Toyworld Mar 2017

March 2017 volume 6 issue 6

March 2017 volume 6 issue 6

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The Team...

CONTENTS March 2017 volume 6 issue 6

John Baulch

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

38 Science and Nature

46 Action Vehicles

Mark Austin

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

News

Opinion

Features

07 From the Publisher

20 Generation Media: Living in a Digital World

32 The Entertainer

08 News Anita Baulch

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

26 NPD column

16 Industry Moves 18 Marketing World 22 Licensing World

34 AIS preview 38 Science and Nature

29 Talking Shop

46 Action Vehicles

84 Viewpoint

64 Outdoor Toys

90 Allegedly

66 Tesco Interview 82 Hong Kong Toy Fair round up 86 Bath Toys

Jonika Kinchin

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

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

Salma Haidrani

Editorial Assistant salma@toyworldmag.co.uk 01442 502 406

64 Outdoor Toys

86 Bath Toys

toyworld The business magazine with a passion for toys

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www.toyworldmag.co.uk @toyworldmag @baulchtweet

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Toy World Magazine

Toy World 5 TWM-Contents-1pp-Temp.indd 1

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from the publisher

John Baulch - @Baulchtweet

nother marathon Toy Fair season has come to an end. Starting in Hong Kong in the first few days of the New Year and finishing in New York in the middle of last month, the global toy community travelled thousands of miles and saw thousands of exciting new products over the intense six-week period. While there was greater focus on trading negotiations this year, there was no shortage of great product on view, which may help to smooth some of the choppy waters which lie ahead.

Close to home, the UK toy community once again enjoyed a very successful Toy Fair in London. The major buying teams were out in force, while I saw plenty of independents over the course of the show.

Not only were retailers there, but they were largely happy. The ‘pain’ of the initial pricing negotiations was probably felt most keenly in Hong Kong; by the time they arrived at Toy Fair, I suspect most retailers had settled into a pattern of accepting reasonable price increases and making their peace with the emergence of potential new price points, and were focusing more on the product side of the equation.

Last year’s stellar UK toy market trading performance couldn’t have hurt their mood; the UK market reached £3.5 billion in 2016, the fourth largest in the world after the USA, China and Japan.

An annual increase of 6.3% - or £200 million in monetary terms – represented the highest growth of the five largest European countries, with over 200 suppliers gaining value sales. There is still a debate to be had over profitability and margin issues (one senior retail figure described it as “the most disruptive Christmas we’ve had in many years”), but the overall numbers were encouraging.

The festive trading season also ended on a high, as the widely-predicted last-minute festive rush materialised with a vengeance; one retail owner described the two days before Christmas and the two days after as “phenomenal.” NPD’s figures bore out the anecdotal evidence, illustrating the critical importance of the last two weeks’ trading to the overall Q4 performance. Sales in the final week increased by + 33% in the UK compared with last year, making week 51 the second highest of the year in terms of sales, behind only – you guessed it – week 50. With so much riding on the last two weeks, it is perhaps little surprise that a few retailers lost their nerve in the preceding weeks. This trading pattern certainly puts immense pressure on the industry as a whole, not to mention everyone’s logistics operations. And with Christmas falling on a Monday this year, we can surely expect a similar pattern, as the public will have a whole weekend to do lastminute shopping next time round.

As for price increases, I sat in the bar with a group

of independent retailers on the first night of the London Toy Fair, and when I posed the question about whether they thought rising prices would have an adverse impact on sales, their answer was instant and emphatic - no. We will find out in months to come if they’re right, but these are people who know their customers personally, so I’m inclined to trust their instinct.

So, what did we learn from Toy Fair Season? I would sum it up thus: • Buyers are accepting that prices will be increasing (even the one who started Toy Fair Season saying that they wouldn’t – presumably they realised that a toy department without toys wouldn’t look too good).

• Some retailers are looking to trade up; rather than just selecting a product with heavily reduced specs, if they’re going to pay more anyway, they’d rather pay a little more on top and get a much better value line.

• Buyers are leaning more towards domestic rather than FOB deals this year, pushing the risk back towards the suppliers.

• There is a feeling that, ultimately, some good may come of all this. There is a prevailing belief that there is little point in being too rigid and dogmatic: if a product can’t hit £9.99, don’t try to force it.

Chasing turnover and market share at the expense of cash profit seems foolhardy. Maybe there will be less silly deals around this year? Argos stood its ground while Tesco was slashing prices, and it doesn’t seem to have been unduly hurt. Tesco may have increased its toy business by 8.5%, but at what margin – the consensus is that the increase came nowhere near breaking even from a cash perspective.

• Some bridging price points may emerge. £19.99 to £24.99 is a big leap; why not £21.99 or £22.99? Few other retail sectors are so constrained by inflexible price points these days.

• Margin is undoubtedly going to be one of the most widely-used words of the coming months; with prices rising across the board, making sure the sums add up will be more important than ever.

• I’ll throw two other words out there to join the ‘M’ word – Channel Management. The subject cropped up repeatedly in my conversations with major retailers over recent weeks, with the suggestion that coming up with a viable strategy to ensure the different retail channels can all be competitive will be pivotal in ensuring this year will be a success for the UK toy industry as a whole. Of course, what constitutes true Channel Management is the six-million-dollar question and a point we will no doubt return to as the year progresses.

• Consumer Media Relations • Corporate and Trade Media Relations • Digital and Social Media PR • Celebrity Seeding

Understanding your brand, communicating your message

• Internal Communications • Crisis Management • Publishing and Copywriting

+44 (0) 1494 372 130 info@miprglobal.co.uk www.miprglobal.co.uk

Toy World 7

• Event Management

News Character Group issues trading update

London Toy Fair hailed a success The 2017 Toy Fair began in a buoyant mood with the announcement that the toy industry in the UK grew by 6.3% over the previous year, to a value of £3.5 billion. This positivity rang strong over the rest of the Fair, with more than 250 exhibiting companies launching thousands of brand new product lines and ranges into the market.

Selected by an independent panel of retailers, the best of these new products were showcased in Toy Fair’s Best New Toy awards. The 43 toys ranging across 15 categories proved a popular feature with both visitors and the media.

The STEM category seemed a recurring theme throughout the show, with many exhibitors catching on to the growing educational trend. It was also a strong year for collectible ranges and movie licensed products. The show managed to attract a substantial amount of national media coverage, gaining coverage from the BBC, the Sun, the Mirror, the Guardian, the Daily Telegraph and the I. “We would like to thank all of our exhibitors and the industry as a whole for helping make Toy Fair 2017 a success,” commented Majen Immink, head of Toy Fair operations and sales. “The continued support of the industry helps to make Toy Fair such a strong event at the beginning of the year.

Thousands of exciting and innovative products were launched at Toy Fair this year and it kick-started what we all hope to be a successful year for the toy industry. We are very grateful for all the feedback we’ve had so far and looking forward to making our 65th Toy Fair next year very special.”

The organisers of Toy Fair, The British Toy and Hobby Association (BTHA), has announced the event will return to Olympia in 2018, running from Tuesday 23rd to Thursday 25th(9am-6pm on all three days).

The company published an update ahead of its Annual General Meeting, held on 20 January 2017. The trading update stated: “As we highlighted in the 2016 Annual Report, we continue to develop our strong and diverse portfolio of in-demand products. This, in conjunction with our strengthening financial position, underpins our corporate profile and reputation within the industry as the UK’s leading independent toy company. Whilst we are confident that the market expectation for the 2017 financial year will be achieved, we expect the results for the first half to be lower than those reported in the comparative period last year. In the four months to December 2016, sales were marginally lower than the same period last year and, as expected, UK gross margin was adversely affected by the devaluation of sterling. The steps taken to mitigate the reduction in margin are currently starting to take effect and will be fully implemented in the second half. We are expecting both our international and domestic sales to grow in the remainder of the financial year.

Our balance sheet, including cash position, continues to strengthen considerably; we shall maintain our progressive dividend policy. The ongoing performance of our established cornerstone brands, which include Peppa Pig, Little Live Pets, Teletubbies, Minecraft, Fireman Sam, Scooby Doo and Stretch Armstrong, remains encouraging. The reaction to our 2017 product ranges and marketing plans has been excellent; we are confident that the new season’s offering will deliver in terms of demand and sales at consumer level across both our UK and international markets.

In summary, the Board remains confident about the future and we shall provide an update in April, when the half-year financial results for the period ending 28 February 2017 are released.”

DISTRIBUTING AND MARKETING

QUALITY CHILDREN’S BRANDS tel. 01604 678780 email. dkl@dkl.co.uk 11 Deer Park Road, Northampton, NN3 6QD, UK

www.dkl.co.uk DKL.Toys

DKLtoys

Toy World 8

News Eduk8 unveils new playmats range

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RMS International relocates UK headquarters

Following positive reviews at Hong Kong, London and Nuremberg Toy Fairs, Eduk8 Worldwide has revealed a new playmat range.

“We had a wonderful reaction to our exclusive ranges at all three shows, and in particular our playmats range had lots of interest from all the major players, who loved the graphics and quality of them,” said Christine Lawson, MD and founder of Eduk8.

In 2016, Eduk8 enjoyed success with its large playmat games which won the BTHA Best New Toys Award. Available as Snakes and Ladders or Ludo, both are complete with dice domes to ensure you never lose dice again. The Large The new UK HQ will be in a state-of-the-art Numbers Games also proved popular, supplied building in RMS International’s home town with large jumbo inflatable dice. All mats are of Manchester. With more than 70 people water and heat resistant with UV protection, ideal currently working for RMS in the UK, and a for outdoor play. For 2017, new playmats will be need to increase its warehouse capabilities, added to the collection. the company has expanded its operational The new 3D augmented reality playmat is base by more than 4000 square metres into proving a hit with buyers across the globe. Using new premises. The offices incorporate a a mobile device, parents can download the app 500-square metre showroom, creative hubs and children can scan any animal on the mat and for its R&D teams and a refresh of its corporate see them come to life, helping them to learn both identity. visually and three-dimensionally. This playmat Commenting on the new offices, Catherine combines a physical toy with a digital experience, Pike, head of communications, said: “RMS enriching and enhancing the child’s learning. has had a buoyant 2016 and customer A new addition for 2017 is the Eduk8 n Play response for 2017’s new ranges has been both range, including new Large Activity Play Mats: impressive and encouraging. These positive Zoo, City, Construction and Farm. These are reactions reinforce the move to expand our vibrantly coloured and water resistant, designed international operations and launch an office to stimulate a child’s imagination by creating a in Melbourne, as well as relocate to larger UK mini-world for them on the floor. offices to give us the capability for continued The new 2-in-1 Jigsaw Games, Ludo and Snakes growth in the business.” and Ladders also received positive reviews. Made from thick, high density foam, these games are both a jigsaw playmat and once completed, a family game complete with counters and dice.

Following its popularity last year, Eduk8 has decided to offer dice domes (offered as part of its playmat game range) as single buy items. Both large and mini versions are now available. The dice are encased in a dome to ensure that dice won’t be lost.

When the plunger is pushed, the dice spin and land with a new number face-up.

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@toyworldmag

Funko announces acquisition of Underground Toys Funko has announced that it has completed an agreement to acquire substantially all of the assets of Underground Toys Limited (UTL), a leading creator, manufacturer and distributor of licensed products.

Founded in 2001 and based in London, UTL is a provider of award-winning toys and entertainment products under brands that include Star Wars, Doctor Who, Marvel, WWE and DC Comics. In January 2014, Funko and UTL entered into a European distribution agreement where UTL exclusively distributed Funko products along with its own range of licensed merchandise to a network of European retailers. These have included Toys “R” Us, Tesco, ASDA, Carrefour and FNAC. “Over the last two years our relationship with Underground Toys has resulted in an extensive increase in the distribution of our products throughout Europe,” said Brian Mariotti, CEO of Funko. “This transaction will expand upon our already successful relationship and fully unite Funko with the Underground Toys team to support and advance our international growth strategy. We are excited to apply our unparalleled creative design and speed-to-market capabilities to drive continued growth in the business and position ourselves to capitalise on the tremendous opportunities ahead.”

Funko’s operation of the EMEA business will be led by Andy Oddie, who will assume the position of managing director, EMEA. “We have been Funko’s European distributor for some time now and are excited to join the world leader in pop culture licensing,” Andy Oddie said. “Funko and Underground Toys Limited are a natural fit given our shared commitment to high-quality, stylised pop culture products and we see great opportunities to create compelling cross-category pop culture offerings by leveraging our combined skills and experience.”

News

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newsanalysis

Making the connection Following an award win for the K’Nex Thrill Rides Web Weaver as Best New Construction Toy at Toy Fair 2017, Michal Areton, president and CEO of K’Nex Brands, took assistant editor Jonika Kinchin on a tour of the stand.

World’s Apart joins forces with Click Distribution

How did 2016 go for K’Nex?

Click Distribution has been appointed to work across Worlds Apart’s entire product range, includingthe SelfieMic, which allows users to create their own music videos.

Vance Withers, group sales director at Worlds Apart, commented: “We’ve been impressed with Click’s enthusiasm, overall business approach and ability to deliver outstanding customer service. They will provide us with an established and solid platform to service both our independent customers and selected national retailers.”

Mark Hillier, chief executive officer at Click Distribution, added: “We’re thrilled to be working with Worlds Apart on this exciting new venture. Worlds Apart has a fantastic and diverse line-up of products that have already proven to be huge hits with both retailers and consumers. We’re looking forward to building upon their success to date and significantly expanding their product distribution with independent retailers, right through to mass market.

In 2016 we outperformed the category; the category grew by 6% whereas we grew by 29% (according to NPD data). We’re now only second behind Lego in the entire construction category. We’re launching a My Little Pony pre-school range this year, as well as Kid K’Nex. We’re also growing in the education field as well, so the goal this year is to do even better.

What is your background, and how did you progress to where you are now?

I’m a lawyer gone good. The toy business and the law are very similar in that it’s all about risks and rewards. In the toy business you have to be courageous because so much happens in the last part of the year, so you’re building all year long and making plans and you just hope that it all works out.

K’Nex was up 29% in 2016 from the previous year, how did you achieve this?

Spielwarenmesse reports rise in visitors for 2017 show Having opened its doors from 1st to 6th February, the organisers of the show posted high numbers of international exhibitors and visitors. 2,871 companies from 63 countries, up from 2,851 in 2016, expressed their satisfaction with the number of trade buyers at the fair. The total number of visitors rose 3.2% to 73,000.

2016 saw 70,714 visitors.

The proportion of international retailers and buyers climbed from 58% to 60%. The majority of trade buyers came from Europe, Asia and America. The largest increases were recorded from Italy, Russia and China.

“Our exhibition stand was even busier than last year; the response to our new products was really positive – overall, there was a sense of new beginning”, commented Dirk Engehausen, CEO at Schleich.

More than 85% of companies stated that they were extremely pleased with their appearance at the Spielwarenmesse, which constitutes a new all-time high. A new record as also set for the number of exhibitors, which included no fewer than 2,151 international companies.

Ernst Kick, CEO of Spielwarenmesse, concluded: “The overall outcome of the 68th event confirms that the Spielwarenmesse is in a unique position, ranking as the most important platform in the industry”.

Next year’s event will take place for five days from Wednesday 31st January to Sunday 4th February.

2016 was our best year for distribution so far. We’ve developed good relationships with independents, e-commerce and some specialty stores. This year we’ll be building on that base and supporting it with a 360-marketing campaign. We’re not only continuing our strong TV campaign, but in store displays, sampling, partnering with PTAs and scouts - it’s a combination of a variety of elements to make sure that the brand is experienced in every way possible.

K’Nex already appeals to girls, do you think taking on the My Little Pony licence will help attract younger girls to the category?

It’s a good way to introduce and inspire girls into having other interests that they might not have considered before, so we see that opportunity with the My Little Pony line. Mighty Makers and Kid K’Nex also appeal to girls, so although traditionally the category is associated with the play pattern of boys, we’re looking to change that, and the aim is to have as many girls playing with KNex as boys.

What other licences have worked for you?

Other the years we’ve had a variety of successful licences including Nintendo, Sesame Street, Angry Birds, and NASCAR in the US. This year we’re launching a Nitro Circus range in the US, and will launch the same range in the UK next year, to coincide with their world tour. We’re talking to developers all the time. We’re excited about Mario this year as it’s seen a recent resurgence.

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Industry Moves HTI enhances product development team

Epoch Making Toys bolsters sales team Jon Ward joins Epoch Making Toys as national account manager. Jon brings a wealth of toy industry experience having spent over 20 years working for companies such as K’Nex, Flair and Trends.

Caroline Wilkinson has been promoted to field sales manager, having been Epoch’s territory manager for the North of England since December 2014, while Zoe Godsmark joins the company as territory manager for the South East, bringing with her sales experience within the toy industry.

The additions to the sales team at Epoch are further proof of the company’s growth in the UK. Epoch continues to invest heavily in the two core brands Sylvanian Families and Aquabeads including refreshed packaging, seasonal TV advertising, permanent in-store displays, mascot appearances, PR and consumer events.

Infantino BKids welcomes Claire Beard

HTI has announced the appointment of Emma Pilgrim as assistant product manager. Emma will be assisting with the development and future growth of HTI’s role-play category. Emma has previously worked with Golden Bear and Start Licensing, most recently managing the digital marketing for HTI. In addition, the firm is delighted to confirm the promotion of Rebecca Law to the role of junior product manager. She will be responsible for the development of HTI’s Dolls Prams and Pushchairs category.

Alison Downie, HTI global licensing and brand director, said: “I am delighted to welcome Emma and to bolster the team with Rebecca’s new role. Their experience, knowledge and enthusiasm will be invaluable in assisting HTI with its development and growth strategy moving forward.”

Graham Brennan joins Hape Toys The company has appointed Graham Brennan to the role of commercial director.

Hape has enjoyed double digit sales growth over a number of years globally, with the UK and Ireland a priority in the planned growth of the company.

Graham joins the company to further bolster the sales in these territories.

The new role will see Graham managing and developing national accounts as well as identifying and developing new channel opportunities for the company.

A spokesperson for the company said: “Graham brings a wealth of experience in both these important markets, and we look forward to working with him in supporting our existing customer base as well welcoming new retail partners, with great new product in line for 2017 and beyond”.

Sambro names Grant Gie as Commercial Director As Sambro’s Commercial Director, Grant will support all areas of the business with the aim of broadening the company’s reach into both the premium toy space and new retailers. Marketing programs will be developed with asset toolkits, seeing the company bring some of its product to TV for the first time in 2017. Grant was previously at Hasbro, where he spent nine years.

Grant commented: “Sambro is a great company and I’m thrilled to take on this new role and help to continue their impressive growth. The team at Sambro are incredibly passionate and I share their drive and ambition to evolve the current business and take on new challenges: As we look to the future, we have plans to develop truly unique feature driven products that have the potential to be marketed and ranged in core permanent retail space.”

Tom Duffy, MD at Sambro, added: “Grant joins us at a really exciting time for Sambro. Our intensive growth means that we need people of Grant’s calibre to help drive the business forward in line with our ambitious plans.”.

Grant will be based in the Manchester office as well as Buckinghamshire, giving Sambro an increased presence in the South, and can be contacted on grant@sambro.co.uk or via his mobile: 0776 624 3769

In her new role, Claire will focus on increasing consumer demand for the brand’s products, as well as improving internal processes to deliver efficiencies and simplify the journey of taking the products from concept to reality.

Claire’s career in the toy industry spans more

than 15 years, having been a buyer for Woolworths for six years and most recently at Mothercare/ELC for more than eight years. Her appointment brings a wealth of knowledge and invaluable experience across the nursery and toddler toy category.

Speaking about her new role, she said: “As a senior buyer at Mothercare, I was responsible for building commercial ranges, implementing revenue and driving marketing campaigns, in-store, online and across social platforms. I very much look forward to utilising these skills at Infantino BKids as we

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embark on the brand’s most significant year yet.”

Gary Wood, UK country manager at Infantino BKids commented: “We are so pleased to welcome Claire to the team. With her enviable experience in the toy industry, we can’t wait to bring her expertise on board, especially as we look to launch our new Sensory range. Claire’s understanding of retailer needs and requirements is second to none and we are confident she will become an extremely valued member of the team.”

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oy t nt rs n e pe nd aile O pe et e ft r d in gi & to

o

&gift Independent Toy & Gift Show Tuesday 4th & Wednesday 5th April 2017 Cranmore Park, Solihull, B90 4LF Register at: www.independenttoyandgift.co.uk @IndieToysGifts

Free Parking • Free Admission • Free Refreshments Hosted by play-room, the toy division of AIS Ltd.

Marketing World Nat Southworth launches new marketing business Nathaniel Southworth confirmed his return to the toy industry with the establishment of a marketing business called Added Smile. He is a familiar face to many in the global toy industry, having held senior positions at Asda, Vivid Imaginations, Hti, and most recently Hornby where he held the position of sales & marketing director.

He explained: “Everywhere I’ve been this year I have been asked what I’m doing next and finally I can confirm I’m doing what I love. Added Smile will help companies big and small reach their potential. I’m looking forward to sharing further announcements in the coming weeks.”

For more info, go to www.addedsmile.co.uk

Thomas & Friends unveils first global brand campaign Informed by findings from a recent company study that reported mums value EQ as much as they do IQ, the campaign is expected to hold appeal with parents around the world.

Set Friendship in Motion was established as a broad platform for the Thomas & Friends brand and carefully crafted with the purpose of helping pre-schoolers learn more about key friendship skills such as collaboration, communication, sharing, manners, kindness, and the abilities to express and understand feelings and emotions. Set Friendship in Motion activation will include multiple touchpoints for families to interact with including content, digital activations, and live events to bring the campaign to life.

Kate Schlomann, VP global brand marketing for Thomas & Friends, explained: “The Thomas & Friends brand is inspiring the next generation of genuine friendships that help children forge deep connections – first connections – particularly valuable in our digital age. All parents want their kids to have friends, and a best friend at that. Plus, they want their child to have the social and emotional skills in life that will help them grow to happy, healthy adults. Thomas is just the engine to set that dream in motion.”

The platform will be featured in a variety of ways across all markets and lines of business from 2017 onwards, including on television, packaging and content bumpers.

The campaign will launch with the first of three Hero videos plus a specially commissioned UK social video which captures the nostalgic journey of Jack and Tim who become best friends during preschool, touching on memorable moments of their friendship from toddler through to adulthood. The video celebrates first friends and highlights key friendship skills, showcasing how Thomas & Friends helps young children develop connections that can last a lifetime.

MGA launches L.O.L Surprise! in the UK The launch was celebrated with a live unboxing with Tiana from ToysAndMe, where Tiana herself was unboxed from a giant version of the L.O.L Surprise! product.

After surprising the hundreds of children and parents at the London shopping centre by jumping out of the product, she then went on to do a live unboxing of the toy itself.

Andrew Laughton, UK MD at MGA Entertainment, commented: “Our founder Isaac Larian watched unboxing videos late at night and

Super Wings airs for the first time in UK The show is based around a jet plane named Jett who travels the world experiencing different cultures while delivering packages to children. With every delivery, Jett encounters a new problem that he and his friends, the Super Wings, must work together to solve. Jett and the Super Wings have the ability to transform from planes into heroes who can run, climb, lift, dig and even dive deep under the sea.

The Super Wings brand, which since its international take-off has amassed millions of global sales, launched in Europe in 2016. It already holds the position of one of the top five properties in Italy, Spain and France.

“Having launched Alpha UK in January, we are delighted to announce the launch of Super Wings on Cartoonito,” said Mark Hyndman, UK & Ireland general manager at Alpha Animation. “Jett and his friends have delivered global success to date, especially in southern Europe where we have exceeded expectations.

Super Wings has already generated over $150m in sales worldwide and we are excited to extend this global success into the UK from 2017.”

realised that he could design a toy for the YouTube generation around the phenomenon. That’s what he’s famous for doing, something different. Then our marketing team did the same thing, they took the craze and turned it on its head to ensure this toy unboxing stood out from the rest.”

The reveal, hosted by Dan Simpson of Fun Kids radio, was followed by a meet and greet at The Entertainer which gave over 200 children the chance to meet Tiana,

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whilst sampling from a prime family location in the mall gave hundreds of children the chance to get their hands on the must have new collectible.

Nicola Mellor, senior brand manager, said: “The three stage launch allowed us to achieve a lot in one day, the unbox the unboxer stunt was surprising, fun and engaging, all aspects of the L.O.L Surprise! brand which we brought to life. We’re looking forward to seeing the success L.O.L Surprise! has in the UK and to continue to offer consumers exciting ways to be involved with the brand.”

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video shooting photo shooting viral videos

www.Diaframma.it

marketingworld The Bananagrams Challenge returns to schools Hot off the back of the game’s 10th anniversary and building on the success of the first two Bananagrams Challenges, registrations are now open for the 2017 primary schools tournament based on the anagram game.

The free-to-enter Challenge is open to children aged 7-11 years old. Through a simple process of elimination, each school aims to finds its champion, who then competes with other children from around the UK in a number of online games, all of which are built around Key Stage 2 spelling lists.

The battle of words is set to culminate with 12 children earning a place at the Live Grand Final in London, in April 2017. At the close of a fun, fast-paced day of heats, one individual will be crowned Top Banana 2017 and land their school a £1,000 cash prize.

Rena Nathanson, CEO of Bananagrams, commented: “With over 25,000 children from 750 schools from around UK entering our 2016 Bananagrams Challenge, we’ve

been overwhelmed by the level of interest in the game, the Challenge and most importantly words. Now in our third year, I believe we’ve got the perfect formula for getting the game into the hands of thousands of children and their teachers, encouraging fun with words and engaging new fans year on year. We also launched The Bananagrams Challenge in the US in 2016, which was met with resounding success, attracting more than 10,000 pupils from across New England. Expanding the challenge internationally is also part of our growth plan.”

Living in a digital world Martin spotted myriad new tech advances and collectible ranges as stand out products at Toy Fair this year, which has prompted him to reflect on the role of free play alongside technological advances.

I hope toy fair season has been as productive, interesting and, above all, as thought-provoking for you as it was for me. It is my favourite time of the business year: a chance to reconnect with colleagues and media owner partners and, most importantly, get hands on with all of the toys and games that Generation Media will be marketing in the year ahead. The toy industry never ceases to amaze me, with innovation, design and quality, which was demonstrated in spades yet again this year.

Family, friends and those who don’t attend toy fair often ask me: “What were the big trends this year?” In 2017 I saw a lot of two things: tech and collectibles.

I struggle to think of a stand where one or both of these sectors was not represented. Naturally, I am based closer to the tech side of the market in terms of my day to day role, but I also have a lot of interest in the collectibles market: how it is packaged and the environment that it creates for young consumers.

Collectibles are everywhere, and finding a USP increasingly involves widening the net to create a larger offering that can still fit into a blind bag: namely incorporating technological elements.

As I see it, there is scale of push/pull imagination.

High-end tech toys and games consoles sit at one end, with story arcs prescriptive and finite - very much pushed upon the player. At the other end sits the humble cardboard box. I use the cardboard box, as a US National Toy Hall of Fame inductee, to represent the simplest playthings available to kids: it could equally be a blanket that can become a house or a tree branch that can become a sword. Play patterns are far more nebulous, because no one has written down the rules. The only limitations are a child’s creativity – and that’s what I spent a portion of toy fair season pondering.

Free Play is a term coined by play theorist Bob Hughes in 1982 and is defined as: “(play…) freely chosen, personally directed and…performed for no external goal or reward”. I have personal experience of both ends of the scale – as a child I was a tech toy

fan who dreamed of getting my hands on a Barcode Battler (Tomy, I don’t suppose you have any left?).

This developed as I grew up and tech toys became MP3 players and smartphones. But it was collectibles and the more “free play” items that used to capture my attention. I spent a lot of time building things with cardboard boxes, and these creations provided wonderful environments for my diverse army of collectibles. Years later I can still remember Lego Pirates, Corinthian ProStarz footballers, Warhammer 40,000 Space Wolves and even a few rogue Pogz interacting with one another quite harmoniously in my cardboard castles, mountain lairs and moonbases. Of course, there were disagreements (by that I mean temporarily decapitated Lego warriors) but it was a world in which laws were not egalitarian or even Newtonian. They were simply those that I, as an over-imaginative eight-year-old, imposed. They were also rules that, try as they might, the average adult couldn’t accept. Children can create their own “augmented reality” that grownups can never hope to comprehend. I hope that in the pursuit of tech greatness, we as an industry don’t forget that.

I was very lucky this weekend to experience a beta demo of horror game Resident Evil 7 in its brand new virtual reality format – the player wears not only a headset but headphones. What an immersive experience it is: the gamer completely at the mercy of the game developer. I love the idea, and it was a good laugh watching countless players flail around in terror, but I would be sad to see this spread to all toys and games. Monopoly needs rules. Snakes & Ladders needs rules. I’m not convinced that every doll, building set or collectible range needs to be ruled by an associated virtual world and the restrictions this brings.

There have been great examples of hybrid products that do both, there is no doubt that you can enhance the experience of a collectible product with some tech trickery. I applaud those companies that

Toy World 20

Martin Doyle

Head of Digital, Generation Media.

Tel: 0207 307 7908 martin.doyle@generationmedia.co.uk do so, because it links naturally to our digital role in the marketing mix.

Free Play contributes to kids’ physical, social and cognitive development, and in the toy industry we are creating some fantastic products that do precisely this. Technological developments will continue to ensure we build fantastic, innovative and imaginative features into all that we do. But I implore all to ensure that their playthings have an offline mode too. We need to keep kids imaginative, creative and excited.

I’m an advocate of tech. But I’m also an advocate of Free Play and letting kids build their own augmented reality. We may be living in a digital world, but as the drivers of this development, we should allow kids to take the wheel on occasion to fully appreciate the wonders of their imagination.

Licensing World Sambro named as Sesame Street licensee across European territories

Worlds Apart receives Hasbro Partner of the Year Award Hasbro commended Worlds Apart on the marketing activity behind the My Little Pony GoGlow Magic, as well as its strong collaboration with Hasbro on retail activity.

The My Little Pony GoGlow Magic Night Light is the newest product to be launched under the GoGlow brand and uses licensed characters to make bedtimes fun for little ones. Established in 2006, GoGlow, a 3-in-1 night light, torch and projector, is the UK’s number one licensed night light brand and offers children’s night lights with a broad

licence offering marketing support.

The GoGlow Magic Night Light launched with a 360 marketing campaign, targeting children, parents and gift givers, including TV advertising and a digital marketing campaign. The line performed to a high standard, exceeding expectations, and was a top selling My Little Pony product for many UK retailers.

Head of licensing at Worlds Apart, Lucy Wynn-Jones commented: “It was an honour to receive a Hasbro Partner of the Year Award. We pride ourselves on the strong relationships we have built with our licensing partners over the last 30 years and this award is testament to that. We are delighted with how the My Little Pony Magic Night Light performed in 2016, and with the My Little Pony movie launching later this year, we expect more great things for 2017”.

Toy World 22

Sambro will develop plush toys, bags, and arts & crafts for the UK, Benelux, Iberia, the Nordic countries and CEE. CPLG, Sesame Workshop’s licensing representative in the territories, helped broker the deal. Sambro will focus on creating a variety of branded products to build a strong presence with major retailers, working closely with CPLG’s local network of offices.

“We are pleased to be working with Sambro to offer children and their families a new collection of Sesame Street products that will help spark imaginative play, creativity, and learning,” said Risa Greenbaum, assistant vice president of international licensing, Sesame Workshop.

“Sesame Street is a worldwide icon and loved by so many,” commented Nikki Samuels, licensing director at Sambro. “The TV show is as popular as ever, with a new generation of fans who love the characters as much as their parents did. We are absolutely delighted to partner with Sesame Street – it is an honour to be able to develop these characters into what we feel will be a classic plush collection. We will also be launching a collection of Sesame Street hand puppets to inspire imaginative role-play, as well as creating an extensive bags and arts & crafts range to add to our ever-increasing portfolio.”

licensingworld Sakar adds to My Little Pony offering The new products expand the karaoke machine line, introducing two new models. Sakar previewed the new karaoke machines at the 2017 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. The disco karaoke will be available in autumn 2017.

“The new karaoke machines offer a fun and diversified way for kids to sing along to their favourite music with friends and express their creativity,” said Liza Abrams, senior vice president of licensing for Sakar. “It has been a privilege to continue working with Hasbro on My Little Pony, a great evergreen brand, enjoyed by a wide demographic. These new karaokes will be a great expansion to the current youth electronics line.”

The My Little Pony Movie Disco Ball Karaoke features a disco ball and themed artwork, comes with easy to use knobs and volume-control buttons. The My Little Pony Movie Trolley Karaoke features a carrying handle for easy portability. Both karaoke machines feature a second audio jack microphone input, ideal for making a karaoke duo, and wireless Bluetooth connectivity. Additionally, both will come packaged with a two song CD+G. The new karaokes join the Sakar family of products such as binoculars, flashlights, walkie talkies, adventure kits, microphone stands, Bluetooth and kids safe headphones, piano dance mats, wallet cases with power banks, fitness trackers, and micro and lightning cables—all featuring the My Little Pony brand.

Pyramid Posters launches DC Super Hero Girls stationery range

RP2 Global to develop Bottersnikes & Gumbles toy line Lisle Licensing has announced the appointment of RP2 Global as master toy partner for Bottersnikes & Gumbles in the UK, Eire and Australia. A range of toys will include plastic and vinyl figures, feature plush and role play toys, and will launch in the UK in spring/summer 2018.

Francesca Lisle, director at Lisle Licensing said, “We are delighted to have partnered with RP2 Global. They are an innovative group of people and we are looking forward to working with them to develop a fun toy line for this fantastic brand. Bottersnikes & Gumbles lends itself perfectly to the target audience of boys 4-9 and we can’t wait to see the toy line develop over the coming months”.

Simon Cox, managing director at RP2 Global said, “After the success we achieved with bringing Oddbods to every market in EMEA in 2017, we have been looking for a second piece of TV IP to further grow our business.

We are very excited about Bottersnikes & Gumbles. Given that the content will live in the digital space as well as on a traditional broadcast channel, this enables the property to appeal to all kids.”

The CGI animated series launched on CBBC in July 2016 and airs weekdays at 07.10 and 15.35 with brand new episodes premiering this month. Bottersnikes & Gumbles is set to debut on Netflix in the UK this summer.

Channel 5’s Milkshake! commissions Wissper season two

Channel 5 has announced that it has commissioned season two of UK animated series Wissper for its popular pre-school segment, Milkshake! The broadcaster has ordered 52 x 7 minute episodes of the show that follows a girl with the ability to communicate with animals. Wissper is produced by Cuckoo, m4e AG, Telegael, Discreet Art Productions, and Bastei Media.

“Dan and the Cuckoo team have created a beautiful show which is proving popular with our audience. Wissper has a lot of promise and we are keen to see how we can grow and develop the property across a second series,” said Sarah Muller, head of children’s, Channel 5.

The Wissper toy line from Simba Smoby will

Toy World 24

Pyramid International and Warner Bros.

Consumer Products, on behalf of DC Entertainment, have launched the UK’s first stationery range for DC Super Hero Girls, the allnew universe featuring iconic DC female Super Heroes, including Wonder Woman, Supergirl and Batgirl.

Pyramid’s range of licensed stationery features colourful notebooks in a variety of sizes including A4, A5 and A6. There are also three stationery sets, bigger stationery gift items plus a range of pens, highlighters, pencil cases and a collapsible storage box.

Mordy Benaiah, licensing director at Pyramid International, commented: “We are so excited to introduce the first range of DC Super Hero Girls stationery to the UK market. Our long-standing relationship with Warner Bros means we are working with the very best licensed properties and DC Super Hero Girls is no exception. The brand is authentic and aspirational and we’re confident that our fun social stationery will help fans reach their creative potential and unlock their own unique talents.”

be available in shops from March. The range includes dolls, playsets, role-play and plush toys.

Bastei Media is signed as master publishing partner while Nickelodeon & Viacom Consumer Products are set to announce more licensing partners for the property over the next few months.

“We are really excited to be producing a further series of Wissper for Milkshake; the show has really connected with the preschool audience, not only here in the UK but in dozens of territories around the world. It will be an absolute pleasure to create 52 more episodes featuring our little animal whisperer and her furry friends,” said Dan Good, MD, Cuckoo.

NPD Insight Collectibles craze…to be continued!

NPD’s Gabriela Rydzik looks at the recent success of collectibles ranges and their contribution to the overall toy market.

I

t is now official - collectibles are some of the hottest toys. According to the NPD Group Retail Panel, total Toys sales in the UK grew +6.3% in 2016, and on average every fourth toy purchased was from the collectible category.

The total collectible market was worth £194m and has seen a year on year increase of 44%, adding +£59M to total Toys. Collectibles range across several categories - Action Figures, Building Sets and Playset Dolls all have key brands with strong collectible appeal, as do Stickers and Trading cards.The phenomenon of collectibles is not only specific to the UK, with collectibles sales increasing by double-digits across Europe. English-speaking countries worldwide were the most receptive, where Collectibles had a higher share of total Toys value ranging from 8% in the UK to 11% in Canada, with a year on year growth above 35%.

Pokémon was the number one collectible toy globally, with top ranking in the US, Canada, Belgium, France and top three in Germany and UK. Collectible toys are often associated with small, inexpensive toys that can be purchased with pocket money, allowing kids to trade and share with each other. However, these toys are increasingly available across a wide range of price points, and in fact collectible items over £10 increased by five points in the UK in 2016, accounting for nearly one third of the total category. The £10-£15 price range has seen the highest growth year on year, up +108%, adding +£16M to the collectibles market. This was driven by Sylvanian Families, with the highest average price of £13.44 in Top 15 property ranking, and growth by +£1.6M last year.

The Collectibles market in the UK has grown consistently throughout the year, and the highest value increase was recorded in Spring/Summer when Panini’s Euro Championship Stickers drove sales. However, 40% of all collectibles were purchased during Q4 with a growth rate of +50% versus the previous year. While the appeal of collecting whole ranges of products can drive continuous purchases throughout the year, there remains an element of seasonality in collectibles as they make idea stocking fillers too.

The most successful collectible toys are driven by a combination of factors. Small figures offer high play value for kids, ranges of characters have become wider than ever, and bigger playsets that display ranges or add to the play element hold strong appeal. The most successful manufacturers such as Flair, Esdevium, Hasbro and Topps offer collectible toys to purchase in different pack sizes, making them more affordable, yet suitable for every occasion. Blind bags also provide a low-cost element of surprise and are often purchased with pocket money or as a treat when grocery shopping, while bigger playsets are more suitable for gifting and birthday presents.

Shopkins from Flair is a strong leader in the collectibles market, with value sales of £28M in 2016 and growing by +£10M versus a year ago. 64% of all Shopkins items are collectibles and Shopkins 2-Pack & Shopkins 12-pack reached number four & five respectively in the best-selling items ranking across total toys. The success of Shopkins seems to be driven by the property’s wide distribution and an everexpanding customer base.

Collectibles - A Consistent Trend Collectibles sales increased by double-digits in all countries but Italy.

English-speaking countries more receptive

~1/4 toys in the U .K.

$ share of Collectibles / total toys

11% 10% 8% 6%

Canada

+41%

USA United Kingdom France

+35%

+42%

+19%

6%

6%

5%

5%

5%

5%

Germany

Spain

Mexico

Russia

Belgium

Italy

+23%

+25%

+68%

+38%

+13%

+2%

Source: NPD Group | Retail Tracking Data | G10 Projected to 100% | YTD Nov-16

The NPD Group, Inc. | Proprietary and confidential

Document classification: Internal Only

Source: NPD EPoS Retail Tracking

1

Toy World 26

Gabriela Rydzik,

Senior Account Manager, NPD

The second biggest collectible property also has the fastest growth. Value sales recorded for Pokémon in 2016 was £20M, with the success of the Pokémon Go App from last summer continuing to drive trading card sales into 2017 at a relatively high average price of £8.04.

By volume, the largest property by far is World Cup Soccer, with the stickers from Panini selling over 17M units last year at a low average price. Every other year, Euro or World Cup Championship drives high sales of WCS and has a significant impact on the UK toy market. However, even though we won’t see the same uplift from stickers next year, there are a number of smaller properties and newcomers that may grow the collectibles market in 2017.

High profile movie releases this year may also drive the growth of collectible toys. Lego Batman in February, Cars 3 and Despicable Me 3 in June and My Little Pony in October are just a few of the properties with potential collectible elements to their ranges which would impact on sales.

Last year’s big collectibles ranges will continue to defend their position with many players such as Tsum Tsums, Num Noms, Funko Pop! Vinyls, Squinkies, My Mini MixieQ’s and Grossery Gang hoping to increase their share. 2017 will see new entrants to the market such as Mineez, Disney Emojis, Genie Girls and Glimmies, among others, all fighting for a share of the collectible world. The popularity of collectibles is very likely to continue for some time.

52nd Toy Industry Awards revealed at Toy Fair

Top 10 Fastest Growing Subclasses across total Toys Ranked by value gained - YTD December 2016 vs. 15

Playset Dolls & Collectibles is the fastest growing subclass account for +£24MM sales, or 10.8% of all growth in toys YTD while other collectible categories also had strong growth in 2016 – AF Collectible, Trading cards, Collectible Stickers contributing additional +£32MM between them

Organised by the British Toy & Hobby Association with the Toy Retailers Association (TRA) – the awards were presented at the gala event held in Olympia’s Apex Room following the first day of the 64th annual Toy Fair.

Playset Dolls & Collectibles Standard Building Sets PS Vehicles Playset Doll Accessories Strategic Trade Card Games Action Figure Collectibles Children's Games Non-Strat Trade Cards/Collectible Stickers PS Figure/Playsets & Acc Special Feature Plush

0

Value Sales £MM

75

150

225

The NPD Group, Inc. | Proprietary and confidential Document classification: Internal Only

300

0

7

13

20

26

Sales Gained £MM

Millions

1

Source: NPD EPoS Retail Tracking

Item Progression: Total Property (Brand + Licence)

Full year 2015 Rank

Full year 2016 Rank

Shopkins Shoppies Dolls Asst

#2286

#8

TRA Chairman, Alan Simpson, unveiled the Toy and Supplier of the Year Awards. The full line up of winners is listed below.

Toy and supplier of the year awards:

Following the success of Shopkins regular assortment, Flair GP’s launch of the Shoppies Dolls Assortment has jumped up 2198 places in the top items rankings across total toys, at #8 with over £4.5M sales. For the full year of 2016, Shopkins Shoppies Dolls Assortment was the #3 item in the Dolls supercategory, with 320K units sold at the average price of £14.25. Within the total Dolls category, Shoppies Dolls Assortment has seen the fastest growth, adding +£4.4m and helping boost the category growth of +8%.

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

Toy World 27

Action Figures Range of The Year

Power Rangers, Bandai

Pocket Money Toy of The Year

Mash’ems & Fash’ems, Character Options

Interactive Toy of The Year

Snuggles My Dream Puppy, Character Options

Craze of The Year

Pokemon, Esdevium

Collectable Range of The Year

Shopkins, Flair

Social Media Sensation of The Year

Speak Out, Hasbro

Game of The Year

Pie Face, Hasbro

Construction Range of The Year

Lego Star Wars, Lego

Doll of The Year

DC Super Hero Girls 12 Fashion Assortment, Mattel

Imaginative Play Set of The Year

Num Noms Lip Gloss Truck, MGA

Creative Toy of The Year

Gel-a-peel 3D Design Station, MGA

Pre-School Toy of The Year

Paw Patrol Paw Patroller, Spin Master

Outdoor Toy of The Year

Phlat Ball, Vivid

Electronic Toy of The Year

Selfie Mic, Worlds Apart

Licence of The Year

Paw Patrol, Spin Master

Supplier of The Year

Ty

Toy of the Year

Hatchimals, Spin Master

Alan Simpson, chairman of the TRA, added: “After last year’s all round success, sales have continued to be buoyant but it has been much tougher and margins have struggled to hold up especially as Christmas approached. The companies who were selected by our panel as worthy winners this year have each made unique contributions to that struggle through innovation in marketing and some exceptional service to the core channel of retailers. In 2017, the only thing we can be certain about is uncertainty and as 2016 brought different challenges, so will 2017. With Brexit negotiations continuing to impact on exchange rates and a new US president, we will again face change and challenges this year. However, I strongly believe that our industry will rise to these challenges, whatever they may bring, and in a year’s time we will again have stars to celebrate.”

Talking Shop And the award goes to…

The Toy Retailer of the Year Awards is a landmark event during the Toy Fair season, and not just because of the free pizza and wine at the reception downstairs. Jonika Kinchin and Salma Haidrani spoke to the independent retailers who took home awards at the event on the first evening of Toy Fair.

Winner – Specialist Multiple (up to 30 stores)

SMF Toytown Brian Simpson, Manager When we won this same award back in 2013, it finally felt like the industry was realising that we were a serious toy retailer. Alan Simpson, who started the business in 1979, was an agent then and known for wheeling and dealing in clearance, and it is only over the last few years that people have begun to understand that what we do here is run a very good, core toy retail business.

To be honest I wasn`t surprised at all when we were nominated for the award by the panel of judges. We have worked so hard every year to continually improve what we do, and I think we have really made an impact with our customers and suppliers, through supporting them and realising that when we work as a partnership, it is the best way for everyone. We are finally at the level where we run an efficient business that puts the customer at the centre of everything we do, and that is worthy of recognition, so I’m very proud.

When our name was called at the ceremony, I felt pretty calm. I really felt like we were the best in class within our category. I don`t want to take anything away from anyone else, there are many good retailers out there.

I know what we do, and how hard we work and our sales figures (we were 10% up against the previous year, with no sacrifice in margin) prove that we had what people wanted, and were competitive in what was a ridiculous year of discounting.

We have started this year well and are currently over 15% up against last year, so I am fairly sure our customers have reacted to the award win in a positive way.

I don`t think of the award as something that we need to market in any way; as long as we keep getting the basics right, and improve on what we did the previous year, that will speak for itself as far as our customers are concerned.

2016 was a very strong year for us, but also extremely difficult. With the ridiculous price cutting that went on, as well as a steep decline in the exchange rate post Brexit, it made for a very tough year but we have come through it in a good position. Having 25% more stock than we finished with at the end of 2015 will, to some extent, ease the pain of the domestic price rises.

This year has really kicked off well in our core market, collectibles. We sell high volumes of these ranges: Shopkins, Num Noms, Lego Minifigures, Mashems & Fashems and Paw Patrol have all been great so far this year. I am also extremely excited about the LOL surprise dolls from MGA which are due in soon; this range looks very promising and I’m looking forward to seeing how customers will react.

My main aim this year is to get our margin up. This is a conversation that we have had with most of our suppliers already this year, but it is so important to sell goods AND make money while doing so. Also, we will be cutting up to 1,500 lines from our current offering to ensure we are consolidating our ranges. If I can do that and keep sales figures at the level they were in 2016, I will be a very happy man.

Toy World 29

talkingshop Winner – Specialist Multiple (up to five stores)

Winner – Independent

Starlings Jon Starling, owner

JJ Toys - Gerrards Cross Kamlesh Amin, owner

It was a total surprise to be presented with the award. It’s always nice to be recognised for doing a good job, and to know that your team is doing a great job and that our customers love shopping with us. It only took 104 years for us to get one!

We now have our award on display in store so all our customers can see it.

They’ve been congratulating us on being recognised as an award-winning toy shop, and it’s been great to be able to talk about the win as well.

As for how the award will help our business, we’ll just carry on doing what we do; giving great service, fantastic ranges, expert product knowledge and great offers.

With regards to last year, we came through 2016 OK. It all got a bit crazy towards Christmas, but we’re used to that after all this time and wouldn’t expect anything less. After all, we have been in the business of selling toys for years, so we shouldn’t be surprised that it’s fast-paced.

We’ve had a good start to 2017 with PJ Masks, Pokémon and Lego Batman.

Lego, Ty, Shopkins, Sylvanian Families and games were a mixed bag for the first month or so. It’s always difficult to tell what’s going to be a winner early on.

We’re constantly looking for new suppliers and opportunities. We’ve picked up a couple of great summer lines, but I can’t share what they are just yet, so watch this space.

This year, we hope to trade more profitably, grow and thrive and carry on having fun doing what we do.

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

The award definitely took us by surprise as it wasn’t something we were expecting. We might have many years’ worth of experience in this industry and love what we do, but it was still a lovely surprise and felt great to be recognised.

We were honoured when we discovered that we’d won the award. We’ve never sought recognition but it is definitely flattering to be noticed by your peers for doing a great job. We’re enjoying letting our customers and suppliers know about it, as they play such a big part in the success of the business.

Our customers are absolutely delighted that we’ve won. The award sits by the cash register so everyone can see it now. Some have even taken photos and posted them online – which is great not only in spreading the word about the award, but also about our business. Judging by their reactions, we feel they’re confident that they’re shopping in the right store.

I think that winning the award is going to help my business, as it’ll give us some added exposure through industry publications and local media. The publicity will be great to introduce people to our shop that haven’t yet heard of us.

Our ethos hasn’t changed and we’ll continue to concentrate on broadening our industry knowledge.

2016 was a fabulous year for JJ Toys. We’ve continued to enjoy success despite the growing popularity of online retailers. Our customers love bringing their families into the toy shop for an experience they simply can’t get elsewhere. It certainly beats online shopping.

This year so far has been very positive as we’ve had lots of new products onto the shelves. Lego Batman Movie items are selling well, with the movie having been well received. PJ Masks from Flair has also performed very well for us. A big surprise for us was a new supplier: Crazy Aaron’s Thinking Putty by Green Elephant Trading.

We ordered a counter stand and customers just can’t stop picking it up.

With lots of character movies coming out this year, I think it’s going to be a good year for Lego Batman and Ninjago, Power Rangers, Cars 3 and My Little Pony lines. The collectible market should continue to be popular with Shopkins Series 7 just in and the new Num Noms Series. We also have high hopes for LOL Surprise from MGA & Spinmaster’s secret new range.

In terms of new initiatives, we’re looking into providing a click and collect service which will be a first for us. We also want to give something back to the local community and are currently looking to choose a local children’s charity that we can support.

Toy World 30

talkingshop

indie viewpoint

Toy Retailer of the Year Winners Mark Buschhaus and Stephen Barnes

Independent Toy Retailer of the Year JJ Toys, Gerrards Cross

Specialist Multiple Toy Retailer of the Year (up to 5 stores) Starlings Toymaster

Specialist Multiple Toy Retailer of the Year (up to 30 stores) SMF Toytown

Specialist Multiple Toy Retailer of the Year (over 30 stores) Smyths Toys

General Multiple Toy Retailer of the Year Argos

Department Store Toy Retailer of the Year Toytown at Arnotts, Dublin

Online Toy Retailer of the Year Shop Direct

Overall Toy Retailer of the Year Smyths Toys

Toy Barnhaus

Toy fairs and trade deals

W

hat a start to the year! As usual, January absolutely flew by. With all the shows happening, in some ways it is even more chaotic than Christmas. It was nice for Toy Fair to be back in its regular weekday slot. Last year, we thought the Sunday was rather quiet, and it did cause problems for our dining plans in the evening; as regular readers will know, we do like our food. This year, we had to split ourselves, as our 74 year–old van driver was taken ill, one of our longest serving employees and Mark’s Dad. One of the things we did appreciate was receiving so many kind thoughts and well wishes from people at the show. It’s at times like this that you realise just how close knit the toy industry is. So, for a change, Stephen had to do all the talking, and after two days of it, lost his voice.As usual, Toy Fair was a whirlwind of appointments and viewings, and there are lots of great new products to look forward to this year. Several things we are sworn to secrecy on, but probably the strongest stand for us was Spinmaster, closely followed by Character Options. It was great to see Ben 10 back on the Flair stand, and if that can generate even a small proportion of what it did ten years ago, it will be a great success. The new licensed ranges from Playmobil look very strong, with the How to Train your Dragon range especially seeming a great fit with Playmobil. John Adams had some great new games as ever, and there were so many other things that we cannot name them all here. The awards in the evening were a marvellous event, congratulations to all the winners. However, the big award was given the next day, with Flair picking up our special Toy Barnhaus award for lunch of the year. (See photo) We look forward to lots more lunches to come.

We also attended Spring Fair, just for one day on the Sunday. We found this day to be wellattended, and it was a very useful day for us to pick up companies we did not have time to see at Toy Fair, along with some suppliers who had not been at Olympia.

The biggest uncertainty facing us this year is the impact Brexit will have on us going forward.

Both of us voted to remain last year, mainly for business reasons, and to give some certainty for the future. When the vote result was announced, we were both initially very worried about what was going to happen. After all the doom-laden predictions, it has been encouraging to see that the initial negative impact on consumer confidence has not occurred immediately, and we had a very good second half to 2016. Obviously the issue going into this year has been price rises due to the weakening of the pound. These are filtering through now, although it does vary from company to company. We have had some suppliers who have managed to keep increases down to about 5% overall, keeping some SKUs unchanged, while others seem to have implemented 10%+ across the entire range.

Any price rises like this will have an impact on our buying decisions, especially around key price points, with £9.99 still being important, while £4.99 may not be quite so key as it used to be. One step we have taken was to bring in stock of many of our bestsellers late last year, before price rises, and this has helped us hold 2016 prices for our customers into this year.

Shortly after we write this, we are off to the final Toy Fair of the season in New York, and to ensure that Toy Barnhaus gets its trade deal with President Trump.

Toy World 31

Face-to-face

The Entertainer

The Entertainer expands in the Gulf Toy World spoke to Duncan Grant, The Entertainer’s director of strategy, to discuss the retailer’s recently signed deal to expand its presence across the Gulf states Arabia, Qatar, Oman, Bahrain and Kuwait - over the next five years, but we’ll be taking it one step at a time. We have spent over eighteen months planning this launch, and there is still another six months’ worth of planning to go. This is a very sophisticated market with demanding customers, and we want to make sure that we deliver the world-class toy experience they expect.

Is there one country in the GCC region which stands out as offering a major opportunity for growth?

Saudi Arabia potentially represents the biggest opportunity. Twenty nine million people live there, in comparison to less than three million people in Dubai. The plan is to establish a large chain of stores there over time.

Your first venture into the GCC region didn’t go entirely to plan: what is going to be different this time around?

We have come a long way in the four years since we started our international franchise programme. We have learnt a lot from the experience, and I believe we are in a far better position now - we have a greater understanding of what a good partner looks like. First time round, perhaps we didn’t fully understand the questions that we needed to ask ourselves? For the past two years, we have immersed ourselves in the market; we’ve walked round malls, talking to suppliers and customers to get a better understanding of the market and our place in it. We have learnt so much about the opportunity and what we need to do to establish ourselves.

Can you tell us about your new franchise partner and the store opening schedule?

We’re very excited about our new partnership with the Apparel Group, which is one of the fastestgrowing retailers in the region. We believe we’ve found the right partner, in terms of values, scale, expertise and track record. The company operates over 1,500 stores and represents 70 global brands, including Tommy Hilfiger and Cath Kidston. They are renowned for understanding the retail market across the Gulf region, which makes them the ideal partner for us. The plan is to open a minimum of thirty stores across the GCC region – UAE, Saudi

Economic conditions are tough in the GCC at the moment; why have you chosen to open new stores now?

We like difficult economic conditions. Economic uncertainty offers us opportunity; it brings about changes in a market, it makes store rents more affordable and it makes it easier to find the right store locations and the right people to employ. Of course, we are aware of the economic uncertainty, and we are cautious, but optimistic. There are always winners and losers in any economic conditions, it’s important to build the business for the long-term.

How is your overall international roll-out progressing?

We’ve been delighted with the performance of our international franchise partners. Our partner in Azerbaijan, Zeta Group, is the country’s biggest toy distributor and we gave them a lot of support to develop that retail knowledge. They have done an amazing job and we’re staggered by the sales they have achieved, they are right up there with the numbers we’d expect of a store in London. Our partner in Cyprus – Ermes Group – is running at an impressive + 74% on last year. Pakistan has been another huge success: it’s a perfect example of the importance of finding the right partner, in addition to identifying the right country. Our partner Sefam is not only the largest non-food retailer in the country, but they also share our values and principles, which is very important.

We’ll be opening our fifth and sixth stores in Pakistan before Easter; one in Karachi and one in the Emporium Mall in Lahore. The truth is that the

Toy World 32

concept of a traditional toy store works in almost every country in the world. Our top-sellers in Pakistan are remarkably similar to our best-sellers in the UK. Good product, good pricing and good play value is a formula that translates across the globe. It is all down to how we execute the concept and how we make it profitable.

How can suppliers help you to achieve this goal?

From a stock supply perspective, I’m pleased to say that we’ve come a long way in the past few years. Our relationships with suppliers on a global level are far stronger. There is a huge appetite on behalf of suppliers to find better ways to deliver a quality toy experience in emerging markets. If a toy is expensive in the UK, it becomes eye-wateringly expensive by the time it has gone through a global manufacturer supply chain, and that can price products out of reach for local customers. We want to offer the best branded toys in the market, so it is important for suppliers to establish a fair global pricing strategy, a viable margin and a launch programme that ensures the right products are available globally at the right time. Our side of the bargain is to take their products and present them within a world-class retail environment.

What plans do you have to expand the international franchise programme?

We’ll certainly be announcing more developments in the coming months. Our business model fits many markets which we’re not currently trading in, it’s all about finding the right partner in the countries we’re looking to enter. We’re finding that there are two main types of partner emerging; either a large, established retailer with local knowledge and connections which doesn’t have specific toy expertise but sees the opportunity (such as Apparel Group), or a company such as a toy distributor that already has a presence in the toy market, not necessarily in the retail side, but is wanting to move in that direction. We make a long-term commitment to each of our franchise partners. We can teach them and their team how to be a world-class retailer: we offer advice on range selections, introductions to key suppliers, support with shop layout and design – essentially, we share our knowledge and best practice with them so that we can offer customers a consistently world-class toy retail experience, wherever in the world the stores are based.

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Feature

AIS

A show of independents Ahead of the Independent Toy & Gift Show, Toy World’s Jonika Kinchin spoke to AIS’s head of toys and children’s, Miles Penhallow about what’s in store for this year’s show.

How is this year’s event shaping up?

The show will be on earlier than usual this year, Tuesday 4th and Wednesday 5th April are the dates of the show to avoid the Easter holidays. We are therefore delighted that we have sold out the show and have a really strong line up of exhibitors attending including Lego, Hasbro and Mattel.

Are there any new initiatives being introduced this year?

We have encouraged exhibitors to offer a show stopper deal on a single product. This will be open to all buyers on a first come, first served basis and a list of these buying opportunities will be issued to visiting buyers on their arrival. For the first time we have also created an area in the main showroom for a selection of our children’s gift suppliers.

Is there a particular theme for this year and why have you chosen it?

How do you feel the mix of toy and gift exhibitors benefits visitors?

We introduced a theme last year which was well received, and so for this year we are introducing a STEM theme. There will be an enlarged Transformers themed café. We felt that this is currently very on trend and is an ideal format for our visual display team to create theatrical displays.

It has become noticeable that retailers have had to consider all available opportunities to return the margins that they require in the High Street. With children growing older sooner, we believe that it is important to embrace children’s lifestyle products as well as toys.

What makes the Independent Toy and Gift Show different?

It is the only significant toy show that is located in the middle of the country serviced by road, rail and plane. We welcome all independent toy retailers who can enjoy free registration, car parking and refreshments. The standard of our hot lunches have also become legendary.

Are you expecting 2017 to be a strong trading year for AIS and its members?

I would be delighted to repeat our success of 2016 but this year is so unpredictable. We really do not know the effect of inevitable price increases on consumer confidence, but the toy trade will continue to produce great product supported by great marketing.

UK and Ireland distributor for SES Creative, Peaceable Kingdom, eeBoo and Mudpuppy 029 2002 9724 www.steppingstonesmarketing.co.uk/distributor

Toy World 34

Artstraws 01792 796 151 | www.artstraws.com

SES Creative 0292 0029 724 | www.steppingstonesmarketing.co.uk/distributor The Stepping Stones Marketing stand will reveal the full range of the SES Creative products including the Aqua bath toys range, Explore Outdoor range, iron on beads sets, Funmais activity packs, and a variety of creative activity products.

Magformers 08000 385 195 | www.magformers.co.uk

At the Independent Toy and Gift Show, Artstraws will be introducing four new Creation Station kits to replace lines on its spinner display stand.

The kits are packaged in transparent clam-shells to enable shoppers to see exactly what they are buying. Knit These! makes four items, Sew These! makes five, Knitting Nancy makes four items and Cool Crowns makes five. The kits contain all the materials needed, together with comprehensive instructions.

Five new lines will be introduced at the show.

These include the Wiggle Eyes with assorted colours and eyelashes, Pony Beads which features metallic colours, Peel & Stick Large Gemstones, Buttons that come in assorted shapes, colours and sizes, and Natural Feathers. These are ideal lines for ringing the changes on established spinner displays.

The show theme is STEM, a theme that is not new to Artstraws due to its long experience in the schools market. It will be showing many STEM lines from both the Creation Station and Play & Discover ranges.

Artstraws always has a profitable show deal available giving AIS members excellent margins, mostly above 50% on return, and this year will be no exception.

Engino 0800 988 7065 | www.enginotoys.co.uk At the helm of the new Magformers 2017 range is the awardwinning new Neon LED set.

The wonderful set uses bright neon pieces which, when combined with the LED light block supplied, creates amazing illuminated structures which make perfect night lights.

The set contains high-quality Magformers squares and triangles with rotating neodymium magnets, which always connect when two pieces are brought together. A rechargeable LED light offers an array of seven different colours at the press of a button and helps bring all models to life.

For children looking for a new spin on the classic and best-selling Magformers building kits like the Magformers 30 and 26 piece sets, the new Curve 20 combines standard squares (four) with special new curved conical (four) and arch pieces (four) – and introduces flat sector pieces with a curved edge (eight).

It enables children to explore and build more rounded 3D geometric shapes. And when added to anyone’s existing Magformers sets, it brings a new dimension for making tower turrets or rocket nose cones.

One exciting new line developed in Magformers’ Korean HQ is the three-strong Monster Set range – inspired by Korean manhwa and Japanese manga comic books and the kaiju ‘strange beast’ movie genre. Three different styled and coloured dinosaur creatures (Tego, Rana and Cera) can be made from magnetic squares and special clip-in armours, heads, legs and tails.

At the AIS PlayRoom show, Magformers will be launching a new line of UK-engineered cardboard floor displays and innovative ‘press and play’ video screens, which can be attached to the displays or shelf mounted.

Engino is looking forward to presenting the entire Inventor and Discovering STEM range to AIS members at the forthcoming show. Engino is a relative newcomer to the construction and science market, and this show will be the first time that AIS members will have seen the complete range together.

There will be a show offer made available, and members will have the opportunity to place orders directly with Engino or through Engino’s wholesaler distributor Kayes, which will be sharing the Engino booth.

Engino will also be showcasing its world of construction with the introduction of Qboidz.

The Qboidz building system is designed for pre-school children based on the latest STEM principles. The system enhances creativity and imagination by combining the Engino snap-fit technology with traditional stacking connectivity. Children will be able to build many di erent models from the same set, while developing their dexterity skills and perception of three-dimensional space.

Qboidz new patented design increases a child’s dexterity and perception of 3D space using connecting bricks with rods that can be connected in multiple directions.

Qboidz is fully compatible with the Engino Toy System, which means the system grows with the child.

Engino is also launching STEM Heroes. The series introduces children into the world of STEM disciplines through a completely new and playful approach. Boys and girls can construct one model from each of the small sets, while also learning interesting facts about each theme, presented in the included leaflet and the free app for Android and iOS tablets. The models derive from a variety of scientific themes such as aviation, space exploration, animal kingdom and speedster vehicles. Each theme consists of three starter sets which can be combined to create a larger model. These can be combined even further to construct amazing mega-builds.

Qboidz is available to order from April 2017 along with STEM Heroes which are being delivered in March.

Toy World 35

Feature

AIS

Green Board Games 01494 538 999 | www.greenboardgames.com

Green Board Games has introduced products from Fat Brain and Mindware, which proved to be very popular amongst retailers at recent trade shows. Another two new games are Froggy and Catch a Roo. Both are fast paced, strategic and memory based games that are quick, easy and fun to play.

New entries into the world of the BrainBox include 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 are Myths and Monsters and Animal Families, to be followed by Under the Sea, People at Work and the introduction of Things that Go into the pre-school range, with a phonic-centred, curriculum-aligned update of BrainBox ABC hot on its heels.

Kidicraft 01282 505 988 | www.kidicraft.com Stunt Jaxx is the latest range available from Kidcraft. These eight collectible creatures perform spins and do stunts on any flat surface, as well as battling each other in the Stunt Arena. Each of the characters comes with a finger-fitting stunt ring and a stunt cone to encourage extra activity. There are individual creatures, value-added twin packs, a carry-along wristband set for easy transportation to and from the playground and the Arena Set which encourages group play. Kidicraft has become known as the leading supplier of Super 3D Magic Motion Jigsaw Puzzles using images from the vast National Geographic and National Geographic Kids image libraries, as well as pictures from well-known British Artists Howard Robinson and Kevin Walsh. There are 14 new puzzles for 2017 with piece counts from 48 to 150 all aimed at the younger end of the market. There are selfies, dinosaurs, baby animals and farm scenes. There is also a puzzle featuring the Solar System.

Also new for 2017 are Super 3D Children’s wipeable table placemats, wall posters, collectible postcards, A6 notebooks and a large selection of bookmarks. Images for all these products range from wild animals and sea creatures through to dinosaurs and comical animal selfies. Four-sided floor spinner stands are available for these products each with adjustable panels to allow the widest selection possible.

Playmobil 01268 548 111 | www.playmobil.co.uk

Posh Paws 01268 567 317 | www.poshpawsinternational.co.uk At the Independent Toy & Gift show Posh Paws will be showcasing new movie plush, bestselling collectible ranges and new backpack designs. Highlights for show visitors will include the all new Despicable Me 3 plush and backpack collection. The Minions are making a return to the big screen along with all the family and it is sure to be a sought after property for all toy and gift shops this summer. The film features character favourites Gru, Agnes and Fluffy, as well as all new characters and new minion outfits which is reflected in Posh Paws’ DM3 plush and backpack range.

Lightning McQueen will also be racing his way back onto shelves this July in Cars 3. The all new Cars 3 Plush range from Posh Paws features Lightning McQueen and friends, as well as a new generation of racers.

Using all new fabrics the plush reflects the key characters from the film and is the ideal gift for the films target audience. The Tsum Tsum collectible craze continues, and at the show Posh Paws will be revealing its all new Disney Tsum Tsum characters ranges that will be launching at retail over the coming months.

From the big screen to the small screen, Posh Paws will present some of the newest licensed pre-school brands from Tangled the Series to Mickey and the Roadster Racers. Classic character ranges will make a welcome return to AIS and includes Winnie the Pooh, Disney Princess and Mickey and Minnie.

The Playmobil Romans and Egyptians range features the Pharaoh’s Pyramid’s five chambers, each containing individual puzzles and traps that will keep any budding historian entertained for hours. The Roman Warrior’s Ship also has its own fire arrow artillery and ram bow for little ones to do battle with. The boat is able to be upgraded with the Underwater Motor for even more fun at bath time.

The Ghostbusters and How To Train Your Dragon ranges are the company’s first entertainment licences for this year. For Ghostbusters, kids can get their hands on the much-loved characters, locations and sets from the iconic film.

The toy line features the famous Firehouse and Ecto-1 vehicle, plus a towering Stay Puft Marshmallow Man, to be available in May. Big things are expected from the new Police range, almost 40 years after the first Police sets launched in 1978. The new Police Headquarters with Prison has a fingerprint scanner, command centre and telephone system and secret breakthrough wall.

Lastly, the Princess range features the Princess Castle and Royal Residence, alongside the Pony Farm from the Country range.

Toy World 36

Four fantastic new kits available now

view the range at artstraws.com

Artstraws Ltd Swansea SA6 8RB

tel: 01792 796151

Toy World 37

sales@artstraws.com

Feature

Toy Science Fair 2016 & Nature

Experimenting with play There’s no doubt that the science and nature category has undergone a transformation in recent years.

But it’s the STEM segment which has given the whole sector a boost.

Salma Haidrani finds out what suppliers are doing to drive the category forward in 2017.

G

oing back a few years, science and nature was considered a niche category, with retailers often affording it modest shelf space. But all that has changed in recent years; indeed, in NPD’s most recent Olympia Toy Fair presentation, STEM was singled out as one of the key trends to watch out for in 2017.

There’s no denying that STEM is a huge buzzword at the moment. The acronym, which supports the academic importance of science, technology, engineering and maths, has been embraced as a valuable opportunity by many toy suppliers and retailers. Unsurprisingly, parents have also welcomed its benefits for supplementing their children’s education at home. In particular, science and nature focused products hold a huge attraction for parents.

“They get children outside a bit more, actively doing things - and not necessarily just sitting on the computer or laptop,” explained Chris Beardmore, UK retail sales manager at Learning Resources.

The government has even given STEM the seal of approval. A £170 million investment in new institutes of technology earlier this year is planned to deliver education in STEM subjects.

This has resulted in a marked increase in suppliers supporting the category with innovative products.

However, rather than jumping on the bandwagon and ascribing the word STEM to seemingly any product (Toy World noticed that a company at Toy Fair had put a label on a bag of sand saying ‘STEM product’), it’s important for companies to stay true to the principles of STEM learning. For Chris, products should have lasting value, not simply tap into the latest craze: “People want to buy a product

that does actually teach.” Ross Ainsworth, managing director of Interplay, agrees, telling Toy World, “Parents will always buy into good quality science, nature and educational toys no matter what the current buzz word happens to be.”

STEM looks set to continue its influence on the category for some time to come. For some suppliers, giving girls an earlier introduction to science is a major focus. Much has been made of girls being put off science subjects because STEM toys are often branded as ‘boy’s toys’. STEM jobs are among the highest paid, predicted to increase by 17% over the next decade, and there has been a discernible shift by manufacturers in making a sustained commitment to avoid gender stereotyping in toys. As Chris Beardmore explained, “Learning Resources has launched the Nancy B’s Science range, which aims to introduce girls to the world of science.

The range is specifically aimed more at the girls’ market, to encourage them to get excited about the subject.”

So, what other key themes performed well in 2016?

According to Nick Saunders, sales and marketing director at Brainstorm, space-related toys fared well, boosted by British astronaut Tim Peake orbiting Earth on the International Space Station. With Tim set to return to space, space-related themes are sure to make their mark on the category once again this year. To capitalise on the trend, Brainstorm will be introducing an exclusive limited edition Aqua Dragons in Space range, which will include eggs that have been sent on a near space mission into the Earth’s Stratosphere along with an Authenticity Certificate. Using the Aqua Dragons App, children can watch their Aqua Dragons journey into Space and even get their mission’s full metrics. Nick commented: “Aqua Dragons has been a phenomenal

Toy World 38

success for Brainstorm and this new range gives real added value to the brand and will also appeal to space fans – because who doesn’t love Space?”

Jo Drage, director of Thames & Kosmos believes that robotics is one of the big themes for 2017. She commented: “Our Gekobot continues with the theme of single-unit construction robots. Robotics Workshop, available in September, will give users the opportunity to build many different models and with five different motors, each robot can have different actions.” Many companies have also embraced coding. Now taught in schools the world over, children of all ages are learning the building blocks of computing.

Thames & Kosmos’ Codegamer kit, a game console where the user learns code in each level, has just been awarded Tech Toy of the Year at the New York Toy Fair, while the Robotic Smart Machines range has also performed well for the company.

Outdoor hands-on learning has also created interest.

Interplay’s My Fairy Garden, a range to encourage young people to interact with and to develop an interest in nature, performed incredibly well in 2016, becoming one of the top selling toy ranges with many retailers. For 2017, the range will be supported by a huge 1550 TV campaign, which will ensure another successful year. The company’s My Living World mini-beast interaction range, meanwhile, saw 20% year on year growth.

There is a huge opportunity for retailers to capitalise on this growth. According to Ross, strong and steady year-round sales can be achieved by stocking quality science and nature lines from suppliers who have expertise in this sector.

Over the next few pages, Toy World unveils a selection of the hottest products hitting the market this year.

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Science & Nature

Learning Resources 01553 819 380 | www.learningresources.co.uk

Brainstorm 01200 445 113 | www.brainstormltd.co.uk The Aqua Dragons in Space range allows children to hatch and grow live aquatic pets from eggs that have been sent into space. The range includes Aqua Dragon eggs that have been on a near-space mission into the highest levels of the earth’s stratosphere. The product comes with an Aqua Dragons in Space authenticity certificate. Using the Aqua Dragons app, children can watch their Aqua Dragons journey into space.

There will be a national competition targeted at schools throughout the UK, which will offer schoolchildren the chance to win a prize for their school. In addition, the range is set to be supported via TV advertising throughout key selling periods.

The Rocket Projector and Room Guard features 24 space inspired images of planets and astronauts on three interchangeable discs. Images can be projected up to one metre wide. Whenever an unwanted visitor enters the child’s bedroom, a motion sensor will trigger bright lights and space launch sounds. It also features flight sounds when in play mode.

TV advertising will start in September and continue in November and December to drive sales.

Brainstorm specialises in globes and the new 14cm World Globe will aid children of all ages to foster a love of geography. It is the ideal size for desks or bedside tables.

Brainstorm’s Torch and Projector collection continues to grow in both size and popularity. Retailers are able to maximise selling space with this impulse line. The Natural History Museum Sea Creatures Torch will engage fans with a love of all things aquatic and will educate young minds.

The multi-award winning GeoSafari Jr. range is designed for small hands and big imaginations, with two new additions for 2017.

With the Critter Habitat, children can safely collect specimens and store them in the watertight plastic container.

Featuring ventilation holes, a rubber grip handle, locking lid and five magnifiers (4.5x, 4x and 2x), children can examine their findings in more detail.

A rotating feeder allows for quick and efficient feeding without the risk of escape.

Ideal for wet and dry habitat exploration, from the beach or the playground to the garden, children can collect bugs, flowers, leaves and even small fish or tadpoles.

There’s no need to touch insects with the Bug Vac N View. Children can simply turn on the gentle suction to gather a specimen. Its easy-carry handle transports insects safely into one of the included collection chambers. Remove the chamber, complete with built-in air holes and magnifier, for a clear, close up view. A booklet with facts and tips is also included.

My First Telescope, a best-seller in the GeoSafari Jr. range, gives children a head-start into learning more about astronomy. The real working telescope features a two-eye goggle piece and nose cut out guide, to keep children’s eyes focused on the right spot without needing to adjust. The 10x magnification provides views of the moon, while keeping the field of vision wide, essential for children’s understanding of magnified views. A guide that showcases the phases of the moon is also included.

Zoomy is a new all-in-one handheld digital microscope. Used with a computer or laptop, Zoomy 2.0 offers up to 54x magnification and encourages hands-on investigation as familiar objects are analysed in greater detail than ever before. Compact in size, it is easy for young learners to hold and manoeuvre and doesn’t require batteries. Other features include 640 x 480 pixels, VGA CMOS sensor, four LED lights and two head adapters for hands-free learning, available in pink, green and blue.

Thames & Kosmos 01580 212 3000 | www.thamesandkosmos.com Thames & Kosmos is adding two new anatomy models to its Nature Discovery range, which already comprises of five anatomy models including a Great White Shark, Tiger and Human Body. All kits have detachable parts and aim to teach children more about the different animals that live on planet earth, enabling them to build and explore the anatomical structure of a variety of species. The new kits are Scorpion (29 parts) and Tarantula (33 parts).

As well as including full instructions, the kits also come packed with fun facts about the species, such as how their organs work, what special adaptations they have to prevent them from becoming prey and how venomous they are. Each kit includes a question and answer section in the instruction manual, along with anatomical diagrams to help children and adults better understand the creatures. When fully assembled, each model can be displayed on its stand. The new Scorpion and Tarantula anatomy sets will be available from September.

Toy World 40

www.interplayuk.com

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Science & Nature

Tomy 01271 336 155 | www.tomy.co.uk Following a positive initial reception in Japan, Tomy is delighted to launch Ania Animals in the UK. The range delivered huge growth to the animal and collectibles market by offering a collection of animals and dinosaurs from across the globe including the arctic, ocean, grasslands, and prehistoric age.

Set to launch in the UK in autumn/winter, Ania allows its fans the chance to experience Adventures in Motion with each animal featuring one to five points of articulation, meaning they move like their real-life counterparts. This also boosts play value by encouraging children to use their imagination and storytelling skills.

30 animals are available in the collection, as well as different themed adventure sets featuring detailed play environments that enable children to create arctic, ocean, prehistoric, or grassland ANIA adventures.

Tomy will support Ania’s launch with an integrated marketing strategy that aims to bring Ania environments and articulations to life through online and video, as well as with a new website. The company will also use social media and PR to create a buzz with key influencers through promotions and reviews.

Following its launch, Ania’s in-store presence will be enhanced with merchandising solutions to encourage retail sales and repeat sales.

Trends UK 01295 768 078 | www.trendsuk.co.uk Inspired by authentic Discovery Channel content, the Discovery brand encourages curiosity about the real world. The Trends UK range consists of different science toys which inspire exploration and adventure. The Discovery 30mm Telescope, Discovery Bug Barn and Discovery Digital Walkie Talkies are just some of the items that are perfect for exploring nature in spring and summer.

Offering real working features and educational benefits relating to the STEM curriculum, the Discovery range will be extended in 2017 with the new hi-tech Discovery Galaxy Tracker Smart Telescope. With a smartphone adaptor and aluminium tripod, kids can attach a phone and start using the Star Walk2 app to access an intelligent star tracking system.

The award-winning app identifies the constellations being viewed. To be available in summer.

The original snow play range is Be Amazing’s Insta-Snow. This market leader of instant play snow, Insta-Snow is reusable; just add a few drops of water and the powder expands instantly for light, fluffy snow that looks and feels real to touch.

Launched with PR campaigns promoting the range, Insta-Snow is available in tubes or on blister cards.

The Geyser-Tube creates a 30 foot high geyser fountain by combining the Mentos mints included with cola in a bottle.

Children can hold the Energy Stick in their hands to see if it lights up and makes a sound. They can then use their body to transmit electricity or make a handholding chain with friends.

Interplay 01628 488 944 | www.interplayuk.com My Living World is packed full of supplies and equipment, complete with a guide written by TV nature specialist and wildlife authority, Nick Baker.

These kits show children how best to investigate this secret miniature world, just like the experts. Interplay and Nick Baker have teamed up to create ten short videos for the range, which are all available now on Interplay’s YouTube channel. Interplay has also invested in in-store display units to attract even more attention to the science and nature range for nature enthusiasts of all ages.

Toy World 42

www.interplayuk.com

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Science & Nature

Clementoni 0208 782 1134 | www.clementoni.com The Science category has always been successful for Clementoni, with new additions increasing the scientific range for 2017. The Evolution Robot is a programmable robot that can be directly controlled with a downloadable app on smart phones and tablets with Bluetooth connection, or used manually. This intelligent robot registers and executes all commands and comes complete with sound effects, facial expressions and many different modes for children to play with, including dance mode.

DKL Marketing 01604 678 780 | www.dkl.co.uk DKL Marketing offers a variety of Science & Nature products from SmartLab. Best-sellers include the Girls Only Secret Message Lab, featuring two cases - one to keep and one to share. Children can discover the secrets of invisible ink, UV light, acids and bases, codes and ciphers, and more.

Motorblox: Robot Lab enables children to build and test three different walking robots—a Biped Bot, a QuadraBot, and a HexaBot. Kids are also able to add their own bricks, as components are compatible with major plastic construction building block brands.

Also in the line-up is the Star Dome Planetarium. Glow-in-the-dark star maps allow young astronomers to track 28 constellations in the Northern and Southern Hemispheres.

John Adams 01480 414361 | www.johnadams.co.uk New for 2017 is the Super Science range, which will join the company’s science portfolio for autumn/ winter. With two science sets to choose from - Heroes or Villains – the range is designed to enable children to use science to create their own superpowers and explore what it would be like to be a real superhero or villain. Children can create night vision glasses, a water web shooter, launch a rocket man into the sky, create a working freeze-ray and make a superhero walk down vertical surfaces with the Hero set. The Villain set allows children to create a virtual reality headset, build a rubber band shooter, stretch evil Dr Slime, make an air blast canon and fire an energy bolt across the room.

The new introductions will sit alongside John Adams’ existing science sets such as Hot Wires, Gross Science, Sparkle Science, Neon Science and Booms, Bangs, Fizzes.

GP Flair 0208 643 0320 www.flairplc.co.uk Schleich 01279 870 000 | www.schleich-s.com

GP Flair’s Wild! Science range is the go to brand for accessible science. The classic Bath Bomb Factory and Perfume Factory continue to be favourites with young scientists while two recent sets offer even more scientific learning.

With the Lava Lamp and Glitter Tube Lab, girls can make their own light-up bubbling lava lamp and shimmering glitter tube. They can create optical effects by reflecting light from glitter and bubbling water, as well as exploring fizzy chemical reactions that look just like an underwater volcano.

Alternatively girls can make cupcake shaped soaps with the Cake Soap Factory. The soap in this kit can be melted and moulded to make almost any solid shape; macaroons, fluffy meringues, jellies, cake decorations and even buttercream icing. Whipping the soap creates a stable foam that can be piped onto cake soap creations. They can learn about solids and liquids, melting and freezing, aeration, dissolving, stable foam, reflection, and much more.

The pre-school offering for Farm World and Wild Life will expand for 2017, introducing children to one of the earliest nature themes. Key to each of the ranges will be brand new Starter Sets, with the highlight for the second half of the year being a Croco Jungle Research Station, the ideal starting point for all new Wild Life adventures. This playset includes a large crocodile skull and integrated secret hiding place, a research centre as well as a viewing platform. Further accessories include a ranger figure, a fire pit, scientific equipment, and four animals.

Toy World 44

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Toy World 45

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Toy Action FairVehicles 2016

Driving force M

any brands outperformed overall category growth in 2016, including Hot Wheels which held on to its title as number one brand within the category, increasing sales by 3% following a range of high profile marketing and PR activations. “Online content is key for Hot Wheels, with fans of the brand sharing videos of their most epic tricks and stunts “, commented Wendy Hill, brand activation director at Mattel UK. “A collaboration with influential YouTubers Slo-Mo was a natural fit, and allowed us to highlight the cool themes, speeds and stunts of the products in a unique way.” Another company which enjoyed success in 2016 was Funrise, after re-booting Tonka through Q3 and Q4. “Stock only hit the shelves in August, so if we can continue the momentum we built in the second half of last year, I am sure 2017 will see Tonka return to its former glory”, commented Dave Martin, director of sales at Funrise.

Toy State also substantially increased its market share in 2016. “We outperformed the overall vehicle category last year”, commented Andy Friess, president of marketing at Toy State. “The increased distribution and retail support we received are promising signs for continued future growth. The category performed very well over Christmas, with our retail buyers reporting that they were very happy with the sell through of our product ranges. This sets the stage for a great start to 2017”.

Highlights for Toy State included the performance of its flagship Nikko-branded R/C range. “We saw great growth in the line, aided by successful TV campaigns for the special action items”, commented Andy Friess. “Additionally, Toy State’s light and sound ranges continue to lead the category with strong product ranges. Other strong performers included Road Rippers, the iconic Hot Wheels and Caterpillar brands, as well as new products based on leading global properties such as Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and DC Super Friends. The combination of innovative products and strong relationships with leading global properties has proven to be a very effective formula for Toy State year on year. “ The general consensus for 2017 appears to suggest further category growth lies ahead. Companies are aiming high, with exciting plans for new media partnerships and new marketing schedules. Dave Martin has plans to double the size of the Funrise brand this year. “Without a doubt, Tonka will play an integral part in super category growth in 2017”, he told Toy World, “The company is aiming for 100% growth, and will be trading with all of the key UK vehicle retailers. We’ll be TV advertising in Q4 for six weeks, including October half term and through to December. There will be a separate new ad for Tonka

The UK toy industry can be encouraged by the news that the market enjoyed 6.3% growth in 2016, rising to over £3.5billion, according to The NPD Group. The vehicles super category contributed to this, delivering a steady performance and growing by 1% in 2016. Jonika Kinchin takes a look at what is in store for the action vehicles category in 2017, and what companies are doing to help boost the sector further.

convention last July, exhibiting to Star Wars fans and Tinys, which is going to be huge”, he added. Funrise generating excitement around the new products. is introducing a collectible feel to its range with In addition to its already successful lines, the new Tonka Tinys segment. “The range offers Toy State is kicking off 2017 by adding two new great blind box products and collectability, with significant ranges to its offering. “In addition to playsets to follow soon”, commented Dave. With continuing to develop excellent products within Tonka celebrating its 70th anniversary this year, our current brands, including a new Nikko special the company will also be expanding the lights and action R/C item and multiple new offerings in our sounds plastic Tonka range with new UK emergency lights and sounds products, we are adding a further vehicles. two significant ranges this year”, explained Andy Mattel expects the vehicles category to be buoyant Friess. in 2017, and the company is looking forward to Through a new relationship with the Marvel another strong performance from Hot Wheels. “We brand, Toy State has developed a substantial range aim to continue to engage kids with the brand in of Marvel licensed vehicles within the R/C, lights 2017 through exciting tentpoles, partnerships and and sound and pre-school categories. The vehicles activity throughout the year, including a collector will feature popular Marvel movie heroes including programmes, kid’s media partnerships, a retail Spider Man, Iron Man and The Incredible Hulk. tour and more”, explained Wendy. This year will “This is an exciting new relationship for Toy State, also see the company invest more into reaching and initial support from out to parents using a range buyers has been very of digital and marketing strong”, commented executions. Specifically Andy. targeting parents and This year will also encouraging them to see the launch of Toy get involved with Hot State’s new range of Wheels during playtime Nikko Air racing drones, will reinforce Mattel’s co-branded with the ‘Make it Epic’ campaign. leading global drone With next year seeing racing series, The Drone celebrations for Hot Racing League. “Toy Wheels’ 50th anniversary, State has incorporated this year provides an ideal cutting-edge hobby-grade opportunity for activity racing technology into to stir brand awareness. these products, with Reaching out to new pricing that brings audiences using new racing drones within platforms and different reach of the mass events has also proved market”, explained an effective strategy Andy. “These drones for the brand; Mattel Toy State have generated had a presence at great excitement the annual Star wherever they’ve Wars Celebration

Toy World 46

CARS FULL OF CHARACTER © 2017 Mattel, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

GRAN TOURISMO | SUPER MARIO | BATMAN | GHOSTBUSTERS | SPIDERMAN | BMW

Feature

Toy Action FairVehicles 2016

Hasbro's new Nerf Nitro range

been presented, and we are very pleased about the strong support the line is receiving. Following the Nuremberg Toy Fair, one media review even predicted that our Nikko Air DRL racing drones will be the most desired toy this Christmas: what a compliment to receive”.

Toy State will continue to support its products and new launches with an advertising campaign including TV, digital and other media platforms.

“We believe that our 2017 product line, and its TV/ marketing campaign, is the strongest we’ve had in Toy State’s 30+ year history”, added Andy.

Many vehicle-related licensed properties continue to make a valuable contribution to the strength of the action vehicle category, with the forthcoming release of Disney Pixar’s Cars 3 in July expected to create a big stir. “The theatrical release is a great opportunity to showcase the new product range which brings to life the racing magic and character storylines of the content for Cars fans, with new product launching both in summer and ahead of Christmas”, commented Wendy Hill.

Indeed, 2017 is also set to be an exciting year for the Hot Wheels licensed portfolio as a whole.

Mattel has announced exclusive partnerships with Lamborghini and Forza Motor Sport for die cast ranges for 2017. This spring will also see new Ghostbusters die cast join the range, alongside Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy 2, while an exclusive Spider Man collection will launch in summer, followed by Minions and Peanuts ranges. A

Justice League range will launch in Q4, giving even more opportunities. “These licences compliment the action, speed and stunts of Hot Wheels, and we look forward to continuing to build these relationships and increase the brand offering for consumers”, commented Wendy.

As well as acquiring licences, Mattel also licenses out its Hot Wheels property; a new deal with Bladez will see the company launch a radio control Hot Wheels quadcopter later this year. Commenting on the venture, Bladez Toys CEO Iain Morgan commented: “Traditionally quadcopters and flying toys have been marketed at 14 years plus, however we see a large gap in the market for six to 12 year olds. We particularly wanted to design a new vehicle that will be a natural progression for Hot Wheels diecast fans. Our aim with Quad Racerz is to provide a safe ‘follow-on’ product to keep the Hot Wheels brand relevant, whilst offering real innovation in the ever-growing flying toy category. We will also be making our quadcopter chassis compatible with the Hot Wheels race tracks to offer a new level of racing excitement. Naturally we will TV advertise this new range and we look forward to even more product development for the 50th anniversary in 2018.”

The launch of the new Nerf Nitro range from Hasbro is another brand extension that is expected to make a significant impact in the category. Nerf Nitro combines the blasting power and foam action play of Nerf with the world of stunt car play to create an action-packed experience. Kids simply load one

Toy World 48

of the foam vehicles into the launchers and pull the trigger. “The Nitro line is an exciting development as we continue to explore diverse worlds of play for the Nerf brand,” commented Craig Wilkins, marketing director Hasbro UK & Ireland, “building on the action-packed adventures of blaster play allows us to infuse the stunt car segment with all the power and thrills that kids and fans expect from the Nerf brand.”

Not all licensing comes in the form of movies, TV programmes and successful toy properties.

Toy State’s licensing relationship with the Drone Racing League offers an alternative licensed option that is the perfect fit from a consumer engagement perspective. The sport is growing in popularity, with TV broadcasts of DRL events via Sky Sports, ESPN and other outlets. This has dramatically increased the visibility of drone racing, and Toy State’s league sponsorship and licensing relationship positions Nikko Air in a leading position in the rapidly evolving category. “We’re bringing innovation and strong performance to our racing drones, and are well placed to grow our drone market share significantly, as buyer feedback tells us that we have the best product on the market. This speaks directly to the hard work that Toy State’s excellent design, R&D, marketing and manufacturing teams have put into developing these products to make them outstanding”, commented Andy.

A range of products from some of the best performing companies in the category are displayed over the next few pages.

STUNT DRONE

PERFORM 8 STUNTS AT THE TOUCH OF A BUTTON

STREAMING DRONE

STREAM AND RECORD IN HIGH-DEFINITION

STREAMING DRONE WITH FPV

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LAUNCHING AW17 *2016 US NPD data

Action Vehicles

Toy State 0208 440 5060 | www.toystate.com For more than 30 years, Toy State has been an industry leader in the manufacturing of lights and sounds and R/C toy vehicles. Aside from the flagship Road Rippers, Nikko and Nikko Air brands, the international toy company also boasts Hot Wheels, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Barbie, Thomas & Friends, DC Comics and WWE lights and sound and radio controlled vehicles, as well as Cat and Cat pre-school construction toys.

Looking ahead, 2017 is set to be a promising year for Toy State. In December the Drone Racing League, the premier drone racing circuit for elite FPV pilots around the world, announced a three-year licensing and global sponsorship deal with Toy State. The deal centres on the first and only co-branded racing toy drone from Toy State’s upcoming drone line, Nikko Air. DRL Nikko Air Drones will be available in stores in autumn 2017, hitting retail shelves on the heels of DRL’s second season, which will air this coming summer. Toy State is committed to a co-branded multi-media marketing campaign to launch this new line that will run both in the United States and throughout key European markets.

Nikko Air will have products launching this year including the Race Vision 220 FPV Pro. It allows future pilots a first person view experience, leveraging the latest technology used by drone racers. The product features real time video display, first person view goggles and LCD screen included, allowing pilots to see what the drone sees as it happens.

The Air Elite 115 Race Set allows pilots in training to perfect their skills, create custom race tracks, and challenge friends.

Designed for every experience level and highly durable.

Nikko has been a leader in R/C for more than half a century.

The launch of Nikko Air is sure to take them to new heights.

Psycho Gyro is the only vehicle that delivers exclusive Gyro Stunt technology allowing the user to spin, drive and stunt on one or two wheels. Psycho Gyro features tank steering with stunt control. Children can press one of the buttons on the controller, start driving and watch as it spins. High grip tires allow for high performance traction both indoors and outside.

In 2017, Toy State will welcome Marvel into its family of licences. The partnership with Marvel Comics gives the toy company distribution rights in the EMEA region through to the end of 2018. This deal marks Toy State’s first partnership with Disney, and will focus on R/C, lights and sound, and pre-school products. These products will hold strong with the same high quality that Toy State products have had for more than 30 years.

The deal will allow Toy State to produce products that will feature such classics as Spider-Man and The Avengers.

The partnership will also benefit from the recent successes of the movie franchises associated with Marvel, including Guardians of the Galaxy and the upcoming Thor and Black Panther movies.

The Web Wheelie R/C hits shelves in the spring of 2017 and is based on the July release of Spider-Man: Homecoming. Fans will be able to pop a wheelie with Spider-Man as they control the full-function driving action. This product also features 360-degree spinning action, and rear wheels that light up when driving.

Available in the autumn, the Marvel Hero Racers provides kids the opportunity to take on the competition with these fully functional R/C cars.

Fans can tear up the trails with their favourite Marvel characters with Rumble to the Rescue. Motorised drive with rumbling action, as well as realistic ignition and horn sounds allow for hours of play.

Toy World 50

Š 2017 Hasbro. All Rights Reserved.

Action Vehicles

Mattel 01628 500 000 | www.mattel.com In 2017 Mattel showcases a strong line up of die cast brands, including Hot Wheels and Disney Pixar’s Cars, ahead of the new movie Cars 3 in July.

Hot Wheels continues to dominate the die cast market as it retains its number one position in the Vehicle Super category, with an impactful, multi-platform brand campaign for 2017.

The Double Your Collection collector programme kick-starts the year by encouraging children to collect five Hot Wheels cars in order to obtain a limited-edition gold car. By collecting a gold car, 20 lucky fans will also win the chance to double their die cast collection throughout February and March.

Later this year, Hot Wheels will go on tour at retail as part of the Build the Epic Stunt initiative. Other brand engagement activities include advertising, product competitions and blog reviews with children’s and parental media.

TV advertised die cast range Dragon Blast will see a spring/ summer 17 launch, supported by mummy vlogger content and reviews. Other key lines include the extension of the Hot Wheels Star Wars range, as well as die cast collaborations with Ghostbusters, Marvel Guardians of the Galaxy 2, Batman, Peanuts, Minions and Spiderman. A new Justice League range will launch ahead of the new movie, and there will be collaborations with Lamborghini and Forza Motor Sport.

The new movie release of Disney Pixar Cars 3 will bring with it a host of new products to the die cast and playset ranges. The spring/summer 17 range is set to expand with Transforming Mack Truck and a Classic Die Cast Collection.

Movie Moves McQueen joins the range in April alongside the new Transforming Willy’s Butte. The Crazy 8 Fire Barrel Playset lets fans reconfigure the track and create challenges with the mud covered McQueen and accessories. All new launches will be supported by a comprehensive marketing and PR activity in collaboration with Disney.

Tobar 01603 397 105 | www.tobar.co.uk The award-winning Rock Crawler is one of the company’s top remote control offroad cars. The large radio controlled vehicle features three motors, two for driving and one for steering, with front and rear articulated suspension. Combined with its large off-road tyres, these features make them capable of conquering even the roughest terrain. The Rock Crawler 6x6 features a tri-channel transmitter to allow up to three people to operate R/C cars simultaneously.

Another new addition is the Desert Rebel Volkswagen Beetle. This four-wheeler is a survivor of The Great War, an event following the unprecedented meteor

showers of 2055. With full function radio control, these heroes forage a new way of life in the badlands, avoiding detection and human contact and scavenging for whatever remnants of their previous civilisation they can find.

The 1:24 scale remote control model of the Mercedes AMG team F1 W05 Hybrid Car as driven by Lewis Hamilton himself in the 2014 race season, is packed with authentic features like those found on the original car. With full function control and an intuitive controller, this F1 RC racer is ideal for all fans of Formula One.

Toy World 52

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PRE ORDER NOW CONTACT US NOW FOR INFO OR TO PRE-ORDER THE BTHA BEST NEW ACTION TOY AWARD WINNING RANGE AVAILABLE SEPTEMBER 2017 ©2017 ©2017 Mattel.

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Action Vehicles

Hasbro 0208 569 1234 | www.hasbro.co.uk Nerf Nitro is the new line of blasters and launchable foam vehicles that features the power and performance of Nerf and allows kids to blast into overdrive and create stunts by firing foam cars from their Nerf Nitro blasters.

The sets include the Throttleshot Blitz, Longshot Smash, MotoFury Rapid Rally and FlashFury Chaos. Each set comes with accessories to set up stunts and challenges with the blasters.

The Nerf Nitro Throttleshot Blitz set equips players for stunts by loading foam cars into the blaster and taking aim. The set is ideal for kids building different stunts to show off their targeting skills and comes with two obstacles that can be set up in different ways. This could be through a tricky course to blast the car through without hitting the obstacles or a collision course to test skill for hitting the obstacles. The Nerf Nitro Throttleshot Blitz set can be set up on a smooth, flat floor then kids can load and pull the trigger to fire the car.

For long-distance jumping stunts, the Nerf Nitro LongShot Smash comes with four obstacles that can be set up in different ways, before blasting the

Golden Bear 01952 608 308 | www.goldenbeartoys.com

car up the ramp to leap over them. The front-load blaster enables cars to be fired for a smash-and-crash collision with the obstacles, whilst setting up a challenging course for the car to blast through, which shows off aiming and targeting skills.

The MotoFury Rapid Rally provides motorised, rapid-fire stunt challenges by powering up the blaster’s motor with the acceleration button and unleashing the cars. The blaster has a clip that can hold up to nine cars, ready for launch. The set comes with six cars and three of those that are exclusive to this set.

The FlashFury Chaos set allows three cars to be fired in a row without needing to reload. The set comes with a long-jump ramp for creating longdistance challenges and cars can either leap over the obstacles or smash into them when they land on the ground. In addition, the set has one popup target that shoots into the air when cars hit them, providing kids with the opportunity to set them up and show off their aiming skills.

Golden Bear’s My First JCB range is a colourful pre-school construction vehicle collection based on real life JCB vehicles. Joining the My First JCB line for autumn/winter 17 will be the new My First JCB Rolling Diggers.

Tough and durable, these mini diggers are designed to fit into little hands and feature a simple push along mechanism. Also joining the line up are the Muddy Diggers Water Squirters, which feature mud splats that vanish in warm water – ideal for use in the bath or in the paddling pool in the summer. Both new items will be available in July and sit alongside the Big Wheelers range led by the award-winning Stacking Stanley Mega Truck. All items in the range reflect the overarching brand ethos of encouraging kids to get ready for both indoor and outdoor adventure in 2017.

Toy World 54

Action Vehicles

Little Tikes 0845 0533 333 | www.littletikes.co.uk

Little Tikes Wheelz is the new range of fast and fun vehicles to be unveiled by Little Tikes. The line includes the Tyre Twister RC. Children can watch it go back and forth, spinning 360 degrees and even doing back flips.

Alongside this is the new My First Flyer, the only helicopter for pre-schoolers that flies, turns and lands with one-touch control, making it simple to use.

Both of these lines will be underpinned with major PR and social media activities.

Vivid Imaginations 01473 322 000 | www.vividimaginations.co.uk Vivid Imaginations is expanding its Thunderbirds Are Go product range in 2017 with new action vehicles and playsets adding to the already successful range.

The Shadow Cycle features real moving wheels, a sliding spoiler and action and rescue sounds, whilst the Magna Prime boasts rotating thrusters, pivoting fins and action sounds.

The Supersize Thunderbird 1 Playset includes a rotating tail to retract the wings ready for takeoff, as the countdown sequence begins, before embarking on a rescue mission. With flight sensors, TB1 knows when it is in flight mode, activating action and rescue sounds for realistic play, whilst retractable legs allow TB1 to land almost anywhere.

At 35cm tall, the Supersize TB1 also features an opening cockpit with a Scott Tracy articulated mini-figure.

The Sky Viper range include the Stunt Drone, which has the ability to do stunts at the touch of a button. The Streaming Drone allows users to stream and record HD footage, and users can get a first person view with the Streaming Drone w/FPV. With auto-take off, hover and land, plus intuitive flight assist controls, drone flying can be enjoyed by the whole family.

Simba Smoby 01274 765 030 | www.smoby.com/en Ahead of the Cars 3 film debut in July, Simba will reveal a full range of radio control cars including Lightning McQueen and other new characters from the film. Starting with the 1:32 scale, kids can then move up to 1:24 scales, and end at a 1:16 scale that is packed with new features.

At scale 1:24, the RC Turbo Racers are an ideal option for fans of the licence. In stores from May, Lightning McQueen, Cruz and Jackson will all be available with full driving function, a turbo speed function and multidirectional control.

For a bigger driving thrill, the RC Feature Lightning McQueen 1:16 scale comes complete with light and sound effects, a drift function, donut spins feature and smoking function.

Transformers: The Last Knight will hit cinemas on 23rd June, and will be supported by a range of die cast and radio control cars. Robot Warriors include light and sound and can transform from vehicle into robot form and features Bumble Bee and Barricade. The Bumble Bee R/C is a larger 1:12 scale and transforms from a radio control vehicle into Bumble Bee Robot using a smartphone app. Consumers will be able to take photos and videos using the app, which they can upload onto social media.

H. Grossman 0141 613 2525 | www.ozbozz.co.uk 2017 will see the release of a brand new range of drones. The drones link to an app and can beam camera images to a phone or ipad along with a whole host of interactive features.

They also fly just as well with the remote control.

Voice controlled remote control cars are also included in the line-up for 2017.

Toy World 56

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Action Vehicles

Funrise 01908 555 640 | www.funrise.com

Bladez Toyz 02392 658 259 | www.bladeztoyz.co.uk In a new partnership with Mattel, Bladez Toyz is looking forward to introducing Hot Wheels R/C Bladez Quad Racerz later this year as it embarks on a new adventure in the world of quad racing. Offering Hot Wheels fans another level to vehicle play, they will be able to fly mini quadcopters and then add wheels by attaching a racing chassis so they can drive, drift and race.

Awarded a Best New Toy accolade at this year’s London Toy Fair in the Action Toys category, Quad Racerz has also captured the imagination of the industry, as the vehicles will even be compatible with the Hot Wheels track system as a bonus feature to the play pattern.

Each Hot Wheels R/C Quad Racerz Starter Set will come with a 2.4GHz quadcopter, one racing chassis, a controller handset, four spare rotor blades and a USB charging cable. This will have everything needed to get flight training underway. When they become more experienced kids can also add to their collections with the expansion packs which include a different looking quadcopter and chassis. Accessory packs will also be available so players can mix, match, collect and customise with interchangeable chassis and body shell styles. The mini quadcopters are just under 8cm in size and can be flown indoors and outdoors.

In another development, Bladez is also introducing a 14cm mid-size quadcopter under the Hot Wheels licence, featuring top grade technology with altitude control, auto take off and land plus headless function.

Bladez will launch Hot Wheels R/C Quad Racerz in September with TV and digital advertising, whilst plenty of other content will be made available for retailers to feature on their own websites to help teach children how to race the mini quadcopters. This will also be supported by in-store FSDU and point of sale, consumer press advertising and live event demonstrations in what will be Bladez Toyz’ biggest marketing campaign to date.

With 70 years in the industry, Tonka continues to be a staple in every child’s toy box.

Kids can now re-create their own emergency adventures with the full range of Tonka UK Emergency Die Cast Vehicles.

The range has a whole host of vehicles including a fire engine, police motorbike and sea rescue plane, all of which have colours and markings that echo those of the real-life emergency teams. There is a variety of single vehicles to choose from, as well as a three pack of emergency vehicles.

Also available in the Tonka Die Cast range is an assortment of big rigs and monster vehicles. The entire collection of die cast vehicles is created in a heavy metal that stands true to the brand’s toughness.

From dump trucks and front loaders to cranes and bulldozers, Tonka Steel vehicles offer a host of opportunities for sandbox play. Rounding out the larger segment of Tonka vehicles is the Mighty Motorised range of freewheeling cars and trucks that feature sleek design and are built to look just like the real thing. Each comes equipped with flashing lights and realistic sound effects.

In its second season, the Tonka Tinys range continues to grow with all new tiny vehicle styles packaged in their signature blind box garages. In spring, the Tonka Tinys line expands with the introduction of new tiny collector vehicle three packs and new mini playsets, to be joined by the larger, key driver Rescue Response Station playset for autumn.

Wilton Bradley 01626 835 400 | www.wiltonbradley.com With Monster Smash Ups, kids can race, smash and rebuild these rechargeable, high speed, radio control monster trucks. When crashed, the front bumper of the monster truck activates the ejector seat, and can send the driver flying across the room. The monster truck suspension enables the trucks to tilt-turn, race and swerve.

Force Flyers patented motion controlled drones launched in 2016. In its first year, a major retailer stocked them in 120+ stores around the UK. Force Flyers’ drones are controlled by a glove which allows users to fly the drone using just hand motions. There are a number of new models available for 2017, including a hybrid car/drone.

Toy World 58

Action Vehicles

Spin Master 01628 535 000 | www.spinmastertoys.co.uk

Alpha Animation 01293 804 599 | www.auldeytoys.us Alpha Animation & Toys introduces Drone Force, the first line of R/C Drones designed specifically for the younger flight enthusiasts. The core DNA of these creature-inspired drones is a durable, Exoskeleton cage for maximum crash protection. They all feature easy-to-use controllers with intuitive buttons and levers, as well as auto, one touch take-off and landing for the beginner flyer. In addition, each creature in the Drone Force team offers a play experience to challenge users to missions beyond just flying.

The collection consists of five lines. The Stinger, the alien drone, is ideal for indoor flying, with its lightweight and safe design. Arachno Fury is the spider that flies. This drone flips, dips and dive bombs and is ideal for both indoor and outdoor use with a range of up to 150 RF. Key highlights of the collection include Raptor Strike, a distinctive drone that is capable of dual missile fire and can launch missiles in flight using its infrared targeting. The Angler Attack features breathing and flash lighting luminescent LED and glow effects, lighting up the sky in flight.

Leading the range is Morph Zilla. This ape inspired multi-functional Drone delivers different design and functionality. It can drive in ape motion before morphing into action and flying in drone mode. It is simple and easy to use, and transforms between drive and fly mode in just one click. The drone can also perform acrobatic flight stunts via its stable and intuitive flight control.

The key appeal of Drone Force is that, while many advanced drones have cameras and complicated wi-fi enabled features, Drone Force is designed so children get the feel they are using a cutting-edge drone, but one that is easy for them to use and play with right out of the box.

The Drone Force collection is due to launch in June 2017 and will be supported by an extensive PR and marketing campaign including TV advertising.

Spin Master has a line-up of Air Hogs action vehicles for 2017 including an R/C all terrain vehicle and range of drones. The range offers retailers an opportunity to stock a full range of action vehicles at various price points from entry level, right up to those wishing to become more accomplished at the art of drone racing.

The Air Hogs Hyper Stunt Drone is a high speed indoor stunt quad with a removable roller cage, making this drone crash resistant and practical for any surface. It can roll up walls, across ceilings and along the ground.

Air Hogs is committed to helping young fans emulate the pilots they see competing in the DR1 Racing league, with new products designed to make it easy to get into this growing sport, challenge themselves and learn to race like a pro.

The DR1 Racing league, the premiere global drone racing series, recently announced a new partnership with Air Hogs - giving the brand presence throughout the 2017 DR1 Racing series. The collaboration between the two companies will bring drone racing to the masses and help fans across the globe discover this new sport.

The Air Hogs DR1 line-up will include the Air Hogs DR1 Micro Race Drone. With both beginner and advanced modes, this agile drone is ideal for indoor racing action, and will be available in autumn 2017.

Fans can get even closer to experiencing professional drone racing with the Air Hogs DR1 FPV Race Drone, built to deliver the most authentic drone racing experience.

Users can live video stream the high-speed adrenaline race experience through the First Person View (FPV) headset.

Air Hogs Thunder Trax is an all-terrain R/C vehicle, which can be seamlessly transformed by the push of a button from tank to high-performance boat.

Its quality can tackle any environment in any season.

Thick treads maintain control on grass, gravel, mud, water, and even snow. Remote 2.4GHz communication puts the user in control, and easy USB charging gets it back on the road faster.

GeoSmart 01903 885 669 | www.geosmart.eu STEM magnetic construction set GeoSmart enables learning at home and in the classroom. Featuring bright colours, strong magnetic pieces and a patented double-safety system, GeoSmart offers unsurpassed safety and durability for creative play. One of the stand out products is the remote-controlled Mars Explorer, which contains 51 coloured pieces, with varying shapes and LED lights. Children can control the Explorer with its two motors, a transmitter and receiver.

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Action Vehicles

HTI 01253 775 684 | www.htigroup.co.uk Teamsterz, HTI’s own extensive range of collectible die cast vehicles, garages and playsets, light & sound vehicles and track sets, available worldwide, combines sharp price points and quality manufacture. The brand will be supported by a multi-platform marketing campaign from 2017 including a new consumer website to build awareness and drive sales at retail.

New for 2017, HTI will launch a range of new 4” die cast vehicles, introducing a brand-new size to the die cast vehicles market.

With high quality die cast body shells, free moving wheels, moulded underbody detailing and printed graphic details, the range comprises exciting cars and city trucks designs. An existing extensive range of 3” scaled die cast vehicles is kept fresh with the launch of new designs twice a year, such as a 4x4, Pick-Up Truck, Sports Car, GT Racer, Dump Truck and Cement Mixer to name a few. All Teamsterz die cast single vehicles are available on blister card or in window box with CDU. The 3” range comprises twin, five and 10 Pack lines as well as a 12 Pack that includes three limited edition designs.

HTI is also introducing the new category of Teamsterz Light & Sound for 2017, which has already created excitement at previews with retailers and distributors worldwide. Comprising 10 different themed chunky vehicles, each with its own light and sound effects, moving parts, opening doors and play accessories, the range provides fantastic play value.

Designs include a Fire Engine, Garbage Truck, Rescue Helicopter, Police 4 x 4, Tow Truck and Skip Lorry.

A number of new track sets, play sets and car transporter carry cases, all

supplied with cars, combine quality manufacture with imaginative vehicle play patterns. The new Mobile Police Break Out Play Set is a mighty police truck carry case that transforms into a thrilling jail break concept with lights and sounds, a helipad, working lift, jail barrier, three vehicles (villain, police car and helicopter), an escape ramp and launch ramp.

A wide range of Teamsterz pocket money priced vehicles and playsets supports the range.

For Ireland enquiries please contact: Banaghan & Co. Ltd. · Co. Tipperary Tel. +35367 63800 · Fax +35367 63801 info@banaghans.ie

For UK enquiries please contact: Alpha Toys Ltd. · Phone 0035367 63800 Fax 0035367 63801 · info@alpha-toys.co.uk

www.siku.de

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Action Vehicles

Character Options 0161 633 9800 | www.character-online.co.uk The Cars Piston Cup Race Game is making a return this summer. July will see the release of the Cars 3 film, and with it Character will bring back one of the most competitive slot race games.

The Cars 3 Piston Cup Race Game features two slot-style tracks which players must use to race their favourite characters to the finish line. When the light turns green, players pump the button as fast as possible to get ahead but when light turns red they must stop or get back sent to the beginning. Light and sound effects add more special effects to the product.

Alpha Toys 00353 673 800 | www.siku.de The Siku brand continues to go from strength to strength with a successful year’s growth in 2016 and a positive outlook for 2017. This success has been built as a result of an increasing number of stockists in the UK, and new releases which enhance sales growth. There were four series of releases throughout the year with new items in the Blister model series, 1:87, 1:50, 1:32 tractor and attachments. The series of sets has also been expanded to allow for further play value.

For the first release of 2017, there are two new gift sets which are world exclusives (and limited editions) in the UK & Ireland.

Firstly there is the pack of three Mini Cars in red, green and blue. The second is a first for Siku – pink cars. A set of three cars in a pink box will be released, all being VW Models with the iconic Beetle sitting in the middle of the box. As a result of this, Siku has also decided to launch one pink car as part of its Blister range The Bugatti Gift Set version six is planned for later this year.

This will be eagerly awaited by the collectors who already have versions one to five.

The 1:50 Manitou Loader and 1:32 Front Loader sets will be available in March.

To complement the Siku range, Alpha Toys also distributes the Wiking sister brand of Siku - the premium collectors brand.

Siku also distributes the Kids Globe Farming Wooden Sheds and Kids Globe Traffic ranges which are ideally suited to be stocked beside the 1:32 Siku range for add on sales.

Chicco 01214 549 707 | www.chicco.co.uk Bobby Buggy is the remote-controlled car that can cover any terrain. With the ability to move in four different directions, the big wheels allow it to jump over all obstacles in its path. Featuring a wheel-shaped remote control with four easy-to-use buttons, the Bobby Buggy turns when the wheel is turned, just like a real car.

Billy Bigwheels is an off-road car that can take on anything. The large wheels can cover all terrains and the intuitive wheel-shaped remote control allows children to turn Billy Bigwheels as if it were a real car. When the car accelerates, the headlights will light up and the motor roars, and a warning sound is activated when put into reverse.

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Feature

Toy Outdoor Fair 2016 Toys

The great outdoors

T

he outdoor toy category posted a modest increase in 2016, up 1.1% YTD Jan 16 – Dec 16 according to NPD data. However, a number of companies recorded strong growth, including MV Sports. “MV has significantly outperformed the sector figure, posting another year of double digit growth. In fact, we have managed to achieve that for the past six years in a row”, commented Phil Ratcliffe, sales and marketing director at MV. Worlds Apart also enjoyed a positive year, recording significant growth compared to 2015, driven by product development, TV support and the robust performance of its licensed ranges. “We saw encouraging performances from the pre-school ranges in particular, with strong sell through in play tents and ReadyBed”, commented Emily Maclennan, brand and marketing director at Worlds Apart.

MV Sports experienced strong sales across the board, with a selection of new licensed properties, including Paw Patrol, Shopkins and Trolls, giving a welcome incremental boost to the company’s classic licensed portfolio. “The classics such as Disney Princess and My Little Pony performed well, but it was Batman that exceeded expectations”, commented Phil. MV’s non-licensed portfolio also enjoyed solid sales, with the company’s own brands - Hedstrom, Kickmaster, Stunted, Electrick and E-Moto - now making up around half of the company’s turnover. “Hoverboards really came into their own last year, especially in the run-up to Christmas” said Phil, “retailers that were brave enough to ignore the media scare stories reaped the rewards. As long as they stick to a tried and trusted

With the summer months approaching, it’s only a matter of time until parents attempt to lure their children away from their online devices to venture outside after school. Jonika Kinchin speaks to retailers to find out how the outdoor toys category fared in 2016 and what’s in store for this year.

brand like ours, there really is no need for them to be concerned about the safety issue.” For 2017, Phil sees the battery-operated sector as a major growth opportunity for MV: “Four years ago, we offered a limited range, now nearly every licence we’ve signed has a battery-operated vehicle. There are around 20 in total in the range this year; the new Lightning McQueen version is going to be huge for us.”

Worlds Apart’s 2016 performance was boosted by the success of LimboHop, which exceeded buyer’s expectations. “We are set to have an even bigger year this year with TV advertising running from March onwards”, commented Emily. Worlds Apart has also been exploring new opportunities for licensing in the outdoor toys category, with the launch of its range of pre-school licensed trampolines. The company has been developing trampolines for the last ten years, enjoying success in the toddler age group. “Following the success of our non-licensed toddler trampolines, we conducted market research panels, in which licensed versions were regularly requested by parents”, commented Emily. “So we are very excited to be launching a range of pre-school licensed trampolines in 2017, which will give our retail partners a new market opportunity. We’ll be launching with three hugely successful properties: Paw Patrol, Peppa Pig and Thomas and Friends”. Since the products first appeared at retail in Q4 last year, the range has already enjoyed promising sales. Toddler trampolines also offer year-round sales opportunities, with 60% of sales coming from the autumn/winter season, as they can also be used indoors.

As well as highlighting its pre-school licences,

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Worlds Apart is promoting getting kids active from an early age, a concept which has received a very positive response from parents. “We are launching a new Kid Active website in March, which will give a great opportunity to our retailer partners to be involved with digital campaigns to get kids active”, commented Emily.” We have also revamped the packaging across our Kid Active range to give it even greater on-shelf impact.”

Worlds Apart’s licensed play tent range has also been refreshed this year, with the introduction of a Spider Man den, My Little Pony magical world, ‘my size’ Cars Mack truck, Shimmer & Shine palace and a Paw Patrol Skye helicopter tent. Play tents is a great example of a sub-category which works well both indoors and outdoors, reducing the reliance on good weather for sales. Another product which can be used both indoors and outdoors is the ReadyBed, which some may not instantly think of as an outdoor product, yet was apparently classified as Argos’ biggest-selling outdoor line last year.

“The ReadyBed brand was created over 15 years ago, to fill a gap in the market for quick and easy bed solutions for kids that would make sleepovers fun, nights away from parents comfortable, and camping trips a breeze,” commented Emily. “For buyers, it delivers a year-round sales opportunity, with peaks around the holiday seasons”. Retailers have enjoyed consistent sales, and Worlds Apart offers FSDU solutions for promotional opportunities.

Over the following pages, Toy World presents an array of new products that will be introduced into the outdoor toys category this year.

Opinion Feature

Toy Outdoor Fair 2016 Toys

Tesco springs into step Toy World’s Jonika Kinchin speaks to Tesco’s John Hext, head of toys buying, Ladislav Gajdos, outdoor buying manager, and Sara Bannon, assistant toy buyer, about prospects for the category in 2017, how much success depends on good weather, and what a later Easter could mean for sales.

How did the outdoor category fare in 2016?

LG: The weather conditions last year weren’t great, so market conditions were quite challenging. This was driven predominantly by Easter which was two weeks earlier than it is this year, and the fact that the average temperate was about four degrees colder yearon-year. May bank holiday saw some fairly good weather but June proved to be tough, which from an outdoor toys perspective is not ideal for the key trading period, when you would want the sun to shine. Despite the fact that we saw the market shrink year on year, we managed to strengthen our market share in the UK as well grow our sales year-on-year.

JH: When it comes to the warmer months there is also a big difference to the sun shining during the weekdays as opposed to Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.

What trends and themes were apparent in the category last year?

LG: The inflatables category performed very well in 2016, ranging from entry level price point paddling pools up to top price inflatable spas. We also saw innovation coming through in outdoor toys, which is unusual as it isn’t the easiest category to do so.

Bunch O Balloons was a great line for us last year. We also saw some great evergreens come to life again, such as Phlat Ball and Swingball. Other key hero categories that performed well are sand play and bubbles.

JH: In stores, the lower price points are where volume sales generally come, however it’s also nice to see innovation in the area encouraging higher spend.

Were there any particular licences that stood out in the category last year?

LG: Paw Patrol worked well for us from a pre-school perspective. It has shown real evergreen characteristics.

We’ve also had good success with Finding Dory, with which we have put together an outdoor focused cross category promo end, which has delivered great results. Finding Dory lends itself very well to the outdoor category because of the nature of the product and the movie itself.

What themes do you see emerging for 2017?

LG: Having already launched the spring/summer 17 ranges, the Tesco Own label range is something that we are very proud of. For spring/

summer 17 we’ve got two new design themes, one being the Cuba Beach Shack range and the other being Jungle Jive – which is tailored toward a slightly younger audience. These ranges cannot be bought from anyone else bar us, giving customers a reason to shop. The Jungle Jive range includes items such as buckets and spades that incorporate themes that have been developed across whole range. For example, the bucket has imagery on it that encourages children to ‘fill the tail’ of the tiger on the bucket, or ‘how many ladybirds can you count?’

When do you start the process of selecting your spring/summer range for the following year?

JH: We are constantly looking for new innovation and ideas to build our

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future ranges. Realistically it’s too late to bring most of what we see at the Toy Fairs in for the current year on outdoor toys, but we will be looking out for new trends and emerging themes. It usually takes approximately 60 weeks of planning, including discussing strategy and development. We aim to lead and not follow, so it takes longer to plan and choose the exact lines, rather than just picking product off the shelf.

LG: We start planning the next season’s ranges before the current season would start. The reason we start early is driven by the product development cycle, it takes time to develop product with bespoke models and moulds, hence why we need to make sure our planning is supporting the product selection.

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Opinion Feature

Toy Outdoor Fair 2016 Toys

What level of stock have you got left from spring/summer 16 – did you finish the season relatively clean, or have you got plenty of stock left over?

LG: Despite the disappointing weather, we managed to exit very clean with minimal carry over. There isn’t such a percentage that we would aim for when moving from season to season, as it depends on development plans and where we would like to take that product next.

themes are coming up, especially if it’s a theme that can be used cross category. The characters and themes that we use on our own label outdoor toy products can also be found on our clothing and stationery ranges, and the design teams try to harmonise this approach as much as possible.

likely to impulsively pick one up in store. We do sell trampolines in-store, but will always out sell online as from a customer perspective it gives all of those delivery options. Things like playballs and bubbles sell better in store as they complement bigger ticket items such as the trampolines.

What do you see as the key price points in the category?

LG: It’s very customer driven, an average store price point would be different to an online price point. We aim to cater for customer needs, whether it’s a 50p small bubble item or a £3200 large garden play centre.

JH: While we cater for the high demand seasonal items such as paddling pools and bubbles in our stores, all items in our online range that fall within a “one man” fulfilment bracket are available for customers to Click and Collect in stores. This allows us to bring the majority of our online range to every store, and is by far the most popular route of delivery for our customers.

What percentage of outdoor lines are carried in store, and what percentage will you offer online only?

JH: We generally aim not to carry stock over, it’s a balancing act. There have been times in the past where we did carry over fairly significant amounts of stock, and it just creates so many problems. The stock has to be stored for six months in a warehouse, designs change and it’s more about being reactive as the season goes through to try and exit clean.

LG: Over two thirds of the category is online only, with the rest being store only items. We also have lines that are available both in-store and online.

We have seen a resurgence in online sales since the launch of the autumn/winter selection.

JH: The fact that our Click and Collect service is free drives sales up. The availability of our online offering helps, but the outdoor toys category is incredibly polarised from sub group to sub group. There are some items that will just never sell online. We’ve tried putting expensive bubble machines on there, and although they may sell a

Do you often put on promotional activities to try and alleviate some of the stock that was left over?

JH: You have to weigh up the pros and cons when making the decision, it doesn’t matter how much you promote, you simply can’t sell paddling pools if it’s 10 degrees outside. You also must consider the cost benefit of carrying stock over, as opposed to exiting clean, and sometimes having to mark down.

LG: With a later Easter there is a slightly higher chance that we will see some good weather, however there is no guarantee. It is very much weather driven, but generally speaking Easter is when we would see the first significant uplift into the category unless the sun is out earlier.

JH: You’re never going to be able to predict when the good weather will come. The chances are customers will get enough use out of the bigger ticket items which we see an earlier spike on, compared to the purely weather driven lines.

What contingency plans do you make in case of a prolonged spell of inclement weather?

When assessing new products to add to your spring/summer range, what are the key criteria you look for?

LG: First and foremost we aim for our ranges to be customer led, and to make sure of this we work closely with our customer proposition team as well as our design team. The customer proposition team gives us an insight into customer buying patterns and the market. The design teams helps us understand what kind of trends and

Does a later Easter represent a good time to start promoting your outdoor range to consumers?

bit, customers tend to pick those items up more in store as they are reactive items. Paddling pool can sell relatively well online – but if there is a burst of good weather customers are more than

Toy World 68

LG: As an outdoor team we try to be very proactive with seasonal preparations, but at the same time we also act reactively. If the weather is not as good, there is no magic wand that can make your outdoor range weatherproof. There are certain ways where by it is possible to de-risk it to a certain extent.

There are sub categories that work really well both indoors and outdoors, including ride-ons and even playhouses.

JH: It’s not to say with utter confidence that we will never carry stock over, but it’s a long enough season that we can react and work out exactly what the likelihood is of coming out with left over stock.

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Outdoor Toys

Hauck 0777 060 8858 | www.hauck-toys.com Creative German design and meticulous development ensures that every Hauck ride-on is engineered to ensure maximum playtime fun, reliable quality, long life and great value.

Each product features a sturdy steel frame that is powder coated to provide resistance to the elements. Other key benefits included in the range are quality drive chains to provide longevity, low friction ball bearing hubs for smooth free running and tool-free adjustable seats. All products come in sturdy, colourful boxes.

As market leaders in the wheeled toy category, Hauck’s range of products offers something for all ages. The range features both strong evergreen licensed characters and exclusive non-licensed designs too. Last year Hauck’s Nerf Battle Racer, Batman and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles ride-on toys proved to be a success, with Transformers to join the range this year.

Another new go-kart is Sirocco. This larger driving machine features automatic free wheel, forward, neutral and reverse gears, low friction hubs to all four wheels and a hand brake.

For smaller children there are the new Turbo Mini go-karts. EVA tyres provide all surface use for both outdoors and in, as they are scratchfree and quiet on wooden floors.

A new venture for Hauck is electric ride-ons, and the company is entering the market with a super 12v Mercedes GLK350. The car features opening doors, working headlights, two speed transmission, realistic engine sounds, horn and suspension. Available in black or white.

Hauck’s range also offers balance bikes, go-carts, grow with me trikes, a dune buggy, lay back big-wheel trikes and a super wagon.

Vivid Imaginations 01473 322 000 | www.vividimaginations.co.uk Heavyweight TV campaigns are in place from February throughout the summer, amounting to an impressive number of TVRs for the season.

Phlat Ball had another record-breaking year in 2016, with sales rising to an alltime high and maintaining a consistent level of year-round sales. Testament to that was the brand winning Outdoor Toy of the Year at the London Toy Fair Toy Awards. The toy transforms from a 9” disc to a 6” diameter ball when thrown. A new addition to the range for spring is Phlat Ball Flash which lights up, along with the original V3 Fusion and Neon Jnr options.

V3 Fusion and Neon Jnr will see new colour refreshes later in the summer.

Super Wubble can be inflated up to 80cm tall and will return for a third summer season in spring/summer 2017, having contributed towards Vivid’s success in the outdoor toy category in 2016. Super Wubble is available with a pump or without a pump, and comes in assortments of pink and blue. Also new to the Super Wubble range is Water Wubble: refillable water balloons. They are easy to fill, self-sealing and one set takes the place of hundreds of water balloons. Super Wubble and Water Wubble will be TV advertised throughout the summer season.

Featuring a launcher, children can now launch and fly a kite without the help of someone else with the Kite-a-Pult. They can simply hook on, pull back and let go to catapult the kite up to 15m into the air.

The string can also be removed to transform the kite into a glider.

Kite-a-Pult will be TV advertised from Easter.

Also new to Vivid’s outdoor range for 2017 are Sky Flyers.

Interconnecting launchers allow children to launch up to four planes at the same time or in a sequence, with four different launch modes. Sky Flyers come in a Twin Pack or Bumper Pack and will be TV advertised from Easter.

JCB 01889 593 499 | www.jcb.co.uk Kids@Play continues the JCB Excavator for 2017, complete with multi-positional excavator arm, bucket scoop, detachable trailer, rake shovel and hard hat.

Rolly Toys offers a line of replica diggers and tractors including the JCB Tractor, Rear Excavator and JCB Tractor with Trailer. There is also the JCB 8250 V-Tronic Tractor with Front Loader.

Golden Bear has a fleet of My First JCB vehicle toys for pre-school outdoor play. The line-up includes Stacking Stanley and My First JCB Big Wheelers.

HTI has a wide range of vehicle toys featuring authentic JCB machine styling and functions. The Giant Backhoe Loader measures over 50cm in length.

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Outdoor Toys

Yvolution 0800 802 1197 | www.yvolution.com

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New for 2017 is the Y Glider, which incorporates the added facility to adjust the patented lean-to-steer system as kids’ proficiency progresses. Another extra feature means that the Glider can be customised with interchangeable colourful decks and wheel inserts, to create a personalised ride. The Y Glider range also extends to include the Y Glider Deluxe and the Y Glider XL. The Neon Collection range includes light up skateboards and scooters, which are joined by new Neon Kyx light up trainers.

Packed with LED lights, the trainers come with four lighting effect settings; pulse, flicker, strobe and gradual.

Myweetweepee 01963 548 140 | www.myweetepee.co.uk Myweeteepee offers children a place to play and are big enough for up to three children to play in. The solid wood poles are rounded at the top for safety.

Each teepee is handcrafted using soft yet superior quality thick cotton canvas, and applique designs are embroidered onto the canvas.

The Tweeteepee is an ideal little teepee created especially for toys and dolls. The Tweeteepee has identical embroidered applique, matching door curtains and stands on mini traditional wooden poles.

Funrise 01908 555640 | www.funrise.com Following a bumper year for bubbles in 2016, Funrise has developed the new Giant Gazillion collection that’s perfect for outdoor play as the milder months approach. Gazillion Bubbles give kids the ultimate bubble experience, with its specially created formula that has been shown to create bigger, more plentiful bubbles.

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, with no pump and no waiting. Alternatively, the Giant Bubble Power Wand was a Toy Fair 2017 Best New Toys winner. For those that still enjoy creating smaller bubbles, new addition Double Bubble Barrel Blaster is an innovative hand-held bubble shooter featuring dual barrels.

Gazillion Bubbles will be receiving heavy weight marketing support thought the spring and summer seasons including kids’ press, digital campaigns and a substantial TV advertising schedule.

Continuing with the outdoor adventure fun is Funrise’s Tonka range, featuring the perfect assortment of Tonka tough vehicles for kids to choose from. The Tonka Steel collection is ideal for sandpit play. These rough and tough vehicles are made from real steel and include a variety of cranes and trucks to choose from.

The Tonka Steel Dump Truck features a vibrant yellow dump bed for holding mud, rubble or other toys plus over-sized tires for off road adaptability.

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From July, the Messi Training System range will be available for aspiring footballers. Heading up the range is the 4-in-1 Training Station; this multi-feature goal has four modes of play to practise accuracy, shooting, ball control, touch and precision. Kids can aim and shoot at the targets to hone their goal scoring skills, use the curved surface to perfect ball control and touch, use the net to learn how to pass, and then use the large target and net to show off what they’ve mastered.

In addition to the full Training Station, aspiring footballers can work their way through the range to practise specific Messi talents.

The Auto Trainer lets children learn ball control and touch skills by placing the ball on the scoop then pushing down on the paddle to launch the ball.

With the 2-in-1 Foot Volley, children can teach themselves how to head balls over the volley net and accurately volley balls through the target holes. This Foot Volley also doubles up as a regular goal for friendly matches.The Training Speed Set is designed to improve speed and reflex skills by running between the two cones, creating unique speed drills and dribble challenges.

Afterwards, children can connect the two cones and practice jumping over as fast as possible.

Young footballers can also practise their football skills with the Gold Edition Pro Training Ball featuring the authentic Messi signature.

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Outdoor Toys

Hasbro 0208 569 1234 | www.hasbro.co.uk Featuring SwitchFire Technology and three firing modes, the Nerf Modulus Regulator is ready for any Nerf battle.

Using SwitchFire Technology, kids can build their blaster to their choosing and opt for one of three firing modes. The first mode sees the option to choose single-fire, to fire one dart per trigger pull, whilst burst-fire blasts several darts per trigger pull. Meanwhile continuous-fire unleashes the darts non-stop by loading darts into both 12-dart clips, and allows players to insert one clip into the blaster and one in the storage stock, with an indicator light to let battlers know when the clip is empty.

The Nerf Modulus Regulator motor is fired up by holding down the acceleration button, while the blaster can be customised with the swivel handle to stabilise shots, and the two barrel-scopes that can be used as barrel extensions or targeting scopes. There are further customising possibilities with upgrade kits, each sold separately, with over 1000 different combinations available.

H.Grossman 0141 613 2525 | www.ozbozz.co.uk Grossman is introducing a revamped scooter offering for 2017 with over 50% of the range updated with new themes and new packaging. The Ozbozz brand is renowned for great outdoor products and this year sees a whole selection of new lines including the brand new Twist and Fold Scooter, available in three colourways, with four wheels and height adjuster which folds away. Two brand new electric scooters are also available, in two sizes.

The company is also introducing a wide range of Emoji outdoor products for 2017 including scooters, pogo sticks, skateboards and spiral ball.

This year will see the release of the new Power Rangers movie and there is a whole range of outdoor items to complement the launch. From play tents to pogo sticks, there is also a full set of Power Rangers inflatable weaponry.

With the introduction of three new trampolines, the range features different sizes at different price points. The two larger sizes come complete with safety nets.

Little Tikes 0845 0533 333 | www.littletikes.co.uk Adding to its active outdoor play portfolio in spring 2017, Little Tikes is introducing the new Fountain Factory Water Table, with interchangeable pipes and fittings. Water can be channelled through these pipes and in to three water fountains.

The Fold ‘n Go 5 in 1 Trike is designed to provide maximum portability and compact fold, with a fully adjustable sun shade and reclining seat. The 5-in-1 Deluxe Ride and Relax Trike has all the features of the 4-in-1 trike with extras including a three-position reclining seatback, height adjustable canopy and perfect fit technology which means the seat is movable with the flip of a switch.

The hero Cozy Coupe range has over 10 variations to choose from. Spring 2017 sees an addition to the ride-on range, the Little Tikes Princess Horse & Carriage. With a white horse at the front for imaginative play, this carriage also comes with a foldable handle which can be rotated for use by parent or child and also makes a life like clipclop sound when on the move.

Playhouses remain a core area for the company, and this year will see it drive the category forward with the Go Green Play House. This modern playhouse is filled with eco-friendly features and activities for children, whilst aiming to teach children about the environment and the importance of thinking green for the future.

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Outdoor Toys

HTI 01253 775 684 | www.htigroup.co.uk HTI’s wheeled toys offering includes Blaze and the Monster Machines, the pre-school series airing on Nickelodeon and Milkshake. Included is a 3 Wheel Scooter and In-line Scooter, a Balance Bike, 10” and 12” Bikes as well as a helmet and protection gear. There is also a Battery Operated Quad Bike.

A range of JCB free-wheeling sand play construction vehicles brings outdoor construction themed play to life. The JCB Fastrack Foot-to-Floor Ride-On is a Right Start 2016 Award Winner. There is also the rugged Battery Operated Quad and Digger Ride-On. HTI’s wheeled toys range also includes brands such as the new Spiderman Homecoming movie, Despicable Me, Num Noms, Shimmer & Shine and Bing as well as Disney favourites Frozen, Descendants, Toy Story, Tsum Tsum, Disney Fairies, Mickey and Minnie Mouse.

When it comes to scooters, HTI has revealed its own in-house range of scooters and accessories. The Rïpp R500 and Dirt Rider scooters offer solutions for both track riders and all-terrain. This year will see a new packaging refresh.

Offering a range of bubble solution and bubble toys across all value price points, HTI’s licensed and own brand portfolio includes assorted solution bottles, wands, swords, guns and play sets, ideal for outdoor play all year round.

With some of the biggest licensed brands in the market, HTI’s licensed bubbles ranges include Disney Princess, Disney Frozen, Peppa Pig, Paw Patrol, Thomas &

Friends, Blaze, Teletubbies, Spider-Man, Avengers and Shimmer & Shine. New for 2017 are My Little Pony, Transformers and Cars.

In addition, by combining outdoor bubble play with other toy categories, HTI has grown the outdoor bubbles category further by developing higher price point bubble toy items. Lines includes the Bubble Truck, spinning 3D Bubble Blowing Ball, Bubble Mower and Bubble Exhaust which connects to the rear of a child’s bike to create a trail of bubble exhaust as they cycle along.

Hy-Pro 01582 670 100 | www.hy-pro.co.uk 2017 will see an expansion of Zinc’s electric range with the introduction of brand new Volt models, as well as the lithium powered Smart range.

The existing Volt collection has expanded with the new Volt XT range, all of which take advantage of developed lead acid battery technology, allowing for new reliable, slim line and lightweight electric scooters. These five new models reach varying speeds, starting at 6mph for the younger Volt XT model, whilst the Volt XT3 and Volt 200 both reach 15mph.

The second part of the electric expansion comes with the lithium powered Smart range. Sleek, lightweight designs are at the

heart of this new range, with five new models of electric scooter all featuring lithium batteries, allowing for more efficient power, longer battery life and faster recharger times. The Smart Quantum commuter scooter is a foldable, lightweight model with an aircraft grade aluminium frame and reaches speeds of up to 15mph.

The Smart range debuts Zinc’s first three power boards: Smart First, Smart A and Smart X. The Smart First is the ideal ride for first time balancers, hitting speeds of 5mph with a front LED light. The Smart A power board reaches speeds of 6.5mph and can travel up to 20km in one go. The Smart X offers a refreshed design aspect to the power board, whilst reaching speeds of 7.5mph. All three boards are fully UL certified offering peace of mind to retailers.

Beyond electric scooters, Zinc is also developing its entry level products with the Tri-to-Inline Scooter. This scooter converts from a tri-scooter to an inline with ease and requires no tools. This 2-in-1 model is ideal for developing balance and gross motor skills. It grows with the child’s skill and confidence and helps them to graduate from a tri-scooter to inline scooter whenever they’re ready.

2017 will also see the debut of the Maxi Flyte, the final addition to the Flyte case scooter range. This new backpack style model is designed for older children and teens to scoot around the world, or just to school and back. With a high quality specification, the Maxi has real scooter credentials whilst doubling as a stylish backpack. To further expand the brand, Flyte has also launched a series of accessories including plush toys with blankets and backpacks and Flyte character inspired luggage tags.

KD UK 01727 827 194 | www.kdplanet.com/uk KD UK’s Paw Patrol range of Walkie Talkies, the newest additions to its pre-school educational learning aid range, provide outdoor entertainment for little ones. The toys encourage both fun and communication, and are ideal for games such as hide and seek, role-play and treasure hunts.

Pre-schoolers can recreate the adventures from the hit show Paw Patrol using the My Walkie Talkies which inspire imaginative play with family and friends. Children simply press a button to talk to their friends within a range of up to 40 metres. The Walkie Talkies are designed especially for little hands so children can enjoy outdoor adventures like the Paw Patrol gang.

The newest addition to the range of the Walkie Talkies features popular girl pups Skye & Everest.

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Outdoor Toys

Worlds Apart 01637 882 200 | www.worldsapart.com Worlds Apart will be kicking off the spring/summer season with the launch of new brand Kid Active. The Kid Active range will house all of the company’s classic outdoor range, including everything from play tents and tunnels to ball pits and trampolines, and features both licensed ranges and own brand products.

The launch will see a roll out of new packaging at retail, along with a brand new dedicated website launching in March, featuring the entire product range with direct links to retail listings. Along with the website will be dedicated social media channels, which the company will use to market the range, continuing to drive consumers to purchase at retail.

The new Kid Active brand, along with affiliations with Change4Life, will provide a strong identity for Worlds Apart’s range of outdoor products that encourage children to be active and healthy all year-round.

Also new for this year will be the introduction of licensed toddler trampolines. With proven performance on its OEM and non-licensed toddler trampolines, Worlds Apart will be looking to replicate their success with the introduction of three new licensed SKUs offering a point of difference in the licensed Outdoor market.

The range will include Paw Patrol, Thomas and Friends and Peppa Pig, all of which are available now.

Worlds Apart’s range also includes new SKUs ready for 2017’s blockbuster movie releases. The ReadyBed range will include Cars, Power Rangers and My Little Pony, while the Kid Active range of licensed feature tents includes a

Cars Mack Truck, My Little Pony feature tent and Spider Man secret den. The feature tents feature lots of added value and characterisation and are great for encouraging role-play.

Worlds Apart will also continue to advertise its active outdoor game, LimboHop, which launched in spring/summer 2016. LimboHop will be TV advertised during Easter and May Half Term with a 500 TVRs campaign.

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Outdoor Toys

Micro Scooters 01206 381 334 | www.micro-scooters.co.uk This year will see Micro Scooters create a partnership with Great Ormond Street to host a family scoot run for 5,000 families, increasing the frequency of the Micro Scoot Safe scheme (which teaches children in schools to scoot safely). It will include breakfast and after school clubs at schools, and provide children and their families with a fun way to spend their weekends via Micro’s free scooter routes depository which can be found online.

The new Deluxe range of scooters breathed new life into the scooter category last year – the new range of redesigned Deluxe children’s scooters provides greater choice for consumers and retailers.

The Deluxe range of scooters now includes adjustable handlebars, anodised stems for better protection against the elements, increased rider weight limits and raised silicone Micro branded grips. The range is available in a variety of new colours. Marketing and advertising

support for the new range will continue to increase this year with plans to work with large corporate partners, increased in store visibility and experiential activity.

Micro has also been working on its newly launched range of outdoor toys. The Swiss designed and engineered products include the Mini 2 Go Deluxe, Micro Trike, Chopper Balance Bike and 3-in-1 Mini Micro Deluxe. The range has a huge breadth and depth and provides a solution for consumers and retailers at every stage of child.

The Mini 2 Go Deluxe starts life as a ride on scooter and adapts at various stages to suit children as they grow. The storage drawer and telescopic handle make it easy for parents to store essentials as well as being able to guide children as they scoot. Available in a range of new colours, it is the ideal way to get little ones outdoors.

TKC Sales 01380 872 950 | www.tkcsales.co.uk In addition to its current outdoor brands, newly re-introduced Wham-O opportunities include the Frisbee, Slip N Slide and Hack Sack offering, with more items to follow.

The expanded range of licensed gifts and toy opportunities from Wow! Stuff includes Star Wars and Despicable Me, which both aim to build on the current success of the Science Museum, Mensa and Bake Off ranges. In particular, the remote control flying Minions and Fluffy unicorns have been extremely well-received, on top of the multi-licensed VR Viewers with Google Cardboard accredited lenses.

These exciting new product launches join existing proven ranges. Having recently expanded the sales team, the company is looking forward to engaging in every opportunity ahead whilst delivering reliable customer experience.

MV Sports 0121 748 8000 | www.mvsports.co.uk This year MV’s portfolio of sector leading licences is further strengthened with the addition of several new properties.

With the release of the highly anticipated Cars 3 movie in 2017, MV Sports has some new models to bolster the brand including a range of scooters with Lightyear printed wheels, 10 inch, 12 inch and 14 inch bikes featuring graphics from the upcoming movie, and a range of ride-ons with authentic Lightning McQueen features. Not forgetting the award-winning Lightning McQueen 6v battery operated car, featuring forward and reverse gears, foot accelerator and lights and sounds.

Other battery operated vehicles include the giant 12v Thomas and Friends Engine with authentic moulded features and light and sounds. There is also the Paw Patrol 6V models based on vehicles from the show, including Chase’s Cruiser and Ryders ATV. MV has also upgraded the new 6V Batmobile for 2017 with a more contemporary look.

With several action packed blockbuster movie releases overlooking 2017, Power Rangers, Transformers 5 and Guardians of the Galaxy licensed collections feature a range of bikes, scooters, accessories and battery operated vehicles, all providing a boost to the line-up of strong properties.

Disney Princess and My Little Pony have had a makeover for 2017, ensuring that the product range stays relevant to each successive generation of fans. Additionally with the release of the My Little Pony Movie in October 2017 and Beauty and the Beast released this month, the licensed girl’s arena is getting new additions.

The Beauty and the Beast wheeled range includes a 16 inch bike, a folding inline scooter and helmet, all with golden finishes and features.

Trolls sales continue to rise in the aftermath of the hit film and DVD release in February 2017, with the range including a 14 inch bike, 16 inch bike, scooters and accessories.

MV’s own brand portfolio has been expanded in 2017 with a refresh on Stunted. This includes a selection of upgraded stunt scooters, plus the addition of new Skateboards and Ramps. Own brand Bored, a range of Skateboards varying in size, has also been revamped with new designs featuring pop art graphics and a new colour palette.

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Outdoor Toys

Chicco 01214 549 707 | www.chicco.co.uk A modern version of the classic children’s game hopscotch, the Jump ‘N Fit is an electronic mat with lights and sounds that are activated as the child plays. It features two game modes; toss the coin to play hopscotch or throw the dice to play in fitness mode.

Mr. Ring gives the traditional hoopla toy a modern twist. With a rotating base that can move at two different speeds, the hedgehog features five colourful spikes that children can try to hook one of eight plastic rings on to.

Trends 01295 768 078 | www.trendsuk.co.uk The new inflatable Pops Up City play-scapes create a fantasy world for kids, offering soft and safe imaginative role-play.

Suitable for indoor and outdoor play, they come in a small storage box and inflate to a kid-sized play area.

In this patented system, each set is made of separate, easy to inflate parts that attach together with Velcro, so no assembly is required and they stand up ready for play. The immersive environments have added play value with special sound effects and detachable/wearable inflatable vehicles – for example a horse and carriage or a police car. Kids can wear the vehicle over their shoulders with the inner shoulder straps. Themes include: Princess Castle, Emergency Rescue Centre, Construction Site and Knights’ Castle. Pops Up City sets will be available in summer.

Re:creation 01189 736 222 | www.recreationltd.co.uk John Adams 01480 414361 | www.johnadams.co.uk The Mushroom Baby Pool is the latest addition to the Intex range for 2017, featuring a red and white mushroom canopy to shade baby from the sun, this starter pool also features a soft inflatable floor for extra comfort.

The Intex Spray Pool offering is also expanding with the launch of the Friendly Caterpillar Sprayer and the Gator Spray Pool. In a caterpillar design, the Friendly Caterpillar Sprayer attaches to a garden hose and sprays water continually.

The Ka-Pow Bumpers include two individual Ka-Pow tubes in bright and colourful designs, complete with heavy duty handles.

The RazorX Cruiser lithium-powered electric skateboard has geared rear wheel drive, and reaches speeds of up to 10mph.

Razor’s new electric scooter offering comes with the Power A. This ride-on features a patent-pending anti-rattle and its high torque motor can reach speeds of up to 10mph with a continuous ride time of up to 45 minutes.

The recently launched HoverTrax 2.0 rideon is off to a strong start, and will continue to be a focus in 2017. With its exclusive EverBalance technology, it is the only hover board that auto-levels for the smoothest ride possible. Also among the new Razor scooters is the Razor A5 Air.

Simba Smoby 01274 765 030 | www.smoby.com/en The Be Move licensed trike collection launched this year, offering parents and their little ones an outdoor ride with their favourite characters. Masha and the Bear, Disney Cars, Frozen, Lion Guard and Disney Princess make up the collection, making this a catch-all range for some of the most popular pre-school properties. The Be Move trikes are durable with a storage facility also incorporated for added value.

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© 2017 Hasbro. All Rights Reserved.

*NPD November 2016 • NPD License Tracker June 2016

Feature

Hong Kong Toys & Games Fair 2017

The Gateway to China John Baulch reports from the Hong Kong Toys & Games Fair

F

eaturing over 3,300 global exhibitors, the four concurrent Fairs that took place at the Hong Kong Convention Centre at the start of January – namely the Hong Kong Toys & Games Fair, the Baby Products Fair, the International Stationery Fair and the International Licensing Show – attracted close to 120,000 buyers, a 2% increase over last year.

According to figures released by HKTDC, the organiser of the shows, more than 46,000 buyers visited the Toys & Games Fair; the Baby Products Fair attracted over 30,000 buyers; the Stationery Fair welcomed close to 21,000 buyers and over 21,000 visitors came to the Licensing Show.

HKTDC Acting Executive Director Benjamin Chau was delighted that the show attracted a record number of exhibitors and welcomed a greater number of global buyers: “The number of buyers from mature markets such as the United States, Canada, Japan and Korea recorded growth, while those from Belgium, Spain and Taiwan recorded a double-digit percentage increase. Meanwhile, buyers from emerging markets including Indonesia, the Philippines, Vietnam, Israel and Iran also recorded a double-digit percentage increase, while there is steady growth in the number of visitors from the Chinese mainland.”

A walk round the Hong Kong Toys & Games Fair perfectly illustrates the breadth and diversity of the global toy market. The booths contained everything from the latest cutting-edge technology through to the very best traditional and classic toys.

Technology developments could be seen across many different product categories, including the Wheeled Toys sector, where established products such as skateboards and scooters have been electrified by companies such as Fiik and Surfwheel.

Many exhibitors were also showing new Hoverboard designs, as this product continues to grow in popularity with consumers across the globe.

Elsewhere in the technology area, there was a growing choice of drones, with a new focus on ease of use and convenience; some models have been miniaturized so they fit in the palm of the hand, while other models are collapsible or foldable to make them more portable.

Miniaturization is a trend which could be seen in other sectors, such as Construction and Puzzles, where the 4D Cityscape puzzles caught my eye.

One of the fastest-growing technology trends is AR – Augmented Reality – which is now being successfully incorporated into a wide selection of toys; for example, the 3D Sketch World allows users to transform their own drawings into living 3D images.

But amongst all the latest technology-driven

ranges, there was ample evidence that traditional toys are still alive and well. Companies such as Hape – which had a hugely impressive stand at the show - are producing beautifully-designed toys from sustainable material which will not only engage children, but also look good around the home, appealing to fashion-conscious parents around the globe.

In response to the increasing demand for STEM toys, this year’s Toys & Games Fair also introduced a new STEM Toys product display to highlight the latest toys designed to strengthen the learning of science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

During the show, there was inevitably talk of Chinese factories raising prices: as one supplier succinctly put it, “You can’t defeat factory labour or raw material increases, or force exchange rates.”

Another supplier admitted to me that he was avoiding meetings with his Chinese factories until after Chinese New Year, to allow time for the dust to settle. But it is likely that few Far East suppliers will want to make an exception for one country, no matter what short-term challenges the UK may be facing.

As well as factory price rises, there are other challenges on the horizon for companies importing from the Far East (i.e. the vast majority of UK toy companies), including the impending increase in the cost of paper and card. You’ll possibly be familiar with the major pollution problems which China has been facing, a subject which has received widespread media coverage in recent months. It transpires that paper manufacturing is one of the worst culprits: it is, by all accounts, a dirty business, taking into account all the chemicals and the amount of energy expended in the process. As an attempt to address the worsening environmental situation, it appears that a significant number of paper suppliers have had their licences revoked, leading to reduced capacity, potential shortages and therefore - you guessed it – a steep rise in the cost of paper-based products, packaging and transit packaging. I was told of printed card increases in the region of 33% and carton box rises of as much as 40%.

And then there’s the question of freight costs. One company told me they are currently paying 80% more than they were during this period last year.

Even allowing for the fact that we’re in what one person described as the ‘bluff period’, where shipping companies are putting a marker down from which to negotiate, the likelihood is that hefty price hikes may well be on the way.

But despite these challenges, China remains - for now at least – the epicentre of the global toy manufacturing industry, while Hong Kong retains its pivotal role as the gateway to China.

Toy World 82

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2/15/2017 2:53:28 PM

Viewpoint Little Disruptors

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.

Shake up your marketing plans

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

T

he recent toy trade show season seemed to pass in a blur, but not before I registered an average of 16,000 steps per day, which of course has nothing to do with staying in Erlangen for Spielwarenmesse.

The standard discussions post show always turn to footfall, and trying to gauge anecdotally if it was up or down on the previous year. It’s not something I generally take much notice of and I’m often too wrapped up in new brands and products to care. However, taking into consideration current advances in technology and retail consolidation, I am not convinced that trade show attendance could ever materially increase within the two key attendance segments of toy buyer and toy seller. Of course, there are always increases in industry support functions such as QA, Designers, Packaging, PR, Media sales, Logistics, Digital experts and the like.

I

t’s that time of year again when the business of the toy fairs is over and marketing plans hopefully become a lot clearer for the rest of the year. It is also that time that I put out a pleading call to marketers to consider moving their budgets around and not simply replicate the activity that was run the previous year. Having met a lot of marketers over the last few weeks, there seems to be an acknowledgement that it is time to make some changes and that the current channels aren’t working as well as they used to, or are difficult to measure.

“We are big believers in TV here, Jim,” was something that I also heard a few times. So, am I - but not when it takes up a disproportionate amount of the marketing budget. I won’t bore you with stats about TV versus online channels, as I know media agencies will do their best to bamboozle you, so instead I will ask some simple questions:

As companies become increasingly productive and narrow in scope with their supply base, it is inevitable that fewer buyers attend these trade shows one large retailer that stocks over 200,000 toys only had two buyers in attendance.

I would term that as “super efficiency”, although a retailer that stocks everything spends little time on selection. The trade show must help them in prioritising which full range CSV file to upload first.

That puts my team in the minority of retailers which increased its number of attendees year on year. Groupon Goods had no fewer than eight toy buyers in attendance in Nuremberg, representing the key eight territories that are covered in EMEA. Without giving away too much, the volume of follow ups generated by eight people averaging 16,000 steps per days for meetings across three toy fairs will be in excess of 400 action points - this will keep us all busy well into Q2. This is all the more remarkable given that

my sports team were covering off ISPO in Munich as a separate team of eight again more attendees than in previous years.

After seeing so much product, it’s virtually impossible to pick out any product highlights that stand out against the hard work that every company puts in to showcasing its offers. However, on the basis of everything that we managed to see, we at Groupon are very optimistic for 2017 trading. One area of specific interest in toys is seeing how far STEM products can merge into the academic landscape, reversing learning into play.

It’s not a new area, but one that is now clearly segmented and well positioned for growth. It’s encouraging to see a general attitude where learning is cool and fun at the same time.

I’m also expecting to see more fast companies buy slow companies this year, as the scale of being large or small becomes increasingly less relevant.

Do you regularly watch live TV or do you skip ads on demand?

Are you watching Netflix and Amazon Prime?

Do you enjoy the TV ads that you watch?

When was the last time you ran a focus group of millennial mums?

Do you really believe that mums sit watching commercial TV with their kids?

Do you know how much time mums spend on Facebook and Instagram?

Do you know how targeted you can be on social channels with paid advertising?

Even if you are “a big believer in TV”, do you think that a mum will not also go online, research the product being advertised or ask advice from her own peer network? I won’t even get started on the rise of Amazon, voice search and the fact that people are not searching or don’t care about brands as much as they used to. It’s time, ladies and gentlemen, to take action. Do something before you get fired for being “past it”.

At the very least, divert some budget towards testing something new.

Experiment with influencer led activity or run a targeted social media campaign using some of the great ad formats that are available to you. Doing nothing is no longer an option. It’s time to tear up your budget and be more agile and integrated in your thinking. There are plenty of case studies out there you can find, not just in your sector but in the wider FMCG sector in which you find yourself.

I am a realist and I know that online sales are still a small percentage of the overall business. But they are growing fast and you need an online strategy to drive your offline sales too. In a world where your marketing needs to be agile, TV is not the answer it used to be.

Make 2017 the year that you tear up your media plan and start again.

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viewpoint

Would you pick a distributor to sell your toys internationally?

Lutz Muller CEO of Klosters Trading Corporation, a provider of competitive insights into the mass retail space in the USA and Europe

I

have always maintained that a toy company is generally better advised to place its own people into an international market place rather than relying on local distributors.

One reason is that having one’s own executives on the spot generally ensures greater control and commitment and this tends to outweigh the advantages of going third-party.

However, there are exceptions to this rule. One is where the country’s laws, customs or religions demand local control and commitment. The other is where the market is too small to warrant creating an infrastructure for a single company. The third is where a distributor is so entrenched and dominant that an American toy company would find it preferable to let the distributor handle the business with little supervision.

One of the markets where a combination of these factors applies is Scandinavia: Denmark, Finland,

Norway and Sweden. For the purposes of this article we have focused on Sweden as the biggest toy market of the four and we are using Tactic Games OY as an example of the role a distributor plays.

There are a number of obstacles that face a toy company doing business in Sweden. One is the language itself, Swedish, which means that you cannot use the packaging that you have for larger adjacent markets such as Germany. Secondly, product quality and not price is the prime determinant for market position, which explains why Lego is #1 and has - with 22% - double the market share of its nearest competitor, Hasbro. Thirdly, it is a relatively small toy market place and one that is split between an inordinate number of outlets. The top four retailers in Sweden account for an approximate 25% market share, whereas in the U.S. Amazon, ToysRUs, Wal-Mart and Target between them have more than 75%.

What the toy market number of 500 million does not include is the web imports by Swedish consumers from Amazon and other online providers located in fellow-EU countries such as Germany and the UK, which amount to another 50 - 75 million. This is another complicating factor in that prices for the same product vary greatly depending on whether you import it via Amazon or buy it at the Swedish ToysRUs store. For instance, the Star Wars Rogue One Sergeant Jyn Erso figure with gun is shipped

by Amazon UK at £7.99 [or US$9.99], whereas at ToysRUs Sweden the same item retails at Swedish Kronas 199.90 [US$ 21.99].

Given this somewhat complicated picture, it is not surprising that distributors are performimg well. In fact, even ToysRUs decided to go local in 1996, and to entrust the management to BR Toys under a franchise agreement. Today, there are two BR toy stores and 25 ToysRUs stores under BR management in Sweden which makes them the largest toy retailer in the country.

Mattel, too, decided to go the distributor route and is now handled by VN Legetoj, which displaced the former distributor BarnNet last year. Whilst Mattel is clearly VN Legetoj’s largest account, they have others – 4Kids, Wader, etc. In the specific case of Tactic, they have a fairly wide range of distributorships – Ty, Bruder, Carrera, Greentoys, Geomag, John Adams, POPmedia [Beatrix Girls], Iconix Brand Group [Strawberry Shortcake] and others.

Most of these are exclusive to Tactic with rights for the entirety of Scandiavia. Other companies decide to do it by themselves – Hasbro, Simba Dickie and Jazwares are examples of this. The question is – which model promises the better outcome?

Firstly, the motivation is different. Distributors live and die by their success each year. The easiest thing for a franchisor is to cancel the brand if the outcome is not what was expected. The Hasbros of this world do not face this conundrum. If they have a bad year they may put the country executive on notice that they are not happy, but they are not going to go out of business.

Toy World 85

Secondly, because of the threat of losing an agency or distribution rights, the distributors are forced to drill much further down in their selling job than Hasbro would need to do. To give you an example, this is what the Tactic CEO said: “We have our own sales companies in Sweden, Finland, Norway and Denmark. In Iceland we work with strong local distributors. In each country, we have dedicated key account managers for top customers and categories. The sales personnel and reps in each country sell to independent customers and act as professional merchandisers. We also use local merchandisers for certain toys. All the sales people are hired by Tactic on permanent contracts.

Tactic is not using sales agencies. Large chains such as ToysRUs are handled by our Sales Director himself.”

As a result, Tactic covers all toy-carrying chains except for Kiosks. Hasbro, on the other hand restricts itself to the top 50%, which represent about 80% of the toy market.

The Tactic CEO also added: “The sales teams in each market are supported by our central marketing team of six. We utilize TV campaigns, print ads, trade catalogues, internet, social media and direct marketing to each household with children [partly financed by the franchisors]. In addition, we have a permanent showroom in each country, which all our main customers visit at least twice a year.”

What he did not mention is the fact that in Sweden, personal business relationships are incredibly important. Credibility and trust are the absolute bedrock governing transactions and a deal sealed with a handshake is binding. These relationships tend to be built up over time and will trump other business factors generally considered more important in Anglo-Saxon countries. These aspects tend to favour distributors over company executives, simply because they tend to develop these relationships over much longer periods.

There is a downside for using a distributor, even in a country like Sweden. There is no question that a Hasbro sales person, selling only Hasbro products, is much more focused on his products, or knowledgeable on them, than a distributor, who has a number of toy companies to represent. There is another downside which is rarely acknowledged – internal empire building. If you are VP Marketing in charge of Europe for a large toy company, having your own operation in a country like Sweden is much more prestigious than having a distributor.

That is why many companies have a token own presence in a country, even though the real work is being done by a distributor.

So, the question is – who achieves better results?

Cookie cutter approaches to international toy marketing may be preferred by large multinational toy companies, but could very well backfire in many places. Sweden is a case in point – unless you really know what makes the country tick, it is better to go with somebody who does.

Feature

Toy BathFair Toys 2016

Just add bubbles Bath toys might be a relatively niche sector but it’s certainly growing. Indeed, in the latest NPD figures, it increased by a substantial 20.6% in 2016.

T

he category encompasses simple products which need very little other than the addition of water and bubble bath to create exciting play environments. Popular with parents sharing important bonding time with their children at bathtime, these toys are ideal for sensory play, create no mess, promote collaborative play and help refine motor skills.A wide range of bath products are available, but it is Tomy which led the sector last year with its top selling Foam Cone Factory.

The company unveiled a brand-new identity for its toddler and bath range, Toomies, at the London Toy Fair. Alongside the established range, three new feature rich toys including Bubble Blast Train, Spin & Splash Jelly Fish and Sandy The Sea Lion have been introduced.

Camilla MacQueen, brand manager at Tomy, commented: “The new Tomy Toomies branding captures the hands-on fun at the heart of Tomy toys. Children naturally learn and develop through play, so we will continue to focus on fun and feature

rich toys that encourage shared play and keep kids playing and engaging longer.”

Gary Wood, UK country manager, Infantino Bkids, believes that bath toys is an incredibly important category for the UK Toy market. “A lot of parents will tell you that bath time is one of the most fond, cherished and favourite moments of when their baby was young. It’s one of the areas of parenting that both parents can get really involved in, so niche items can give dads, as well as mums, the opportunity to return to childhood with their children”.

Judith Stark, managing director, Halilit agrees that the toys hold great appeal for the consumer.

“Parents & grandparents love to seek out toys that will help to make bath time fun & that will help them to interact with their children, so they make the perfect gift”.

Gary feels it is important for retailers to highlight their bath time ranges: “My advice to retailers would be that establishing a sub category of ‘bath’ in store makes sense. Having its own space, where the

importance of the category is highlighted, will be really beneficial.”

Judith agrees. “As there are many bath toys for infants as well as pre-schoolers, it isn’t always easy to decide where to position them in a store. Having a dedicated area is ideal, but not always practical when space is at a premium. We find that siting alongside other sensory toys is a good choice that can help boost sales.”

Indeed, the cross-category nature of the products can be of huge benefit to stockists. “It’s important to remember that all bath toys can be played with in the paddling pool too, so as warmer weather approaches, it’s a good idea to site a few bath toys close to paddling pools, to encourage additional sales”, explains Judith. As many items can also be played with out of the bath, and are often ideal for the sandpit too, they sit well with summer and outdoor ranges.

Below, Toy World presents a selection of products from suppliers offering bath toy ranges.

Infantino BKids 07557 640097 | www.bkids.eu

SES Creative 0292 0029 724 | www.steppingstonesmarketing.co.uk/distributor

Following its launch at Toy Fair, the Sensory Toy Collection by Infantino BKids includes a multitude of toys to stimulate the senses of babies and toddlers.

The Snap and Play Bath Turtle snaps together and features suction cups so it can stick to the side of the bath. With the Squirt ’n’ Sail Penguins, little ones can push the penguin boat around the tub. The Stacks O’ Fun bath toy features sea animal themed cups with a textured surface and sprinkling effect. The Sensory rubber ducks float upright and squeak, with a variety of colours to choose from.

SES Creative has a range of bath and showering toys which allow children to be creative in the bath. The Aqua range has a variety of different toys, paint and colouring sets specifically designed to be used in the bathroom, including its best-selling Shaving in the Bath kit and Colouring in the Bath crayons.

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New for 2017 Spin & Splash Jellyfish

From TOMY No.1 bath toy manufacturer*

Foam Cone Factory

Best-selling bath toy in 2016*

call the sales department on 01392 281928 or email ukcustomerservices@tomy.com *Source: NPD 2016 EPoS Value sales

Toyworld_Bath-240x315-v2.indd 1

10/02/2017 13:00

Bath Toys

Halilit 01254 872 454 | www.halilit.co.uk

Tomy 01271 336 155 | www.tomy.co.uk Tomy has unveiled a rebrand for its Toddler and Bath range collection. It will relaunch as Tomy Toomies, and leverages on the company’s reputation and 90 years’ experience in the toddler and bath sector.

The company dominated the bath category last year with its top selling Foam Cone Factory that generated over £1 million in its first year, and contributed to 22% growth of the category. Tomy’s Octopals was the 9th best-selling bath toy last year and Fountain Rocket was 12th, having increased sales by just over 50%. Three new feature toys have also been unveiled, including Bubble Blast Train, Spin & Splash Jelly Fish and Sandy the Sea Lion.

With the Spin & Splash Jellyfish, parents can dip the Jellyfish underwater to fill it and then hold it high above children’s heads to see the tentacles spin around and splash water. Sandy the Sea Lion is set to be released in autumn/winter. Sandy can spin the ball on his own as children try to fling the circus ring over his head. In Bubble Blast Train, simply add bubble mix and pull the lever to make bubbles. Children can also use Captain Seagull as a pouring cup then twist the yellow lever to release the water from the bottom of the train.

The Tomy Toomies collection will be supported with a 360 marketing campaign that supports the brand across digital, social media, TV and online video. Tomy will also be unveiling in-store merchandising initiatives and display units to support the new product launches and rebrand.

Halilit offers an extensive selection of bath toys from its Battat and Edushape ranges.

Battat Bath Buddies are bubble-blowing squirters that are available in Dinosaurs, Sea, Barnyard and Best Friends themes. Children can squeeze them underwater and watch the bubbles rise. As they don’t sink, they’re an ideal bath time accessory and can even be used outside in the paddling pool.

The Battat Bath Bar is complete with a funnel, watermill, scoop and paddle. The scooper can be used to gather water to pour onto the wheel. Each toy is removable from the bath bar.

New from Edushape is the floating Ladybird shape sorter with a foam lily pad base and six different shapes.

Four individual water toys can be used independently or fuse together. The different sections contain a spinning propeller, sprinkler or a pourer. With the Edushape Floating Blocks featuring a floating Edu-Foam base and chunky, colourful foam building blocks, toddlers can create fun, floating structures.

Magic Creations, also from Edushape, come in four different styles: Jungle Fun, Dinosaurs, Let’s Dance and Traffic Fun.

Hape 08456 000 286 | www.marbel.com The Teddy and Duck Bath Mitt Set gets little ones clean in a matter of minutes all with the help of Mr. Bear. Teddy and Friends Bath Squirts also have an emphasis on making bath time fun. The Pop-Up Teddy Shower Buddy comes complete with a durable teddy.

The Umbrella Stackers introduces kids to the basics of colours, shapes and balancing whilst having fun.

With the Swimmer Teddy Wind Up Toy, children can wind the teddy and watch him go round and round. The Happy Buckets Set consists of a collection of brightly coloured buckets, with each design and pattern doing something different. With the Rainy Day Fun Set, children can practise their throwing and catching skills with the rainbow coloured umbrella and four balls. The set also doubles as a storage compartment.

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Bath Toys

Bertoy 07748 150 906 | www.bertoy.com The Tiger Tribe bath tub range offers a fuss-free experience for both parents and toddlers. The range is educational, encourages creative thinking and enhances vocabulary.

Jumbo Games 01707 289 289 | www.jumbo.eu The 4-in-1 Shaped Foam Bath Time Puzzles feature four shaped bath puzzles that float on the water and can be stuck to the side of the bath and tiled surface, without leaving any marks. They are available across multiple licensed ranges including Thomas & Friends, Bob the Builder, Peppa Pig, Disney Princess and Finding Dory.

In Disney Finding Dory and Disney Frozen Bath Time Memo Games, players can collect matching memo pairs. Once they match a pair, they can stick them onto the bathtub or tiled surface. The pieces are easily removeable and will leave no mess on or around the bath once removed.

The 18 illustrated mix and match EVA pieces are easy to use and play with in the tub. The pieces stick to the bath or tiles with just a little water. A convenient self-draining storage container is also included. There are four different designs to choose from including Once upon a Mermaid, Once upon a Pirate, Once upon a Farm and Once upon a Jungle.

Cartamundi 01268 511 522 | www.cartamundi.co.uk

KD UK 01727 827 194 | www.kdplanet.com/uk With its Aqua range of card games, Cartamundi is introducing cards to a new setting: bath time.

As part of its Shuffle brand, Cartamundi recently introduced the concept of waterproof cards that can be played with in the bathtub. The Shuffle Aqua range has proved so successful that a number of famous entertainment brands are now set to offer a whole new way to play card games underwater.

The cards can be played with in the bath, by the swimming pool, or while in the garden. All the cards are waterproof, so there is no need to worry about getting them wet. They also come in a handy little bag, so the game can be taken wherever.

Properties in the range include Cars, Despicable Me, Finding Dory, My Little Pony, and Paw Patrol. All will be available from July this year — to play with, float or just stick to the side of the bath.

Infinifun toys aim to encourage the development of physical skills and engage children’s minds to aid cognitive development. As well as roleplay, animal activity, music and tech, a key component of the range is bath time fun.

The Wild Water Island comprises of a floating island with boats, slides, octopus and dolphin figures, and many more components for hours of imaginative play. The set also comes with a cloud. It is ideal for imaginative game play, allowing children to race the two boats and use the other parts to block them from returning to the islands, using their co-ordination skills. Other products in the range include my Lil’Elephant, My Fishing Basket, First Tap and My Lighthouse.

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Allegedly

NPD’s year-end 2016 figures amply illustrated the critical importance of the last two weeks’ trading to the overall Q4 performance. Sales in the final week before Christmas increased by + 33% in the UK compared with last year, + 29% in France and + 26% in the US. This made week 51 the second highest of the year in terms of sales, behind only - you guessed it - week 50. With so much riding on the last two weeks, no wonder a few retailers lost their nerve in the preceding weeks. This trading pattern certainly puts immense pressure on the industry as a whole, not to mention everyone’s logistics operations.

And with Christmas falling on a Monday this year, we can surely expect a similar pattern, as the public will have a whole weekend to do last-minute shopping next time round…

in 2018 (new fi xtures all round!), while a number of retailers – specialists and department stores – are said to be aiming to cash in on the popularity of stationery and the ‘Squiggle boom’ by opening their own stationery departments…

There have been grumbles about the increasing severity - and inflexibility - of fines applied by certain major retailers for late or missed deliveries, anything between three and ten times the order value on occasion. One supplier admitted that he is thinking of offering a large donation to the charity of one particular retailer’s choice for them NOT to place orders with him – and I don’t think he was joking…

Elsewhere, Allegedly understands that both Sarah Strangeways and Natalie Riley have left Hamleys, with Steve Pearson now rumoured to be heading up toy buying…

Jonny Kahn, the director of the company caught selling counterfeit toys to B&M Bargains, Home Bargains and TJ Hughes, has been found guilty at Preston Crown Court and will be sentenced in April. Hopefully this will be a deterrent to other individuals operating in the shadier regions of the industry, not to mention putting retail buyers on their guard. Genuine clearance merchandise remains an invaluable resource for retailers, but this incident illustrates that it is too easy to get fake goods onto retail shelves. That really should not be the case, and hopefully this will prove to be a turning point in the fight against knock-offs, at least at a bricks and mortar level (knock-offs in the online world is a whole other ball-game)…

Preston Kevin Lewis will shortly be leaving his role as general manager of Warner Bros Consumer Products UK to head back to Burbank for a new position in the US licensing team. No word yet on his replacement, although a couple of interesting names have been mentioned as being in the frame…

Rumours of the impending closure of a large chunk of the Clintons store estate offers a glimpse into the ongoing challenges faced by High Street retailers, while at the same time presenting an opportunity to enterprising toy retailers who could potentially capitalise if their local branch of Clintons bites the dust…

Several retailers released their festive trading results last month, and the phrase ‘mixed bag’ would seem a reasonable summary of what was announced. On the positive side, The Entertainer, Mothercare and Shop Direct will surely be delighted with their respective performances, all posting encouraging increases in the fourth quarter. Conversely, Toys R Us unveiled a disappointing set of figures, with a domestic decrease of 2.4% and a decline in Europe and Asia Pacific of 4.9%. It’s not what they - or the industry - were hoping for, especially as TRU had made a series of bullish statements about its expectations before the festive season…

These days, many exhibition organisers attempt to secure commitment from their current exhibitors within minutes of a show opening. No surprise then that the Spring Fair organisers were pushing next year’s event hard from the off, attempting to get people to sign up. One exhibitor who was being given the hard-sell to sign a piece of paper being waved in front of her, asked the sales person: “But what exactly am I signing?” Straight-faced, the sales person replied: “Your name.” Selling really is an art…

There have been a couple of significant staffing changes at Tesco to report: with Dawn Lavalette on maternity leave, John Hext has moved over from the online trading division to head up the toy buying team, while director of general merchandise Rob Hattrell has left the retailer for a new post at eBay. His replacement is Ashwin Prasad, who moves over from his current role of director of health, beauty and wellness…

Terry Crew will be retiring from his role at IMC later this year, somewhere between late summer and the autumn. Terry has done an incredible job since he took over the role, and he’ll undoubtedly be a hard act to follow, but what an opportunity for someone to take the helm of this hugely successful UK operation…

There are rumours that Harrods is planning to move its toy department down to the fourth floor

Toy World 90

Retail pricing remains a much-discussed subject, with many suppliers and retailers wondering whether Tesco will continue last year’s aggressive pricing strategy. While there have been conflicting comments on this subject attributed to Tesco buyers themselves, one piece of tangible evidence that could be offered up is the fact that Tesco priced its Lego Batman range at 5% below SRP, which would suggest that the ‘5% below Argos’ philosophy remains in place for the time being at least – otherwise why on Earth would you need to discount Lego Batman?

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