first three events coming off I would now be sitting on a very healthy return of £12m.

The reality is that I would have probably bottled it and ‘cashed out’ after the Leicester City result, or would I have wagered all on a further double of a Honey G X factor win and a Corbyn landslide victory at next years anticipated general election? Five bets to becoming a Billionaire.

After a few months of waking up and thinking “did that really happen?” it was great to see some stability and normality return to everyday life with the predictability of the Dream Toys list. Two votes each for Hasbro, Spin Master, Mattel &

your product anyway. The numbers really only start to pick up when brands talk to customers that only buy intermittently.

Convincing people that buy infrequently to purchase slightly more often is far more financially lucrative than focusing on the smaller number of loyal fans. Instinctively this may suggest that building online communities around your brand is a waste of time, and that is huge topic of debate. I certainly believe that there is no point building an engaged brand community, for example on Facebook, if you aren’t going to also use it to talk to completely cold prospects.

There are a couple of quick ways that brands can build out prospecting campaigns using the data and behaviour of the loyal community:

2. Drive lookalike targeting

Create digital assets that encourage your community to share the brand into their own personal social networks and drive peer to peer recommendation outside of the closed group.

Brands can now reach out to people that exhibit similarities in age, gender and interests to existing fans.

In addition, I would certainly recommend reaching out to consumers that are already fans of your competitor brands across the social platforms. Your competitor has already done the hard work of attracting consumers to their brand and now you can sweep in and run campaigns that show the USPs behind your competitive solution. Another way for brands to grow through social is to partner with likeminded and complementary brands. Reaching out to brands that you think you can add value to through a strategic partnership gives you permission to talk to another passionate community that perhaps will not have discovered or considered your brand before.

Simply building a passionate community around your brand without a sales or new customer acquisition mentality is not going to bring much Christmas cheer to the CFO.

Lego and one each for Character, John Adams, Worlds Apart and Flair.

Choosing 75% of the products from the leading top five toy manufacturers in NPD and those heavily backed by TV campaigns is playing very safe. If safety is what people feel they need in these anarchic times then ‘safe’ was reliably delivered. Dream Toys is of course a very subjective and somewhat formulaic view of the top toys for Christmas with many indicators, influences and filters taken into account by the judges.

Calling the top 12 toys so late in the key season is similar to betting on the second half of a football match when it is close to certain which side is likely to win the game. Ultimately the customer will decide what to buy and therefore what is sold but had the judging panel wanted to throw in some curve balls to match the unpredictable nature of 2016 it might have been more fitting.

The odds of toy manufacturing returning to the U.S. just got shorter on the

basis that Trump, amongst other claims, has stated that he wants to reinvigorate manufacturing in the U.S., in particular those states in the rust belt that have been hardest hit by the exodus of car manufacturing. We could quite possibly see the product moulds used in Mexico by some toy corps cross the border before they build the wall.

The reality is that it is the technological change in manufacturing that has removed jobs from these industries in the U.S., not access to cheaper imports ‘make’ or ‘buy’ is the question every company asks itself and one that will be asked more frequently in the near future.

At the end of each year we anticipate a roller coaster ride in the coming 12 months, sometimes we are thinking Chessington Vampire Ride and sometimes the Apocalypse at Six Flags, but in 2017 we could be going beyond that and riding the lifetime mother of all roller coasters.

Have a Great Christmas & New Year.

1. Drive advocacy

Toy World 44

viewpoint

Spin Master is going places

S

pin Master has enjoyed another Hatchimals was launched early Octosuccessful quarter, growing ber and has consistently been out of stock 18% - roughly three times the at all the major retailers. There is little worldwide growth rate of the doubt that we are looking at one of the top toy market this year. The fourth selling Christmas 2016 products, but also quarter is also expected to grow more one that will be very strong for the whole than 16%, based on Klosters Retailer Panof next year. el readings up to mid November.

However, Hatchimals is not the only Spin Master is going places This growth was driven by four factors. new and very promising product released Lutz Muller One is the expansion of Cardinal, acby the company this year –Brightlings in October last year; the second is is another. Brightlings are 15” dolls CEO of Klosters Tradingquired Corporation, a provider of competitive insights into the mass retail space in the and Europeperformance of Paw PatheUSA phenomenal targeting ages 3 years and up – basically trol; thesuccessful third is the blockbuster success focusing on a category dominated by Spin Master has enjoyed another quarter, growing 18% - roughly three times the worldwide growthof rate of the toy market The fourth quarter is also Hatchimals; and this theyear. last is the ongoing MGA’s Lalaloopsy. Brightlings are already expected to grow more than 16%, based on Klosters Retailer Panel readings up to growth of secondary products such as the the fifth bestselling Spin Master toy, after mid November.

Build-A-Bear Stuffing Station, BrightPaw Patrol, Hatchimals, Build-A-Bear and This growth was driven by four factors.

One is the expansion of Cardinal, in lings, Power Wheels and Pottery Cool. acquiredPottery Cool.

October last year; the second is the phenomenal performance of Paw Patrol; the Next year, initial estimates predict The next entry into this space is Rusty third is the blockbuster success of Hatchimals; and the last is the ongoing growth of secondary products such further as the Build-A-Bear Stuffing Brightlings, Power growth as all theseStation, four drivers Rivets, slated for introduction next year.

Wheels and Pottery Cool.

Lutz Muller are expected to continue doing well, Rusty Rivets is a Canadian animated CEO of Klosters Trading Corporation, bolstered by thegrowth addition series produced by Spin Master Next year, initial estimates predict further as of all sales thesefrom four the drivers television are a provider of competitive insights expected to continue doing well, bolstered by themade addition sales from for the Nickelodeon and released in the US on Swimways acquisition thisofyear.

Swimways year. into the mass retail spaceacquisition in the made this This is how the sales picture is likely 8th November. It portrays the adventures USA and Europe This is how the sales picture is likely to evolve: to evolve: of a young inventor, Rusty, and his team of robots. The national buyers expect Rusty to perform well, particularly in North America.

The third leg of Spin Master’s product strategy is the absorption and expansion of acquisitions. This started off with Meccano in 2013 and was followed up by Cardinal in 2015 and then Swimways this year. In addition, the company purchased three more smaller entities in 2016 – Source: SEC filings and Editrice Giochi, an Italian board games Klosters Retailer Panel company; Etch A Sketch and Doodle Source: SEC filings and Klosters Retailer Panel Spin Master’s marketing strategy is Sketch from Ohio Arts, and Toca Boca, interesting approachapproacha children’s app producer from Bonnier Spin Master’s marketing an strategy is an three-pronged interesting three-pronged – broadening the capacity of–existing brands,the launching newofproducts, broadening capacity existingand absorbing Group. Lastly, the company has just anand expanding acquisitions. brands, launching new products, and nounced that it has entered a partnership absorbing and Itexpanding with Cepia, the makers of Zhu Zhu Pets, For the first, Paw Patrol is a good example. is not only aacquisitions. phenomenally successful Pre-school brand – probablyFor thethe best-selling of isthe category – but itsecuring is first, Pawbrand Patrol a good global manufacturing, marketexpanding into two other product categories, Action Figures and Learning. This is It istwelve not only a phenomenally ing and distribution rights worldwide. how Paw Patrol performed example. during the past months in both these categories: successful Pre-school brand – probably National buyers believe that Spin Master the best-selling brand of the category – will make further acquisitions in 2017. but it is expanding into two other Most of these acquisitions make a lot of product categories, Action Figures and sense. Spin Master tends to perform best Learning. This is how Paw Patrol perin product areas which are very diverse, formed during the past twelve months in such as Board Games and Pre-school or both these categories: those that are not dominated by one or two manufacturers such as Mattel, Hasbro or Lego. This was probably why Spin Master historically did not fare too well in Action Figures [Bakuman, Redakai, How To Train Your Dragon], Fashion Dolls [Flutterbye, Victorious, Liv], or in Toys To Life [Sick Bricks].

Looking ahead to 2017, Paw Patrol is likely to continue gaining market share in the Pre-school category and making further inroads into the Action Figure Source: and Learning space, both in the U.S. and Klosters Retailer Panel Source: Klosters Retailer Panel

Toy World 45

Hatchimals was launched early October and has consistently been out of stock at all the major retailers. There is little doubt that we are looking at one of the top selling Christmas 2016 products, but also one that will be very strong for the whole of next

internationally. Hatchimals is also clearly poised for significant growth in the next year. Rusty and Toca Boca are very positive add-ons and Cepia’s Zhu Zhu Pets could make a major impact. The product range was created in 2008 and became a craze during the 2009 holiday season.

There is a collector aspect to the range which Cepia didn’t previously exploit but which Spin Master very well may. If so, this acquisition could well represent one of Spin Master’s more prescient ones.

Etch A Sketch and Build A Bear Stuffing Stations represent a very solid base in the Arts and Craft channel and this is where the national buyers expect the next acquisition to focus.

Brightlings, too, are expected to do well next year. More importantly, they could potentially turn around Spin Master’s fortunes in the doll category – specifically the Fashion Doll space. Victorious and Liv had short innings and Flutterbye is hanging on. By focusing on the younger age group – 3 years and up – Spin Master is going up against mainly third-tier competitors, with the exception of MGA Entertainment’s Lalaloopsy brand.

Cardinal was a strong acquisition which propels Spin Master into second place in the US Board Games market, after Hasbro. Further growth can be expected on the basis of international expansion, where Spin Master invests a lot of money and talent and which will benefit Cardinal to a very large extent over the next few years.

Finally, there is Swimways. This is another excellent acquisition in that the brand is dominant in a subsector of the largest toy category – Outdoor and Sports. Benefits of the acquisition are in four areas. One is the fact the acquisition flattens out the seasonality curve because its main sales are in the summer months.

Secondly, the addition of Spin Master’s talent and financial muscle is likely to allow Swimways to expand by taking market share from competitors. Thirdly, the same infusion of talent and financial muscle should enable Swimways to expand into other subsectors. Lastly, Swimways international presence is non-existent and Spin Master’s presence in international markets will definitely benefit the brand.

In summary, I expect Spin Master to continue growing over the next few years and to become an increasingly potent factor in the toy space worldwide.

Feature

Kidtropolis Review

Kidtropolis comes to town London ExCeL’s Kidtropolis show saw a wealth of leading brands and activities in attendance, and marked the first and only UK event for consumers of its kind. Clarabel Jones spoke to Gemma Gallagher, director of brand relations at Kidtropolis, to find out what made the event a success, and what changes will be made for 2017’s show.

What were the highlights of Kidtropolis this year?

What feedback have you had from consumers since the show?

REVIEWS

It was great to see families spending time together, laughing, playing games, building and creating, and discovering products that they’d never have known about if they hadn’t visited the show.

Personally, I loved seeing children build their confidence and leave the show feeling special. Guinness World Records Live! gave children the opportunity to do something incredible and be proud of themselves, whether it be by attempting a record, or by actually breaking one.

A highlight for us was the wall of carefully designed Gigi Bloks; the efforts children went to to create their masterpieces was fantastic. The thousand balloons balloon drop with confetti cannons and a stage full of mascot characters was a spectacle to behold, and the performances by the Bopniks, alongside Captain Calamity, Amazing Arabella and MCDT filming their music video at the show was also great fun. Another highlight was the ToyTesters.tv Awards, with press and media in attendance, together with lots of excited children waiting to see who had won.

Arts and crafts, hands-on, sporting and technology activities were particularly well received, and live stage shows, entertainment and audience participation were also huge hits.

It was fabulous seeing children having an amazing time, and we’ve received so many positive comments from parents, saying that it was the “best day ever”, with one even stating how Kidtropolis changed their child’s life. These are the reasons why we ran the show. If we can make such positive impressions on children’s lives and help parents to create memories with their children, we’re happy. A magical moment for me was seeing a child leaving Kidtropolis. He stopped at the door, turned round, waved and shouted “Bye Kidtropolis. See you next year!”

From comments received, we estimate that approximately 5% of our visitors had a complaint or negative experience. This of course saddens us deeply.

As family people, we’d of course love it if 100% of our visitors left 100% happy, but it’s not always possible.

Along with our own observations, we have taken a proactive approach, getting the full picture of any issues that visitors experienced. We’ve been speaking to parents who reached out to us with their feedback over the phone to ensure we get the best information from them to help us make Kidtropolis even better next year.

Clive Wooster from Geomag:

Approximately how many visitors did the event see?

There was an estimated attendance of 18,500 over the three days. We’ve already started receiving emails from parents requesting to purchase their tickets for 2017.

What changes will you make for next year’s event?

We’re currently working on some exciting plans, and we hope to release this information in Q1 2017.

We’ll definitely be looking into sport, technology, entertainment and heroes, as these are the areas that worked particularly well at Kidtropolis. In 2017 we’ll be focusing on the key ingredients which we know children love. Great events are built on visitors and their feedback, and without that we wouldn’t be able to build and improve. Dates for the next event are currently being finalised, and will be released in due course.

“With a huge number of children in attendance over the three days, at times it seemed like most of them where either on or queuing to get on the Geomag stand. We were overwhelmed by both the numbers and enthusiasm of the visiting children over all the days. We had to adhere to a strict 30 minutes of play for each child to make sure we could give everybody a chance. It was encouraging that most wanted to play for two or three times that period, and the purchases off the stand confirmed we had a huge number of new recruits. It’s true to say the fair exceeded our expectations, and we’ll be back.”

Simon Turnbull from Premium World: “We had a fun and successful three days at Kidtropolis. The visitors were very engaging and genuinely interested in taking their time to seek out and try new toys and games. The reaction to Super 11 was very positive, and we were delighted to make the top 20 toy list. We hope this new exhibition format is here to stay.”

Joshua Davidson from Night Zoo Keeper: “Kidtropolis was wonderful. We met thousands of very excited children, who all loved drawing their own magical animals and writing stories about them. Our book was also a huge hit. We sold hundreds of copies to parents who were delighted that, in a place packed with amazing entertainment, children were still drawn to our reading and writing activities.”

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Face-to-face

Toymaster

Toymaster gears up for 2017 John Baulch joined the Toymaster members at the recent Swindon regional meeting, giving him the perfect opportunity to hear how confident independent retailers were feeling as the festive season approached.

The second half of October saw the Toymaster regional meetings take place across the British Isles - in Ireland, Harrogate and Swindon to be precise. I was delighted to be invited to join the members at the Swindon event this year, and I found it to be a very productive trip. I love talking to independent retailers: free from the politics – or worse, media training – than can sometimes preclude major buyers from speaking their mind openly and honestly, you get wonderfully frank and honest feedback from the

What role do the regional meetings play for the group and its members?

The regional meetings have always been important to the group and well-attended by the members.

indies. The encouraging news is that all the retailers I spoke to on the day seemed confident about the rapidly approaching festive season. Most felt that Christmas has kicked into gear slightly earlier than in previous years – by all accounts, September and October were strong months for the independent channel.

I spoke to several Toymaster members about potential price rises in 2017, and most felt that their customers were fully expecting this to happen and were bracing themselves to deal with whatever rises transpire. There This year we had around 35 members stay overnight at the Irish event, 30 in Harrogate and a further 16 in Swindon. This gives them the opportunity to talk to each other and share valuable information about how they’re finding trade and what’s working. We have other members turn up just for the day.

It’s never easy to get members out of the shop around half term, but we’ve had a good turnout over the three events. The purpose of them coming is to buy, and they’ve certainly done that. All the suppliers I’ve spoken to are very happy.

What entices the members to attend the events?

The reasons for coming vary each year. There has always been a strong emphasis on the FOB ranges at the regional events, but this time the exchange rate has meant the FOB lines look more expensive at first glance. Last year we bought with the dollar at 1.50, this year it was 1.30, so that was bound to have an impact. Of course, the FOB range will still be an important part of the business and it will still be a big source of profit for our members– that won’t change.

By the time we see the price

was a sense, however, that certain price points are about to undergo a seismic shift, with the £9.99 price point in particular thought to be under threat – although it may sound optimistic, some members suggested that £11.99 may well turn out to be the new £9.99 next year.

Product-wise, many of the usual suspects were repeatedly mentioned (Pokémon, Shopkins, Paw Patrol, Sylvanian Families), while a couple of new names joined them: Hatchimals got off to a flying start, selling out within a week for most retailers I

of the domestic lines for 2017, that will put the FOB pricing into context and everything will be back in kilter.

However, a major reason for many of our members to come to the regional events this year has been the presence of many of the major suppliers who no longer show at Toy Fair: Mattel, MGS, Hasbro and Jakks have all been here, showing their 2017 ranges. You can’t beat seeing the product in the flesh and discussing it face-to-face with the representatives; if they weren’t here, our members wouldn’t be able to do this until the May show, so it’s been a great opportunity to see the exciting products that those suppliers have for next year at this stage rather than half way through the year.

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spoke to. And the M-Word (margin) was on everyone’s lips: it struck me that Toymaster members may choose to adopt a more selective approach to stocking products from companies that fall short of offering the magic 40% they need to survive.

During the event I also spoke to Toymaster’s managing director Ian Edmunds about the role of the regional events and how his members were feeling about the festive season. Here is what he had to say:

How are the members feeling about the festive season?

The members are doing really well at the moment, they’re all happy. Pokémon has been fantastic, especially the trading cards. I would say that sales are just as good as we enjoyed with loom bands – it’s flying. Generally, festive trading has got off to a good start. The members who got behind Christmas early by organising their Christmas window, putting the catalogues out and changing the products over to festive stock have reaped the rewards. It definitely worked for those retailers who went early this year; the public wanted Christmas, which isn’t always the case.

Feature

Nuremburg Toy Fair

The away game The 68th Spielwarenmesse will take place from the 1st to the 6th February 2017, with over 70,000 trade visitors expected to attend. Over one million products will be on display at the show, including over 75,000 new products. Toy World takes a closer look at what to look out for at next year’s show.

T

he 2016 show saw 2,851 exhibitors attend from 66 countries around the world, including 2,070 international exhibitors, an increase on 2015’s numbers. The UK was the third of the top 10 exhibitor countries and sixth in the top 10 visitor countries. There were 70,714 visitors, 58% of which were international visitors from 125 countries.

The TrendGallery in Hall 3A highlights the most exciting trends for 2017, in an area of over 1,000m2. The ten members of the Trend Committee evaluate and identify industry trends to present to visitors and exhibitors every year. The first trend for 2017 is Body and Mind Activity, where play helps counterbalance children’s hectic everyday lives physically and mentally, whilst also focusing on fitness and movement combined with fun, to encourage a balanced mind and body. The second trend is Girl Power: the Trend Committee believes that all girls should be provided with the capabilities to test and try out their interests. The final trend to look out for is Swap and Collect. The old, young and everyone in between enjoy collecting, and swapping only adds to the attraction. The TrendGallery is also home to the Toy Business Forum, where Trend Committee experts Reyne Rice and Dr Maria Costa will appear as speakers at the Forum’s daily presentations. Other presentations will include a workshop by sales coach Jörg Winter. All presentations are free to attend and take place every day from 1pm in both German and English.

The coveted ToyAwards winners will be revealed in a presentation at Tokyo Hall on the 31st January, in a ceremony starting at 6:30pm. There is still time for exhibitors participating at the Fair to submit new products for the 2017 ToyAwards. The awards are split into four categories; Baby & Infant, Pre-school, School Kids and Teenager & Adults. Submission is free and the winners will be decided by an elevenstrong jury composed of educationists, market researchers, sales agents and toy safety experts.

Other key features of the Spielwarenmesse include the New Exhibitor Centre, where trade visitors will have the opportunity to speak directly with the 58 exhibitors from 28 countries who are showing at the fair for the first time. This will be located in a joint pavilion in hall 3A. Stuart Whitehill, who is from the Overseas Fairs division of the Birmingham Chamber of Commerce and organises the British Pavilion at the Fair, told Toy World what will be different in the pavilion this year. “We will be welcoming six new companies onto the pavilion, which is great news for all concerned especially as we did not get any additional space for 2017. Joining us will be Danilo, GB Eye, Gibsons, Learnwell, Invicta and Button Bag, who will all be

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exhibiting on the UK pavilion for the first time”. The pavilion provides British exhibitors that extra level of support that can be so important at international fairs. Advice can be provided regarding the show, hotels, the stand, advertising and even where to eat in the evenings. There is also a designated lounge area with facilities that British exhibitors and visitors can take advantage of. “The location is key, and our team work tirelessly for the six days to cater for the 35+ UK exhibitors”, commented Stuart.

“The smaller stands enjoy being seen as part of a larger community and the networking between everyone is invaluable. The Spielwarenmesse is so passionate about the toy industry, and genuinely looks after those companies that join them at the events”. Stuart believes that the show is “truly superb”, and that there are a variety of reasons that keep so many exhibitors and visitors coming back.

“It has a huge range of products within its portfolio, and over half of visitors and exhibitors are from outside of Germany, which shows the diversity of opportunity”. Over the next few pages, Toy World presents a selection of new ranges which will be unveiled at the 2017 Spielwarenmesse.

new for 2017

HALL 3, STAND A-15 HALL 5, STAND E22-F23 STAND S49

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Nuremberg

Brainstorm 0120 044 5113 | www.brainstormltd.co.uk Hall 12, Stand B-03-02 As well as adding to the extensive Brainstorm Toys portfolio with The Original Glowstars Company and Natural History Museum brands, the company will also be introducing a new creative brand called Craft Time.

Craft Time is a range of Mosaic projects designed to entertain kids and allow them to develop and hone their creative and motor skills. Easy to complete and with 12 projects to choose from, the products include shiny, colourful and sticky foam mosaic pieces. There are six mini mosaics including unicorn, pony, kitten, dragon, angelfish and dolphin pictures, and three large mosaics including fairy, princess and mermaid designs. There is also a 3-in-1 Mega Pack and My Pretty Journal, which features 150 pages, 500 mosaic pieces and plastic gems. My Pretty Jewellery Box completes the collection and includes over 1,400 mosaic pieces, a pretty butterfly design, open lid top compartment and two drawers.

The new Dinosaur Projector and Nightlight is ideal for fans of all things pre-historic. It projects 24 colour images of dinosaurs up to one metre wide and has a night light, which can also be used as a torch.

There will be new additions to The Original Glowstars Company collection, including Glow Stars and Planets and the Glow 3D Moon decoration.

Engino 0800 988 7065 | www.enginotoys.co.uk

Chicco 01214 549 707

Hall 4, Stand F-06

www.chicco.co.uk Hall 12.2, Stand P-04 New to Chicco’s Fit ‘N Fun collection is the Hopscotch Playmat, an electronic play mat featuring two modes. A further addition to the range is Mr. Ring, a hedgehog which sits atop a rotating base, with five spines protruding from its back, onto which children try to throw one of 12 plastic rings. Mr. Ring plays out music as it rotates.

Also on display will be the latest addition to Chicco’s Move and Grow range, Sherlock The Detective Dog, aimed at babies taking their first steps. Parents must hide its bone somewhere for it to find.

Visitors to Nuremberg will also see the latest addition to Chicco’s Turbo Team, Bobby Buggy, a red buggy-style remote-controlled car. The car comes with a detachable steering wheel that serves as the remote control.

New to the Bilingual ABC range is the Sam the Mole Pop-Up shape sorter toy.

A 2-in-1 electric shape sorter featuring a peek-a-boo mole, the toy speaks to the child in both English and Italian.

With the introduction of the Food Truck 2-in-1, Chicco is combining two playtime concepts, the play kitchen and play vehicle, to create a kitchen on wheels.

To extend its Disney Princess licensed range, Chicco is introducing the Mrs. Potts Electronic Tea Set. The teapot displays Mrs. Potts’ face from Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, and includes two stackable teacups. At 11:00 and 17:00 lights come on and music plays.

A further addition to the sleeptime range is the Lullaby Sheep in blue and pink. The soft sheep has a voice recorder function and a sound-activated sensor. Also with a music option, the Lullaby Sheep can play melodies and has a night-light.

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Since 2003, the company has researched into and developed some of the best construction and educational toys. Engino’s goal is to always focus on innovation and creativity, with the aim of enhancing children’s curiosity towards engineering and STEM. All of Engino’s products are made in Cyprus, and it currently offers seven toy series, all of which will be presented at Nuremberg. In 2016, Engino successfully distributed its products to more than 40 countries worldwide.

Engino currently offers a series of toys covering a range of construction games and STEM education toys. In January 2017, Engino will be launching the Qboidz series, entering the pre-school toy market for the first time. What makes the Qboidz series different than other brands and pre-school toys is the ability it gives youngsters to stack cubes, but also to snap them together with the patented Engino Toy System. All these series will provide children with the foundations to excel in the STEM and robotics fields after primary education.

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Nuremberg

Funrise 01908 555 640 | www.funrise.com Hall 12.2, Stand P-21 Following a bumper year for bubbles in 2016, Funrise is launching a new Giant Gazillion collection. For 2017 the bubble experience gets even bigger with Gazillion’s superior bubble solution, as well as new gadgets and gizmos.

Still at affordable price points, the new lines include a Giant Bubble Mill - the ultimate large machine that blows giant bubbles. Coming complete with an 8oz bottle of Giant Bubble Solution, key features include a rotating wheel that blows giant bubbles continuously. Alternatively, there is the Giant Bubble Palm Juggler or the Giant Bubble Power Wand.

Nuremburg Toy Fair will also see the unveiling of a new licence. The new property comes off the back of an animated Netflix original show, launching this month. With plastic, plush and playsets planned alongside dress-up items, this range is sure to be a hit with kids. The circus-themed show encourages little ones to be empowered by their own creative potential, and the products further embody this.

In addition to big bubbles and a new licence, Funrise’s stand will be home to the expanding Tonka range. Celebrating its 70th anniversary in 2017 and returning to the Funrise portfolio in autumn,

Tonka is proving to be the reliable brand of choice for many boys collecting toy vehicles of all sizes, from Tonka Tinys to the Tougher Tonka steel range.

Hy-Pro 01582 670 100 | www.hy-pro.co.uk Hall 7, Stand C25

Green Board Games 01494 538 999 | www.greenboardgames.com Hall 12, Stand B-03-1 Green Board Games has been working on a host of new products to showcase for 2017. With great licences, new additions and a selection of products to be showcased, the team will be waiting to involve visitors in trying the games for themselves.

New entries into the world of BrainBox include the licences of Peppa Pig and Marvin’s Magic, while an updated Roald Dahl BrainBox, including The BFG, Matilda and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, will follow later in the year. Other additions to the evergreen BrainBox range will be Myths and Monsters, Animal Families, Under the Sea, People at Work and the introduction of Things that Go into the BrainBox pre-school range, with a phonic-centred, curriculum-aligned update of BrainBox ABC hot on its heels.

Following the launch of BrainBox Story Cards, Adventure and Fantasy have been introduced to increase the range, along with two new Brain Box Jigsaws: Rainbows and Opposites. 2016 also welcomed the introduction of Flights of Fancy to the Green Board Game family, which is known for its educationallyfocused game ethic.

The Flyte case scooter range will be on display at the show. Alongside the existing Mini and Midi Flytes, the Maxi will finally be making its debut. With a high quality specification, the Maxi has real scooter credentials whilst doubling as a backpack.

Under Zinc there will be an array of wheeled toys including the hybrid scooters, new designs of skates and skateboards and new twists on old favourites like the Street Gliders.

Zinc will also debut a whole selection of new electric products, including multiple lithium models.

The Smart A power board is the brand’s first foray into the power board market.

The Smart A comes in multiple colour designs and has its own range of accessories to mix up the riding experience, including the Smart Kart and telescopic Smart Bars. This lithium power board reaches speeds of 7.5mph and all safety and testing documentation has been reviewed and verified by Trading Standards. This comes as part of a whole range of power boards from Zinc, which will be revealed at Nuremberg Toy Fair.

Sticking to its scooter roots, Zinc will also debut the new Smart Quantum lithium powered commuter scooter. This foldable, lightweight model has an aircraft grade aluminium frame and reaches speeds of up to 15mph. On top of that, the existing Volt range will also debut new models with the Volt XT line. These take advantage of new lead-acid battery technology, allowing for new slimline and lightweight electric scooters.

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Nuremberg Learning Resources 01553 818 062 | LearningResources.co.uk Hall 5, Stand B-06 C-05 Now the youngest learners will get a feel for geography with Learning Resources’ new hands-on Puzzle Globe. This brightly coloured rotating globe sits on a sturdy safe base. Children will be able to correctly place the continents on the globe, guided by parts that provide simple selfchecking. Once complete, the globe is customised with stickers of famous landmarks, such as the Eiffel Tower and the Great Wall of China, for extended learning.

Kids can also unlock creativity and curiosity with the colourful Latch & Learn School House.

By learning to open and close different types of latches, children can discover what’s behind each door of the school. From the gym to the library, each door reveals a colourful illustration and a removable figure (one teacher and five students). The interactive set also features a manual clock to help children tell the time, and a handle for play on the go.

An ideal introduction to problem solving and construction, pre-school children can build their own robot friend with Count & Build TotBot. Multiple variations can be created by twisting and stacking colour and number shape pieces on the connector between the TotBot head and body, using a play spanner. The chunky, durable pieces are designed for little hands, and help to teach counting, shapes and colours.

Golden Bear 01952 608 308 | www.goldenbeartoys.com

Pioneer Europe 01279 501 090 | www.QualatexEurope.com

Hall 5, Stand C-15

Hall 9, Stand D-76

Fresh from signing a global deal with Brands With Influence, Golden Bear will be showcasing its Bush Baby World range at Nuremberg. A patented system allows children to wiggle their Bush Baby’s eyes and waggle their ears. The range also includes a Sleepy Pod, and for added role-play there is a Dream Tree playset to collect, on which the sleepy pods can hang.

The Sleep Tight All Night range has been achieving fantastic reviews from mums since launch. Golden Bear is looking to further establish the product as a must-have for sleep deprived parents in 2017 with two new additions to the Sleep Tight All Night range.

Leading the new licensed introductions at Nuremberg is the DC Super Friends range.

Based around Batman and Superman, the new range encompasses feature plush in the form of Interactive Power Punch Batman, as well as slingables and an interactive playmat launching in autumn/winter 2017.

For the vehicles sector, the company is bringing out refreshed My First JCB lines with a new look highlighting the indoor and outdoor uses of the toys. Following the success of the Big Wheelers, two new lines, Tough Talking Joey JCB and Doug Dumptruck, will launch later in the year featuring chunky wheels and rumbling sounds, as well as new vanishing mud splat bath toys and Squishies. Also new for autumn/winter 2017 is a new Go Mini Freerunner buildable track set for pre-schoolers, which has four metres of track to collect. Harold will be joining the Thomas & Friends range in the spring, with a new interactive Talk Along Thomas being released in autumn.

2017 also marks the start of the In the Night Garden 10 Years of Magical Journeys, in celebration of its 10th anniversary, and heralds Golden Bear’s launch into the nursery sector with In the Night Garden Baby. The collection will include a selection of nursery toys all based around Igglepiggle, Upsy Daisy and Makka Pakka. As well as soft toys, the range will include Blankies, Rattles and Hanging Chimes. The company will also be showcasing new lines from its My First Forever Friends nursery range.

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Pioneer Europe’s Qualatex balloons and party products offer retailers low product investment, attractive profit margins and increased in-store traffic. Retail solutions, continual support and education will also help ensure success in adding party lines to product ranges.

In 2017, Nuremberg will see the launch of the new Qualatex Everyday Catalogue 2017, which will offer a range of balloons and party product for every occasion. In addition to the range of licensed Bubble and latex balloons, such as Disney, Marvel, Lucas, Nickelodeon, Carte Blanche and more, the company offers an extensive range of Birthday Microfoil balloons. The new 41” Golden Crown Microfoil Shape with coordinating birthday foils, latex balloons with trendy prints, milestone birthday Bubbles and milestone confetti Microfoils will all be showcased on the company’s stand.

Other products to look out for on Pioneer Europe’s stand include the Star Wars balloon collection, especially the Death Star Double Bubble, the Disney Belle balloon collection, the Moana balloon collection, Spider-Man and Cars, to name a few.

Also new to the company’s portfolio are printed latex designs in 6 ct. packaging, as well as the new 3 foot Disney balloons.

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Nuremberg The Puppet Company 01462 446 040 | www.thepuppetcompany.com Hall 1, Stand F-09

Schleich 01279 870 000 | www.schleich-s.com Hall 6, Stand C-21 New arrivals to Schleich’s DC Super Hero figurines for March include Hawkman and Shazam. Another new arrival in the range is Catwoman.

Two new figures from the Wonder Woman film will also be released in May, and Super Heroes from the Justice League film will be available from September.

The pre-school offering for Farm World and Wild Life will expand for 2017. Key to each of the ranges will be new Starter Sets, with the highlight for the second half of the year being a Croco Jungle Research Station. This playset includes a big crocodile skull and integrated secret hiding place, a research centre and a viewing platform. Further accessories include a ranger figure, a fire pit, scientific equipment and four animals. The Tractor with Trailer and Hay Conveyer will also make great additional purchases to the Barn and Farm Buildings from the Farm World range.

The Horse Club collection, which has received a positive response from retailers and consumers since its launch in autumn/winter 2016, will now see the addition of further horses and playsets. For Q3, there will be four more Horse Club playsets, including the Mobile Vet Van. This also comes complete with accessories such as a portable X-ray machine, a young Hanoverian foal and doctor’s bag.

Schleich’s Dinosaur collection will see the addition of feathered prehistoric creatures with a Feathered Raptors Set, complete with three dinosaurs with moveable arms and jaws. The Stegosaurus has also had a redesign, and will be joined by Utahraptor and Acrocanthosaurus figures for 2017.

As well as the company’s current products that customers know and love, The Puppet Company will be showcasing lots of new products and ranges at Nuremberg Toy Fair, as well as a new catalogue for 2017.

New items include Large Creatures, which are some of the largest puppets the company has ever produced. Measuring up to 105cm in length, the puppets are easy to manipulate, have mouth movement and are made from bold printed fabrics.

Also new for 2017 is the company’s range of Cuddly Tumms - cross-over products which sit on a shelf like a soft toy, but have the functionality of puppets.

The Puppet Company’s new Dressed Animals collection is proving to be successful, and the company foresees them becoming even more popular in 2017.

The company has added new puppets to its Full Bodied, CarPets, Long Sleeves and Finger Puppets ranges, and has also introduced its first ever Large Finger Puppets range, which includes an Orca Whale, Dolphin, Blue Whale and Great White Shark. Designed for older children and adults, the company is aiming to make finger puppetry bigger and better than ever before.

Hauck 0777 060 8858 | www.hauck-toys.com Hall 2, Stand B05-C04 Following a record-breaking year, Hauck’s 2016 ranges of ride-on toys and dolls prams, strollers and accessories are its best.

The Nerf Battle Racer and Batman go-karts have proven to be a success and will be joined by Transformer’s Bumble Bee. This yellow go-cart, with its Transformer bodywork, comes in sturdy full colour packaging.

Also launching in Nuremberg is Hauck’s new battery operated Mercedes GLK350. This car features opening doors, headlights, horn, two speed transmission, suspension and MP3 compatibility with volume control. Available in three colours, this high-spec car offers great value.

Also new is the Sirocco go-kart, with its styling and features such as automatic free-wheel and almost friction free wheels.

There are two pre-school go-karts called Turbo - a boys’ and a girls’ version. Each can be used indoors as well as out, with its EVA wheels being non-scratch and silent on wooden floors. As with all Hauck ride-on toys, the seat has tool-free adjustment. Also on offer is the new Explorer Deluxe, a grow with me trike which adapts to the child.

There are also additions to Hauck’s dolls pram, stroller and accessory range, including a collection of My Little Pony toys. In other ranges, new designs feature throughout, including a new concept – Little Diva.

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PING-PONG ANYWHERE NET SET Play table tennis in seconds, anywhere, with the Ping-Pong® Anywhere Net set. The regulation-height net extends up to 6’ and clamps easily on to any type of surface.

Visit www.phoenixsportinggoods.com for more products Phoenix Sporting Goods Limited, University House, Oxford Square, Oxford St, Newbury, Berks, RG14 1JQ T: 01635 517560 E: lee@phoenixsportinggoods.com W: www.phoenixsportinggoods.com

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Nuremberg

Bertoy 07748 150 906 | www.bertoy.com Hall 3, Stand E12 Bertoy’s main focus at Nuremberg will be the American-based Crocodile Creek brand. This brand has a range of products for every child. There are a number of balls to choose from, including playballs, PVC balls or soccer balls, and even the littlest one can have a go with their first soft ball.

Alongside the balls, Crocodile Creek is particularly known for its puzzles. The appealing packaging makes puzzle time even more fun for both children

Orange Tree Toys 01242 244 500 | www.orangetreetoys.com Hall 12, Stand A-11 2016 has seen Orange Tree Toys receive numerous awards for a selection of favourites, including the Crocodile Puzzle, Animal Puzzle Train and Safari Play Set. The company is hoping 2017 will be just as successful, with new additions to the Peter Rabbit collection, including a playset designed around Mr McGregor’s vegetable garden, an alphabet puzzle, number puzzles, a puzzle set, musical instruments and more.

Fresh to the wooden toy food market is a tiffin box filled with Indian takeaway favourites and a Chinese takeaway, including chopsticks. Adding to the Farm Kitchen range is a fruit bowl full of exotic fruits, such as a pineapple, fig, kiwi and mango. A wooden knife comes included.

Orange Tree Toys will also be launching its new Puppy Love range - an entire range dedicated to different breeds of dogs, including a poodle, a pug, a cocker spaniel and more. The Puppy Love range will include all of the classic lines, such as skittles, push-alongs, a playset, and a new product of a puppy maypole.

Orange Tree Toys has collaborated with Guide Dogs for the Blind, with a Labrador pull-along. 10% of all sales for this product will be donated to the charity.

An exciting new licence for 2017 is also in the process of being finalised.

and parents. Favourites for 2017 are the 36-piece Tower Puzzles, which come in a Barnyard and Jungle version.

The company’s Once Upon A Puzzle is a puzzle and play environment all in one. An illustrated box unfolds into a fantasy castle, with scenes on both the inside and out. The puzzle contains seven stand-up figurines that enhance the play experience, from Beauty and the Beast to Cinderella.

The secondary brand represented by Bertoy for the UK market is Tiger Tribe. This creative brand has its roots in Australia, but appeals to children all around the world. Kids can let their imaginations run free with the vibrant colouring and magnetic playsets, and the Tiger Tribe Bath Stories are ideal for bath time.

HTI 01253 775 684 | www.htigroup.co.uk Hall 12.2, Stand P-09 Teamsterz, HTI’s extensive range of collectible die-cast vehicles, garages and playsets, light and sound vehicles and track sets, has almost 50% new and over 20% refreshed lines for 2017. The brand will be supported by a multi-platform marketing campaign from 2017, including a new consumer website, which launches in Q1. HTI will also introduce the new category of Teamsterz Light & Sound, which has already created excitement from previews with retailers and distributors worldwide. Comprising 10 different themed chunky vehicles, each comes with its own light-up and sound effects, moving parts, opening doors and play accessories. There are also new Garages and Playsets launching for 2017 across key price points, combining quality manufacture with imaginative vehicle play patterns.

The new Mobile Police Break Out Play Set is a police truck carry case that transforms into a jail break concept with lights and sounds, a helicopter and helipad, working lift, jail barrier, two vehicles, an escape ramp and launch ramp. Within the track sets category, HTI presents new themed sets developed to hit major price points. Teamsterz also introduce new 3” and 4” die-cast cars and city trucks.

With a multi-territory licence partnership with Hasbro for My Little Pony role-play toys, many of HTI’s lines are designed to portray the pony characters, with contents and features inspired by the brand DNA. In addition to the range of character styling heads, there is a new Manicure Bar, Table Top Dressing Table, Braider and Bead Set. HTI also presents a new range of My Little Pony and Transformers pocket money toys, which are available across multiple territories internationally.

HTI will also launch a new range of Teletubbies pocket money and bubbles toys, and will also introduce new lines to its Teletubbies role-play and musical instruments toys for 2017, such as a TV with moving screen and an interactive Play Mat which features character and musical sounds.

JCB continues to be supported through a range of JCB vehicle and role-play toys. New for 2017 are 7” Trucks with detailed styling and play accessories, as well as a new remote control Tower Crane complete with wrecking ball. HTI continues to provide the JCB Fastrac Footto-Floor Ride-On.

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Feature

Nuremberg Geomag 07831 886 997 | www.geomagworld.com/en Hall 6, Stand C-19

Sakar International 02476 518 500 | www.sakar.com Hall 12, Stand A-11 Sakar International will be exhibiting a full range of Trolls youth electronics at the upcoming Nuremberg event.

The company’s wide range of Trolls-themed products include kids’ safe headphones, featuring Poppy’s iconic hair and a built-in volume limiter, completely optimising the listening experience and providing clear sound at a safe noise level for kids. The earcups are lightweight and come with an adjustable headband for maximised comfort.

Trolls Karaoke comes with a microphone and bonus 2-song CD containing music from the film. In addition to the headphones and Karaoke’s, Sakar’s Trolls range also includes digital cameras, walkie-talkies, standing microphones and much more.

Sakar International will also be showing a large assortment of branded electronics at the show, including DC Super Hero Girls, Batman, Avengers, Disney Frozen, Nerf, My Little Pony, Lego Batman, Beat Bugs, Thomas & Friends and many more.

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Geomagworld SA, the magnetic toys specialist, is a company where creativity is always at work. For the new Color items, Geomag has created a mix of bright new colours with new boxes and progressive color mixes and with different numbers of pieces to enable the construction of new models.

Geomag combines fun with the development of skills and curiosity in children of all ages.

The company’s new Panels lines include rods and panels, featuring new colours and the addition of a STEM logo on boxes following numerous endorsements from schools and educational experts.

With the new Geomag Pro L, children can create bigger structures.

The new Pro L line, with silver rods and stronger magnets and with visible polarity, allows for bigger and more complex model making.

Geomag is also launching a new pre-school platform, Magicube, adding value to traditional pre-school play activities with a new evergreen toy: Magic for junior builders. This allows kids to develop manual skills by building simple and well-known models, such as houses, towers, bridges and more. Kids can create different models in 2D and 3D, powered by their imagination.

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Mattel 01628 500 000 | www.mattel.com Hall 12.2, Stand P15

®

Balloons

Mattel continues to build on the success of its core brands Barbie, Fisher-Price, Hot Wheels and Thomas & Friends, as well as new launches and brand extensions to its ToyBox portfolio.

Barbie continues to evolve, and in 2017 will empower girls to try on every facet of who they can become, from a princess to a president, bringing this to life as only Barbie can. Barbie will continue to build on the You Can Be Anything campaign, celebrating how Barbie inspires the potential in every girl.

The Fisher-Price brand campaign champions the message of let children be children, free to experience the joy of their own natural desire to learn, imagine, discover, whilst also helping to develop them into happy, capable individuals.

In 2017, the Thomas & Friends brand launches Set Friendship in Motion, a true global franchise statement for the brand. With a focus on the importance of first friendships and developing the skills to be a good friend, the campaign will speak to millennial parents to highlight the brand’s ability to help pre-schoolers achieve these milestones, setting them up for lifelong friendships.

Hot Wheels continues to Make It Epic, inspiring kids to experiment and compete by creating track systems. Hot Wheels will also continue to celebrate key pop culture moments with Hot Wheels die-cast collaborations, offering collectability including Star Wars and Batman cars.

Mattel ToyBox celebrates partnerships and a supercharged year with 2017 blockbusters Disney Pixar’s Cars 3, Wonder Woman and DC’s Justice League. Mattel ToyBox is proud to offer a variety of supporting key play patterns with a portfolio of brands including Monster High, Mega, Bob the Builder and Imaginext, and partners including DC Super Hero Girls, WWE, Shimmer & Shine, Go Jetters, Bing, Blaze and the Monster Machines, and Octonauts.

With different brand entry touch points and a focus on franchise, Mattel is creating a full experience for consumers, whether they watch brand content, play with toys or brush their teeth with Thomas toothpaste – all are equally important parts of a child’s day.

In 2017, Mattel will launch new products, strong content, licensing partnerships, creative brand initiatives and integrated marketing campaigns throughout the year. With a powerful portfolio, Mattel is instilling purpose in its brands to create valuable relationships with kids and families.

to your product range.

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Continual support and education Increased in-store traffic Low product investment Attractive profit margins • Retail solutions

Visit Pioneer Europe Ltd at Spielwarenmesse in Germany - Stand 9D76 & at Spring Fair in UK - Stand 3G10-H11 & 3G12-H13. www.QualatexEurope.com

© & ™Lucasfilm Ltd. USA ©2016 PBC CG-SP1607050

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U.S. Patent No. 6,782,675, No. 6,782,715

Feature

Nuremberg Sambro 08458 739 380 | www.sambro.co.uk Hall 12, Stand G-12 Sambro will continue to grow the European arm of its business during 2017, and will also announce new Pan-European licences exclusively at Nuremberg.

The Paw Patrol range continues to dominate across Europe, and Sambro will add to its collection which spans bags, arts and crafts, outdoor, novelty, and much more in-between. The company has also seen popularity of the classic My Little Pony ranges soar throughout Europe, and new arts and crafts products including DC Superhero Girls and Miffy will launch.

2017 looks set to be a bumper year for film releases, and Sambro has a licensed range to complement

some of the hottest properties around. Visitors to the company’s stand at Nuremberg will be able to get a first glimpse of new collections including Despicable Me 3, Beauty and the Beast, Cars 3 and Lego Batman.

A seasoned Nuremberg exhibitor, Sambro will also showcase its selection of licensed ranges in a bigger stand than in previous years. The company continues to not only grow its licensed portfolio but also the number of categories it offers, enabling European buyers to capitalise on current licensed trends.

Pokémon is one of Sambro’s collections that will see significant extensions, as well as the Trolls range which saw the company’s initial products perform brilliant both pre and post the movie’s November 2016 release.

IMC Toys 01904 720 908 | www.imctoys.com Hall 12.2, Stand P-26 Visitors to IMC’s stand at Nuremberg will be treated to a brand new stand design, showcasing everything from Club Petz and Cry Babies to its new Mickey & Minnie master toy range.

Mickey & Minnie will launch its new Mickey & the Roadster Racers series in April, and IMC will launch its new collection in early June, supported by a multi-platform marketing campaign and TV advertising. The collection takes imagery straight out of the series, bringing it to life with playsets complete with numerous play possibilities.

Amongst the new toys this year is IMC’s new concept: Bambo.

This new toy will see the company enter into the electronics category and define a brand era for the company. Functionality and product details are being kept confidential until Hong Kong and Nuremberg.

In 2016 IMC launched Cry Babies, and this year the company has plans to expand its doll category with the introduction of Emma, a new talking doll, and an entry point doll called Bloopies.

IMC’s Club Petz feature plush range continues to remain strong.

New additions to the range, Yoyo Panda, Martina and Lola the Puppy, launched into the market in 2016.

IMC’s games portfolio will also continue to expand in 2017.

Having launched Chrono Bomb in 2015, and Speedy Bin, Turtle Fun and Treasure Detector in 2016, IMC will be adding new games to its range, including Boomball for autumn/winter 2017.

As always, the company will continue to support its range with extensive TV campaigns and marketing support.

LeapFrog 01702 200 244 | www.leapfrog.co.uk Hall 12.2, Stand P-19 2016 has been a busy year for LeapFrog, having launched a series of new products in its core learning toy range, as well as the awardwinning LeapStart, all of which have received support from multi-channel marketing campaigns.

LeapStart, the all-in-one interactive learning system, has had a successful first few months since its launch in July, surpassing initial forecasts and being well received by parents and children alike. It has also gained support from primary school teachers across the country. The system brings learning to life, teaching key educational and life skills that will provide children with the tools they need to prepare for their future.

Looking ahead to 2017, LeapFrog will continue to help kids leap ahead by investing further in its ever-expanding toy category. An anticipated 14 new lines will be launched across Multimedia Learning, Print Based Learning and Learning Toys in autumn/winter 2017. In addition, a series of new colour updates have been made to 2016 launches - Count & Crawl Kitty, Scout’s Goodnight Light and both LeapStart systems - as well as existing favourites Scribble & Write, Fridge Phonics and Learn & Groove Musical Table.

All new products will be launching in spring/summer 2017.

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Jazwares 020 3598 0270 | www.jazwares.com

Phoenix Sporting Goods 07584 858 978 | www.phoenixsportinggoods.com

Hall 6, Stand C-41 As well as showcasing refreshes from the Animal Jam range, Jazwares will reveal the First Act collection and its new Chuggington toy range for pre-schoolers. A new boys’ property within the digital space will also be announced at the show.

The company’s Animal Jam range brings the digital world to life with collectible pets, plushies and playsets. Included in the collection are vehicles for the Pets to enjoy, as well as customisable Dens and the eagerly awaited Series 2 and 3 collectible Adopt a Pets, which come complete with accessories to mix and match across the entire range.

All toys come with codes to unlock exclusive content in the online game.

Jazwares’ First Act range offers musical products, instruments and accessories under the First Act and First Act Discovery brands, as well as a broad array of licensed properties.

Offering a comprehensive range of quality, tuneable string, percussion and wind instruments for kids of all ages, the collection includes 30” Designer Acoustic Guitars, a Three Piece Drumset and Electronic Keyboard.

As Chuggington’s global master toy partner, Jazwares will be unveiling a new toy collection to hit shelves in Easter. There are 24 Little Chuggers to collect, various track packs and iconic location playsets. The specially developed ConnecTrax system is compatible with other train systems.

Jazwares’ portfolio includes Minecraft, Animal Jam, Peppa Pig, Danger Mouse, Chuck & Friends, Chuggington, Dino Train, Terraria, Adventure Time and Tube Heroes, among others.

Hall 12, Stand A-04-5 After debuting at last year’s show and being nominated for a Toy Award, Phoenix Sporting Goods is back in 2017 with a range of portable sporting products to suit all requirements.

The company will be launching a new brand called Gorilla Training, and within this will be Inflatable Goals (patented technology for authentic looking goals, approved by governing bodies); Rocket Goals (steel pop-up goals); a Freestyle Ball (a patented ball for free styling); a portable rebounder and many other products.

Rubie’s Masquerade 08453 070 707 | www.rubiesuk.com

Eduk8 Worldwide 01434 672 336 | www.eduk8worldwide.com

Hall 12, Stand I-29

Hall 12 stand C-01-02 Following a successful year at the 2016 trade fairs, particularly with its large play games, Eduk8 Worldwide will be showcasing more of its exclusive, awardwinning toys at Nuremberg.

On the agenda is the new Large Play Mats, coming in zoo, city, construction and farm themes. The colourful, anti-smudge 200 x 120cm roll mats are designed to stimulate children’s imaginations by creating a mini-world for them on the floor. The mats are suitable for both indoor and outdoor use.

Also on offer is an extensive range of hands-on science and maths orientated toys, ideal for encouraging STEM learning in young minds.

Other new additions this year are the New Dice Domes in large and small sizes.

Rubie’s Masquerade will be showcasing an array of new dress-up ranges at Nuremberg in 2017.

Lines to be revealed for the first time will include the new look Power Rangers, ahead of the upcoming 2017 movie, and a new dress-up range ahead of Disney’s Beauty & the Beast film, launching in March. The range will include new Belle dresses at various price points, from Classic and Deluxe up to a Premium version.

Costumes from Disney’s latest animated feature film, Moana, will also be on show on the company’s stand for the first time. Superheroes from the Marvel and DC Comics powerhouses will be in abundance, including new Spider-Man costumes ahead of 2017’s Spider-Man: Homecoming film from Marvel, and Wonder Woman dress-up costumes for girls ahead of DC Comic’s Wonder Woman film.

New licensed pre-school dress-up ranges for Shimmer & Shine and The Lion Guard will also be unveiled for the first time, alongside the popular Paw Patrol range, which continues to show strong sales.

There will also be the new Disney Princess range on show, alongside new Marvel Avengers, Star Wars: Rogue One and Classic saga, DC Super Hero Girls and much more.

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Allegedly

The Entertainer has announced that it will shortly be opening its first stores in Cyprus, via an agreement with the Ermes Group. The initial outlets will take the form of concessions in Ermes’ Debenhams stores, with the first stand-alone store targeted to open next year. I’m reliably informed that Cyprus has no shortage of toy retail stores: there are apparently six groups which run shops, while at the same time acting as local distributors. However, I doubt any of the existing toy shops quite resemble The Entertainer’s model, so it will be fascinating to see how Cypriot shoppers take to its hugely successful format…

Turning briefly to the result of American election (the one The Simpsons predicted 16 years ago), one area for the global toy industry to keep an eye on is Donald Trump’s previous pronouncements about China. Trump often targeted China in his campaign, blaming Beijing for US job losses and vowing to impose 45% tariffs on Chinese imports. Given the post-Brexit economic conditions that the UK is currently grappling with, any significant change in America’s trading relationship with China could throw a further curveball into the mix. Although whether Trump could afford to alienate China from a trading perspective, given the amount of American product which now goes the other way, is another matter entirely. What a complex and fascinating year 2017 is shaping up to be….

All evidence points to the fact that UK retailers are having to accept price increases for 2017 - albeit they’d look a bit daft if they didn’t. They’re fighting all the way, of course: Sainsbury’s chief executive Mike Coupe has publicly suggested that suppliers should be taking the currency hit because they are more profitable than the retailers, while Tesco’s Dave Lewis has now waded into the fray with a similar comment, albeit aimed principally at multinational suppliers. Nice try chaps, but somewhat disingenuous; would you have us believe that your buyers are such poor negotiators that they’ve been paying 16% over the odds for product over the past few years? If suppliers genuinely had the leeway to absorb that sort of currency swing, it follows that they must have been coining it in previously. I suspect that applies to very few suppliers in general, and even less to toy companies…

According to a recent Bloomberg article, Chinese manufacturers are looking to exacerbate the already fragile post-Brexit pricing conundrum by raising prices next year. Of course, it’s a complicated equation, hugely influenced by supply and demand, but the one thing that comes over most strongly in the piece is the feeling amongst Chinese factories that price rises are becoming unavoidable, especially as the weaker Yuan is pushing up raw material prices…

As suppliers and retailers continue to grapple with the 2017 pricing situation, another factor to be taken into consideration is the significant increase in shipping container costs since the demise of the Korean shipping company Hanjin – I’m told that prices have risen by up

to 20% in the short term. I’m not sure whether this will calm down after the initial surge in demand subsides, but coming on top of everything else, it’s not an ideal development by any means…

In the run-up to the festive season, there is often one toy product which is in massively short supply, and there is no doubt about this year’s ‘Pimpernel’ winner – Spin Master’s Hatchimals. I opened a proverbial can of worms by suggesting in a recent Friday Blog that it was not sold out and stock would be coming in regularly before Christmas.

Several independent retailers got in touch to query that observation, leading me to double-check the situation with Spin Master. Broadly speaking, I was factually correct; perhaps my use of the word ‘regularly’ was a tad optimistic, but there will be further stock landing in the UK in the run-up to Christmas, with plenty more arriving in January and February. Undoubtedly, whatever stock does make it here certainly won’t hang around on shelf for long. What is also undeniable is that this shortage is not a cynical marketing ploy by Spin Master. I am reliably informed that the company increased its numbers as much as it could before Christmas - it’s just that the level of global demand was simply unprecedented, and there isn’t a single retailer out there who has got anywhere near the level of stock they would want. In the end, who in their right mind would turn away sales of 100-150,000 units of a £60 line as a marketing ploy? It was disappointing, therefore, to see one of the co-founders of Channel Mum quoted in The Guardian as saying that this sort of thing is “all part of the sales drive.” I’m afraid she couldn’t be more wrong if she tried. Gary Grant had been effusive in his praise of the video parenting site at Dream Toys, but if they genuinely want to forge closer links with the toy community, they might want to think twice before stabbing it in the back in future (especially when they’re completely wide of the mark). In a world where post-truth reporting is on the rise (particularly in the unregulated social media and online arena), we should do our best as a community to make sure that we don’t circulate - or validate – inaccurate perspectives…

I was kindly invited to attend this year’s Children’s Baftas by Bananagrams, who sponsor the after-show party. I hadn’t been to the event for over a decade – I know this because the last time I attended, I was under strict instructions to get Jacqueline Wilson’s autograph for my daughters, who are now 19 and 22. However, some things don’t change; media events of this ilk are one of the few places where a man can sport a ponytail or man bun without fear of mockery. It’s also one of the few places where the interpretation of Black Tie can include a pullover. For all that, it’s a very glamorous, fantastically enjoyable night. There were some very worthy winners, but the other thing that hasn’t changed is that the shows with more commercial success (such as licensing programmes) tend not to win. That may be pure coincidence, but I remember it from a decade ago, and it still seemed to be the case this time round.

Lidl’s Warrington branch surpassed itself recently – this faux pas is so embarrassing that you almost suspect that a few Apprentice candidates were involved at some stage in the process. Muppets.

Toy World 66

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