Touching Base - Looking ahead

Looking aheadForward thinking

Rachael Simpson Jones caught up with leading suppliers to find out what they are most excited about for 2022, what challenges lie ahead and how they feel the next 12 months will pan out, both for their business and the wider toy community.

John Briggs - Commercial Director, Epoch Making Toys

This year sees Sylvanian Families move into a more hands-on role play environment for the first time with the launch of an exciting new Style & Play theme, featuring a selection of ponythemed sets – the first ponies to appear in the range – and a new play pattern with the brushing and styling of hair and adding accessories. Additionally, 2022 will see the expansion of our highly popular Sylvanian Amusement Park theme, with four new lines released during the year.

2022 will be a big year for Epoch Games, thanks to the new Mario Bros movie which will be released in December. Our Games division increased +300% in 2021 and with new games to add to the portfolio, we’re excited for our best year yet.

Our new Aquabeads portability range has been developed as a result of extensive consumer surveys which revealed kids want to be able to take their Aquabeads sets with them when visiting friends or family. Making and playing with Aquabeads together is a key attraction of the toy, and something our fans really missed during the Coronavirus lockdowns.

Increased costs and the fallout from a very varied 2021 still account for sizeable challenges going into 2022. We held our costs in AW21 to help and support our retail partners in a very difficult selling environment but, like most other toy companies, we have had to review some costs going into 2022 as things are no longer sustainable at 2021 levels.

A key Q1 priority for us is to build stock, as we know historically this is always a busy period for collectible brands like ours as children spend their Christmas money. We’ll continue to work hard to ensure the full range of what they want will be available at retail.

In 2021, Brexit meant exporting to Ireland seamlessly was a challenge (I suspect this was hard to achieve by all) but 2022 will allow for stock to be shipped more efficiently and enable consumers to receive their items sooner.

2022 is planned as another growth year for Epoch; investment in all our brands will inevitably continue to drive sales in each category, while recent consumer surveys have revealed there is continued demand for perceived premium brands such as ours.

Changes in our marketing plans have driven our brands into more homes via even more channels than ever before and we’ll maintain and increase our focus on these in 2022.

We’re hopeful that retail will have a ‘normal’ year with a whole 12 months of being fully open. The high-street and its independent retailers has proved it can endure challenges and overcome them; for us, this sector remains a vital part of our business. We’ve grown year-over-year in this sector and will continue our support in 2022.

Mary Wood - General manager UK & Ireland, Tomy

Coming into 2022, the two things I am most excited about are: People and Product. Hopefully we will be able to get out and about more and see customers and partners. Zoom/Teams meetings can be really efficient and effective, and will have their place in the foreseeable future, but physically seeing people face to face will be very welcome after so long.

From a product perspective, we are continuing to focus development within the core categories where Tomy has real strength: Infant & Preschool, Arts & Crafts, Farm (via Britains) and Games. We added Fatbrain to the Tomy portfolio in 2021, but due to stock shortages will really only see that brand coming into its own in 2022. Within Arts & Crafts, we are launching the beautiful, design driven Hey Clay brand in spring, and a really engaging Fatbrain developed brand, Jixelz, in autumn. Autumn will also see the launch of a freshly designed Lamaze range which has had amazing feedback from previews. Toomies is going from strength to strength with an extended Jurassic World range and a Peppa Bath line next year, plus we have an amazing ET Feature Plush for toddlers under the Toomies brand that will appeal to grandparents and parents who remember the film as it celebrates its 40th anniversary. We hope to maintain our strength in kids’ games with more new games, including my personal favourite: Rumble in the Jungle. From Drumond Park, we look forward to another new title under the Logo Family, called Link Logo. There’s a lot going on and plenty to get excited about.

I think the rising costs of raw materials, availability of ICs and freight costs are going to be three key challenges going forward, not just for Tomy, but the wider toy community. ICs we can and will buy ahead but the other issues are harder to handle. We have already allowed for freight costs within our 2022 pricing but if raw material costs continue to increase, we may be forced to review pricing again later in the year.

Over the next 12 months, a concern for us all will be the amount of disposable income everyone has, given the rising costs of fuel, consumables and utilities. We are fortunate that our industry is generally recession resistant but with other household costs rising, consumers are going to be even more sensitive and responsive to promotions, which means a squeeze on margins all round if we are to meet these needs.

Tomy has growth plans but equally important is profitability, which means some tough decisions about where best to invest and where to hold back. One thing of which I can be sure is that we will continue to innovate; bring amazing, well priced products to market via brands that consumers trust like Lamaze, Toomies, Aquadoodle, Britains and Tomy & Drumond Park Games – and we will support those brands with the right levels of investment and the right types of marketing activity.

Jamie Dickinson Marketing communications manager, Playmobil

Playmobil is really looking forward to 2022 and the year ahead, we have some fantastic new launches. This includes our classic blue box items which have continued to be a big part of children’s lives for over forty-eight years now. Play themes like our classic horse and pony farm themes are set to return with new and updated features, alongside some fun new ranges like the Playmobil Aqua Park.

The last five years has seen Playmobil make big strides into the kidult market, and this is set to continue next year thanks to exciting partnerships with the likes of Knightrider, Asterix and some classic car brands. I think the thing we are most excited about is the new owned property themes launching; the first of which brings the exciting world of emergency services to a younger audience and includes a fun character to help keep children engaged. Duck on Call launches in February for ages three to five and will be supported with animated content on YouTube and YouTube Kids. There will be seven products at launch and a further six in July. The theme and play concept really fit into the Playmobil ethos of imaginative play and we cannot wait to introduce Ducklus, Freddy Fire, Polly Police and Mikey Medic. The challenges brought on by Brexit in 2021 have affected the whole toy market. Looking forward to 2022, the issues surrounding drivers and shipping look like they could continue to cause Playmobil, and the industry as a whole, problems. But plans are in place to overcome these issues as best we can.

The next twelve months is a really exciting time for the toy industry. It was great to see retail open back up in 2021 and to trade again in a normal way. We look forward to continuing this, helping retailers create in store experiences that will draw consumers in and keep them engaged with the physical shopping experience. In store theatre will be so much more important going forwards to make sure customers can engage with the retailers and brands alike.

Sue Barratt - UK country manager, IMC Toys

There’s so much going on at IMC and we have lots of exciting new launches for 2022. Our success over the last 18 months has been amazing, often bucking industry trends, and we’re excited about our growth trajectory for 2022 as we broaden both our brand portfolio and distribution at retail.

There are top secret reveals later in the year, a new collection of IP brands as we unveil Lucky Bob and Bubiloons, and line extensions to our best-sellers Cry Babies and Bloopies – a mix of innovative product development in evergreen brands and in new categories.

For Cry Babies, we’re launching new dolls in the core range. There’s Fun & Sun Ella to engage toddlers and smaller children aged 18 months+ and Cry Babies Tiny Cuddles, which is a value-driven line offering smaller, soft-bodied versions of Cry Babies at a pick-up price. Plus, there’ll be new characters in the Cry Babies Dressy and Kiss Me ranges, and Cry Babies Magic Tears collectible ranges for pre-schoolers and younger children, as well as new play sets.

Content is king for IMC and we’ll be promoting the Kitoons OTT platform from the start of the year as its roll out continues, the first of its kind from a toy brand to suggest products based on the video being watched and drive viewers directly to retailers.

New animated episodes will be aired throughout 2022 with new product launches to reflect the latest series and storylines, so children who follow the animated adventures of Kitoons on YouTube and Nick Jnr will recognise the characters in our toy lines, such as the new Cry Babies Magic Tears Little Changers collection, providing eco-friendly collectible mini dolls to reinforce the messaging of taking care of the planet which can be seen in new episodes from summer 2022, and product to reflect our Icy World themed content.

We’re also thrilled to see the UK licensing roll-out for Cry Babies Magic Tears and are hoping it will duplicate the success seen in other IMC territories.

In terms of the year ahead, freight and driver challenges might be out of our control, but they’ll continue to be an issue, so our production planning and forecasting means we’ll continue to pull out all the stops to get our stock to retailers and on shelves for consumers. We’re expecting to see escalating raw material costs and continued rises in the cost of living have an impact on consumer confidence and disposable income. But we’ll continue to provide great products and entertaining content to engage consumers.

Consumer confidence will be a key issue and one of the questions for the toy industry is whether, after everything consumers have missed out on in Covid times, they will be spending more on experiences than at retail. We certainly hope that great toy products, from us and from others, will have consumers wanting more and shopping for more.

Our retailer relationships and distribution have improved beyond all recognition over the last 18 months and with products in new categories, we are in a great position to grow our business again in 2022 – it looks like it’ll be a good year ahead.

Phil Ratcliffe - Joint managing director, MV Sports & Leisure

As we come into 2022, I’m excited at the prospect of returning to faceto-face meetings and showcasing all our new products at the toy fairs (all things permitting). We have several exciting new licences to showcase such as Lightyear, CoComelon and Bluey, plus some important refreshes such as Peppa, Disney Princess and Batman alongside perennial classics like Barbie, Spiderman and Nerf.

Our licensed business has had a very strong year, as have our own brands; in particular Hedstrom outdoor play, uMoVe, Stunted and our E-scooter brands Li-Fe and Wired have all enjoyed tremendous success.

Our immediate challenges are the same as the majority of our customers and competitors, i.e. rising cost prices, ridiculously high freight rates and extended lead times on some components. We have been managing these as best we can and focusing on products which are more freight friendly or items which are less price sensitive. The increased move to direct delivery and online sales has accelerated during the pandemic and is something that I think is set to continue. Mindful of this, we are investing in better content and extra storage capacity in Birmingham in order for us to carry a broader range of items available ex warehouse.

Longer term, we are committed to offering greener and more sustainable products; for example, our growing e-mobility business has been earmarked as an area for expansion. We have been solar powered at our Birmingham HQ for many years now and our increased focus on a greener, cleaner operation dovetails neatly into our e-mobility product strategy, incorporating both human and lithium powered mobility; both as a form of play but also as a mode of transport.

Over the next 12 months we expect most of our products to continue to be in high demand, as they are right now. For the industry as a whole, it remains to be seen as to how much the rising cost of living will affect household disposable income. The toy and leisure industry is known to be resilient though, and I remain optimistic.

Nancy Fielden - Marketing manager, HTI Toys

As we enter 2022, here at HTI we are hoping for a more ‘normal’ year in terms of restrictions and are excited to be launching an array of new product lines for our multiple brands. 2022 also marks the company’s 70th Birthday, and we will be recognising and celebrating the huge strides the business has made since the company was founded in 1952. Originally established as a supplier of UK manufactured toys and fireworks, 70 years on HTI can boast the ownership of five global brands, a licensed product portfolio that includes some of the world’s most recognisable properties, and offices and showrooms in five countries.

HTI will have also gone full circle in 70 years, bringing back part of our manufacturing to the UK. The opening of the UK Bubbles factory in 2021 marked a significant point in our efforts to reduce our carbon footprint and we are delighted that this enterprise will receive further expansion in the New Year.

Following the surge in spending in 2021, as money typically spent on travel was spent on other things, like home improvements and consumer goods, 2022 brings a degree of uncertainty in that consumer spending may normalise. I think 2022 will also see more retailers having to adapt to the new retail landscape and focus on offering conveniences and experiences that cannot be replicated online – at the same time becoming more digitally aware to remain competitive online. HTI will assist in driving these changes and provide support for both instore and online sales.

With the increased adoption of online sales and new technology, content is king and must reach the customer quickly and stand out from the competition. At HTI, we plan to accelerate our digital initiatives, increasing our marketing budget to address the growing demand for content in 2022.

Keeping costings competitive will be testing with the issues affecting manufacturing: rising material, labour and freight costs, and the adverse movement in exchange rates. Only time will tell the impact that these will have on the toy market.

Socio-economic trends will influence business growth through 2022. Toys made of wood and recyclable materials will be of huge importance to consumers, as will be the manufacturing and delivery process. I’m expecting traditional wooden toys to enjoy a surge in popularity not only for their green credentials but also to balance out the over-sophistication of the digital age.

As we spend more and more time on digital devices and social media platforms such as TikTok and YouTube, the emergence of new trends is heightened, creating a demand for new product and speed to retail. HTI will remain quick to react to these key trends and we will continue to invest in tooling to build ranges full of new and exciting products.

2022 will also see the launch of multiple movies at the cinema, which should help to increase the popularity of licensed goods throughout 2022. It will be interesting to see whether consumers are enthusiastic about the return, or whether they prefer movie launches on digital platforms such as Netflix.

David Allan - Managing director, Toynamics UK & Ireland

I am so looking forward to being back at shows, meeting customers and colleagues as well as being able to show our collection in its best setting. The world of toys is everchanging; consumers are looking for new ways to buy their goods, so being back at trade shows helps us to track and identify opportunities via our new business programme. I’m hoping that 2022 will be very much a normal trading year - one in which we can work with our customers to grow our business and introduce them to all the amazing new products and ranges that Toynamics is distributing. At this year’s shows, we’ll be presenting exciting new items from Hape’s Sustainability programme, an amazing new bike range, Nebulous Stars, Dinosart, Skip Hop, Nanoblock, and a new range of educational teaching aids from Timio.

We continue to maintain a focus on keeping our customers happy with the right products at the right prices. As a wholly owned subsidiary of Hape, Toynamics is very fortunate to have its own manufacturing and can plan its stock requirements and containers in advance. The biggest challenge is costs, particularly container costs. Planning the right things at the right time is crucial; raw materials and labour costs are increasing in Asia all the time, but being supported by the Hape Group means that these increases can be minimalised. As a result, we’re able to hold our prices for spring/summer 2022.

I think the first six months of 2022 will be very tough. Consumer spending is reduced, thanks to the inevitable interest rate and utility services increases, and concerns surrounding the everchanging pandemic remain. However, consumers will be looking at more traditional, trusted companies which care about the environment and offer long term play, like Hape. Toynamics’ quality product ranges are linked to the gathering of pace of the Hape Sustainability Programme, which involves materials, packaging and sourcing, and as we show these credentials our position will only become stronger, especially by summer. This is all linked to a very high-profile marketing campaign, and I am confident our messaging will resonate among consumers.

Sarah Dayus - Sales director, Great Gizmos

At the time of writing this, Toy Fair is going ahead, and I am really looking forward to being back at Olympia with our fantastic industry. It will be great to see our customers face to face again and physically showcase all our new products and ranges. So much has happened over the past months so there is plenty to catch up on. I’m also really excited for what 2022 might bring. I feel as though we are still very much in unchartered waters post pandemic, although 2021 has been particularly good for us so I hope for this will continue. We are very lucky that our products have been in high demand, and we’ve been able to keep on top of stock in quite challenging circumstances. No doubt these challenges will continue into 2022 but I look forward to tackling them head on.

I’m expecting manufacturing capacity and shipping problems to be our biggest challenges for 2022 but we have processes in place to keep these challenges at bay. We have already planned the majority of our stock for the entire year well in advance so our suppliers can meet our demand. We have had to increase our prices slightly to help offset the unavoidable extra shipping costs we all face. I think the whole toy industry would agree the biggest challenge for 2021 was getting stock into the country and I don’t see next year being much easier, but we have learned from this year and will adjust accordingly.

Looking to 2022, I anticipate another successful year, and really hope the same is true for the wider toy community. I’m confident that that if we can keep on top of stock and are able to fulfil orders then we should be on track for another strong year. We’ve got some great new products and ranges coming through which we are really excited to showcase at the upcoming shows. We have fantastic support from our customers, and we are always looking for new opportunities. I hope that Toy Fair brings some new faces our way and I really can’t wait to see our existing buyers - and also our friendly competition.

Nick Thomas - General manager, Vivid Goliath

2022 will be our third year as part of the Goliath family, and we have a lot to look forward to as we diversify and expand into even more games categories. We will be showing 20+ new games to our retailer partners during Toy Fair covering innovative Kids Games through to new introductions across the Family, Party, Adult and Crime genres. The most recent acquisition of Endless Games allows us to unlock even more strong performing US games for the UK, and Floor is Lava gets an upgrade into a Family Edition for this year. It has been hugely rewarding to see retailer reactions to the new portfolio and in particular, learning more about the ever-popular True Crime category and just how many people tune into podcasts around this theme. I believe Casefile will drive category innovation with its infinite re-playability, you just have to piece together evidence to crack the crimes. I feel we are now a true destination supplier for Games to meet all retailer needs across price points, formats and play patterns.

Another highlight for this year is the launch of the Wahu Outdoor range in the UK. In Australia, Wahu is an established and market leading brand with a wide portfolio across multiple categories. Off the back of continued success of Phlat Ball, we will be broadening into a Wahu Sports category with striking new aspirational packaging across a performance led range. A Wahu Garden range of toys to transform everyday sprinklers into a range to splash through over the warmer months is sure to be popular.

I think as an industry, we will all be glad to start afresh in ’22 and hopefully put the major logistical challenges behind us. As I stepped into 2021, I never believed I’d become such an expert in containers and logistics! The costs of containers has been well documented and we are doing everything we can to mitigate the increases and ensure that our logistical operations run smoothly. Despite these challenges, we have remained ahead of sales year on year with power brands such as Crayola, our Games portfolio and Ryans World.

Looking back, we are very proud of what we achieved in 2021, growing our business YOY. Our Toy portfolio has gone from strength to strength with brands like Ryan’s World and Animagic into double digit growth and we are excited to be partnering with Headstart to launch the Recyclings range. We are also delighted to be working with Lansay to launch Sky Dancers to a new generation and are building a multi-layered marketing plan based on the heritage and nostalgia of this classic toy. Crayola has also grown year on year, and we will be driving an even broader Back To School campaign with new marketing and partnership initiatives. Bluey will be the latest addition to the Crayola Colour Wonder portfolio, there’s a new Glow Station whilst Colour n Style Dolls take a dive into the world of Mermaids. There’s lots to be excited about this year.

Martin Whitaker - Managing director, Simba Smoby Toys UK

To echo a response that I’m sure you’ll hear throughout the industry – what I’m most excited about coming into 2022 is London Toy Fair. The show was really missed last year, and the whole team is really looking forward to seeing our retailer partners in person again, and keen to make new connections too. I expect 2022 to be a year of continued growth for the UK business, so that target is high on the agenda, and I can’t wait to roll out all of our plans for the year ahead. Of course, like everyone else, I’m also eager for the start of a fresh year, in the hope that it’ll offer a greater level of normality.

The biggest challenges at present, which are likely to continue into 2022, are with freight and with planning – but I’m not sure that either of these things are within my power to solve completely. However, the team at Simba is continually adapting to the situation to ensure that we overcome as much of this as possible. Of course, who knows what the pandemic might throw at us next?

Over the last couple of years, we have worked hard to build strong foundations within the business. And I honestly believe that we have done this very successfully. So, looking ahead to the coming 12 months, I’m confident that the strength of these foundations will allow us to deliver the firm’s biggest and best year to date. Simba Smoby has a brilliant portfolio, which includes Smoby, Jada Toys, Masha and the Bear, Disney Plush and more, as well as new IPs, such as B-Kind. Every year, our ranges continue to build momentum with both retailers and consumers alike. Of course, the retail partnerships that we have created will be invaluable in enabling us to grow the business and deliver a successful year for all. I’m confident that toys is a resilient industry, and I have no reason to believe this won’t continue to be the case.

Anthony Grimaud - Managing director/CEO, Canal Toys

It will be great to have the opportunity to meet up face to face with our retail partners again during trade fairs in 2022. In my experience, it’s the most effective way to showcase our brands, gauge instant reactions, answer questions and connect with the buyers. Canal has some amazing new developments for 2022 and the team can’t wait to be exhibiting at the London Toy Fair.

From a brand perspective, I am particularly excited about the Studio Creator brand. We know just how quickly the Kidult market segment is expanding, and there could not be a better time to introduce this brand to our customers. Ever since we launched back in August 2020, sales have been phenomenal, and we anticipate another year of growth which will elevate the brand even further. I really cannot wait to show off our exciting new brand developments and help customers tap into this lucrative segment.

The past 20 months of the pandemic have demonstrated how resilient our industry can be. Coping with the global supply chain disruptions together and working through post Brexit, last year we often felt like we were riding an insane roller-coaster. Whilst we hope the worst is now behind us, we must also recognise there is no magic wand to make all the supply chain and labour issues disappear. Realistically in the medium term, we should remain flexible and prepare ourselves for adapting however we can to more challenging times ahead.

We’re expecting the uncertainties around the dollar exchange rate and the effects of the highest inflation in the past decade to create significant margin pressure across the board. To overcome these challenges, Canal will do everything it can to support its channel partners; focusing on bringing to market brands supported by strong marketing campaigns, setting strategic price points and putting a huge emphasis on domestic stock and service levels.

Despite last year’s extremely difficult trading circumstances, the support Canal received from all retail partners has been incredible. We must all stay optimistic and hope for a lockdown free year which should generate some growth by itself.

The pandemic has accelerated the importance of eCommerce and most of the industry has shifted to a digital first approach - which constitutes the largest opportunity for growth yet.

From Canal’s perspective, I have been really pleased with the performance of our brands last year. Seeing the amazing new developments we have in store for next year, I feel very confident that 2022 should be another bumper year for Canal Toys and all its partners.

Clive Wooster - Managing director, Geomagworld

Coming into 2022, I’m keen to get back to Toy Fairs. We experienced a vibrancy at the AIS show in September, and at the Toymaster regional meetings, which came from presenting our line in person and the interaction from doing so. Having said that, let’s hope the situation is such that fairs can go ahead in 2022. I’m also excited about the way our range with 100% recycled plastic is gaining traction; initially seen as a "nice to have" it’s now developing into something of a "must have" for many retailers. There’s a host of new products in our Magicube, Geomag (including the much-loved Glow & Glitter, now using recycled plastic) and Mechanics ranges which I’m dying to show off at Toy Fair.

In terms of challenges, of course supply chain issues and rising costs continue to affect us all. It does seem an inevitability that prices will have to go up and supply will continue to be an issue until at least 2023 – although Geomag has been able to offset some of that thanks to our Swiss Manufacturing base and relatively free passage of goods post Brexit from Switzerland.

Quite apart from the human cost of the pandemic, there are financial hurdles coming. If, for example, mortgage interest rates go up, that is a huge cost that most people have to bear and their spending will inevitably be impacted. Having said that, toys are traditionally very resilient in tough times, so let’s see.

In other areas, I think we all welcome the planned re-introduction of Toys R Us to the UK, whatever shape that comes in. I think online retailing will continue to grow with lots of new players joining the market to challenge the established ones. The emergence of eco stores certainly fits well with our product line and I expect to see more of those coming along too. Finally, we've seen our independent retailers weather huge storms but coming through with most of their rigging intact. We look forward to supporting them even more in 2022, as a vital part of our business.

Damien Collett - Head of sales UK & Ireland, SES Creative

2022 is a massive year for SES Creative as we celebrate 50 years as a company. We continue to be proud of our carbon neutral achievement and to design, manufacture and bring to market our products from the Netherlands.

This year we are releasing our biggest ever range with over 450 products covering nursery, pre-school, hobby, crafting, outdoor, science and roleplay. We continue to invest heavily in new product innovation and technology and have been proud to receive product awards recognising this. As usual, all our products prioritise child safety and offer a wide range of educational, environmental and health benefits such as gluten free dough and paint, PVC free plastic, Eco recycled products and a range of crafting products safe for under-3s. Now in our third year trading directly into the UK and Irish markets, we are really excited to be available across a wide variety of retail spaces, and we want to continue to build upon this in 2022.

The biggest challenge we have faced is the rise in demand for our products across Europe due to lockdowns, our rapid retail expansion and logistic issues causing a lack of supply in the market in general. As a company that manufactures on site, our biggest challenge has been meeting increased customer demand. To ensure we have the flexibility required to service our growing customer base, we have invested in further warehousing that will allow us to maintain the service levels that our customers have come to expect.

The recent rise in Covid related restrictions, continued disruption in logistics and the risk of continued cost price increases will continue to be challenges facing the industry in 2022. Clarity of lead times and stock availability are more important than ever, and it is vital to have the ability to react quickly to these issues - and that this flexibility is built into retail strategies. Here at SES Creative, we remain confident that our business model can meet the challenges of the current climate, proving the strength of local manufacturing both for our business and our customers. As such, we remain optimistic for the year ahead as we continue to grow.

Andrew Hardwidge - Sales manager, A.B.Gee

As we approach the start of a new year, the thing I’m most excited about is being able to present the fantastic new products we have and introducing our customers to ranges they won’t have seen before. In 2022, our product range will be bigger and better than ever. Joining some of the long-standing distribution agreements we have with companies such as Mattel, Hasbro, Character Options, Playmobil and others, we signed several new distribution deals during 2021 including Spin Master, Moose Toys, Jazwares, Cats vs Pickles (Cepia) and Lisciani. These have all started off well, and we’re looking forward to growing our business with them throughout 2022. We have more new distribution deals in the pipeline too and will be able to tell our customers about them soon. They’ll certainly make 2022 a very interesting year.

As we are all aware, 2021 was blighted by huge increases in shipping costs which caused cost prices to fluctuate wildly. We have worked hard to make sure that our exclusive ranges from Tooky Toys, Jar Melo and Wild Planet still offer great value for money and strong trade margin opportunities. Brexit brought us very unwelcome additional charges and red tape, but by working closely with our suppliers we’ve managed to automate most of the things we’re now required to provide. This means we can continue supporting our valued overseas customers.

We’re confident that the coming year will be our strongest ever. We currently offer over 6,000 toys from many of the best manufacturers in the world and the new product introductions for 2022 look fantastic. We can be fairly sure that we’ll have all the most sought-after lines available for our customers whenever they need them, supported by a straightforward service that makes it easy to find everything under one roof. We can’t wait to see how all the new product ranges perform throughout the year and look forward to meeting new and existing customers on stand B40 at the upcoming London Toy Fair.

Anil Boodhoo - Director, Asmodee UK

While 2021 was an incredibly challenging year for everyone as the Covid situation evolved, one thing that didn’t change was the human desire to play and interact. Quite simply, 2021 proved that games of all types are a mainstay purchase for customers. They lift spirits in all circumstances but perhaps even more so in the current environment.

Games have always been a part of people’s childhoods but where the UK market has lagged behind some of our European counterparts, with gameplay perhaps dropping off as consumers get older, we have seen an increase in adults of varying ages investing in quality board games as home entertainment. From an Asmodee perspective, beyond the perennial record sales of our hit titles including Dobble, we have seen very strong growth in titles such as Catan and Ticket To Ride.

Looking ahead to next year, we have some phenomenal new titles coming to market and a real focus on getting our most loved games into more homes. While we cherish every loyal gamer, a key opportunity is to push further into other segments. This started in 2021 with some major sponsorships of CITV and Bauer radio (Absolute Radio) and media partnerships with WHSmith and John Lewis, and we will develop this further in 2022. We believe we have a role to play in helping to drive footfall in store and online and, for retailers willing to work with us, we now have the team, plans and willingness to invest to make a difference. Covid permitting, the final piece of support will be a return to our fantastic demonstrators who we hope to have back in full swing.

Asmodee’s exciting new games and respected heritage titles will continue to help us forge ahead in the toy and games sector. With the nation’s enduring love for quality family time as a welcome antidote to increased screen time, along with a busy media calendar ripe for the next childhood trend, I am thoroughly optimistic for a thriving 2022.

Annie Sullivan - General manager, UK/Northern EU & MEA, Funrise

After a challenging 2021, Funrise is ready to enter 2022 with optimism and excitement. We will be adding to our team here in the UK with both sales and marketing roles. Funrise’s growth is a key initiative for the team, and we are excited to be adding a new role dedicated to growing our business in the UK and Ireland even further. Benn Bramwell will be joining as the marketing manager for Europe beginning January 2022. We are excited to have him on board to help drive our global brand strategies and execute on a local level.

From a portfolio perspective, we are quickly expanding with new items in existing lines like Cat and Gazillion, as well as new brand launches, such as our collaboration with Rocket League.

Funrise recently announced a new partnership with video game developer Psyonix which I am very excited about. We have worked closely with them and IMG to create a brilliant collection of customisable and remote-controlled Rocket League replica cars that bring the video game to life. The range will feature varying price points and scales of RC vehicles and is launching in autumn ’22. One of our carry-forward brands, Fart Ninjas, has been a remarkable success and we will be launching Series 5 later in the year. Meanwhile, the Cat range will be introducing some new and exciting vehicles and sets to help drive imaginative play; from the high performing Massive Mover RC to the Roarin’ Rexcavator.

One of the things I’m looking forward to the most in 2022 is being able to meet with people in person again. I’m so excited to re-connect with our partners and industry friends at upcoming key trade shows. Our showroom at our UK HQ in Milton Keynes has recently undergone a transformation and the team is very much looking forward to hosting in person events there as well.

Going in to 2022, I think it’s obvious that supply chain challenges will continue to be an issue. Increased freight costs and chip shortages will unfortunately cause disruption.

Our procurement and operation teams have done an excellent job during these very challenging times and adapted well to the changing conditions. Our inhouse manufacturing capabilities in Vietnam allows us to react quickly to suit changing market conditions. Sufficient stock supply will be key, and we are well positioned to manage supply constraints.

The silver lining from the past couple of years is the desire for families to have fun and spend more time together. The demand for toys has continued to grow and we are prepared to offer new and exciting products for kids of all ages across multiple categories.

Another important initiative for Funrise has been our commitment to sustainability. You will see a change in the types of materials used in packaging and the elimination of plastics used wherever possible. We will continue to stay committed to this initiative and do our part to add to a more sustainable future.

Kate Gibson - Managing director, Gibsons Games

It’s been a tough couple of years for all businesses, but one of the realisations we’ve come to is the difference it makes to connect with people in person. We are hugely excited for the return of trade shows, to see our customers in the flesh and for them to be able to touch and feel our new products. With demand for jigsaw puzzles and games growing in the last two years, we’ve worked hard to increase production capacity and improve our processes and systems across the business. The months ahead will see us launching a raft of new and exciting products at the shows. We therefore envisage a strong start to 2022 as we look forward to fulfilling our customer’s requirements and growing new markets.

There’s no doubt that cost increases are having a big impact. Seeing this reflected at retail is a reality for us all next year. The uncertainty concerning container prices will make it doubly difficult to plan for things in the early part of 2022. We also can’t ignore the renewed concern regarding the Omicron variant, and the impact on shops and businesses as people work from home again and have a more cautious attitude to heading out and spending money. Of course, this will have a positive impact on online spending. On a micro level, Gibsons has adopted a successful hybrid approach to home and office working. No one wants to see us back where we were, behind screens all day, every day.

We’ve all been put to the test in the last two years and have learned an incredible amount. One word that keeps cropping up at Gibsons when we mention 2022 is ‘smoother’. A recent planning session left me with nothing but enthusiasm for the opportunities that lie ahead next year and admiration for the strength of our team and its ability to deliver on those plans. In addition to our core business - getting great puzzles and games out to our customers -we are fully focused on our sustainability strategy and building on the work we have done so far. This is central to developing a successful business for the future.

The toy community has excelled at adapting and rolling with the punches in the last two years and I believe it will continue to do so throughout 2022. Innovation and play are at the heart of our industry, both of which are more needed than ever.

Phil Cassidy - Managing director, Casdon Toys

I'm hopeful that we'll be able to get out to the trade shows this year, which I am most excited about as we have so much coming up to share with our customers. Our clients and partners will be treated to a first look of our innovative new launches as well as meeting the new team members who have been part of our exciting expansion plans. For the past six months, the team has been working hard behind the scenes and we look forward to revealing Casdon’s new look. We will be rebranding with a refreshed colour palette, brand logo and company tagline. All these changes have been designed to reflect the company’s ethos for toys to always capture a sense of fun and excitement while exploring new ways to live playfully.

Forever expanding, we will continue to build on our heritage, and 2022 will see us welcome a completely new licence as well as unveiling new products across the portfolio.

This year, as we celebrate the 25th anniversary of our exclusive licence partnership with Dyson, it is timely for us to reveal three brand-new SKUs to our best-selling range of vacuum cleaner toys. The new addition brings together Dyson hair- and role-play in the form of the Dyson Supersonic and Corrale Styling Set. These toys include miniature versions of the Dyson Supersonic Hairdryer and Dyson Corrale Hair Straighteners.

We also have a fresh new licence joining the Casdon portfolio; one of the world’s leading houseware brands with a global presence spanning over 100 countries, Joseph Joseph. We will be launching six products in the range, including the Joseph Joseph Extend which takes water play to a whole new level.

As always, the toys will be designed and officially licensed to look just like the real thing. Another new product is the Joseph Joseph Bake set which comes with fantastic contents for young bakers.

The biggest challenge we are facing is freight costs, a hurdle which seems impossible to overcome, so stock management will be of the highest importance. Despite the little control we have over this, our new team is doing a fantastic job with logistics, and we are confident in the solutions they will find.

With our line-up of new products and updates on our current ranges I believe we will have a storming 2022, but that won't come without inevitable margins suffering, which we are prepared for.

Nic Aldridge - Managing director, Bandai UK

There's so much lined up for 2022 from Bandai that it’s hard to pick out some highlights, but I’ll try. Firstly, this year marks the 25th anniversary of Tamagotchi within the UK market. I can’t believe that 25 years have gone by already. Our retailers and consumers can expect to see continued expansion of our Japanese anime and Manga portfolios, which I know fans of these sectors are already very excited about. Our hugely successful Miraculous and CoComelon ranges will also welcome new products, and I think it’s fair to say that we’re all looking forward to life returning to some sense of normality.

One of biggest challenges we face as we head into 2022 will actually be managing our growth. Bandai is fortunate to have brands within its portfolio that are both wildly successful and hugely popular, making ours a most privileged position. Keeping up with continued high demand will remain a challenge as the global supply chain problems are not yet resolved, but we’ll be working hard to do so and have plans in place that will best support our retailers. Our retail partners are very important to us and we don’t take their support for granted.

Very exciting times lie ahead during the next 12 months. We have a robust portfolio that is performing well, and, in addition to our core toy business, our collector business is booming.

Nathaniel Southworth - Managing director, KAP Toys

I love thinking ahead to the new year, focusing on the possibilities it may bring. I look forward to drawing a line under the unrelenting Christmas run in for 2021 and the quiet before the storm of Christmas 2022. Having just cancelled a holiday at Christmas, the biggest thing I am looking forward to in 2022 is a holiday. To be able to truly go on holiday’though, I am really keen to implement a number of strategic plans at KAP Toys, which will set our business up for many years to come.

The biggest challenge to our business outside of freight rates, Covid, exchange rates, inflation, kids getting older younger, the weather, legislation, changing retailer strategies, increasing prices in China, and whether or not we can travel for business is probably internal pressures. Everywhere we look we see opportunity and we have something in our range that we believe will work with every committed retailer to toys. Our challenge is delivering on our professional goals in terms of quality service and living up to our name as the dynamic toy company. We need to recruit some exceptional talent to reinforce the efforts taken to secure our business and continue to deliver for the retailers who have trusted us to provide great products for their stores.

The toy industry always adapts to whatever is thrown at it but in 2022, the impact of well publicised freight rates will start to manifest at the consumer end. In one of our favourite categories – battery powered ride-ons – you will see items that formally retailed for £29.99 having to retail for closer to £99.99 as the freight cost is recognised in budgets/plans. This will decimate volumes for this type of product and reduce the number of customers. The category will evolve but it will be a tough year. I expect to see the continued trend of mini or capsule ranges, shrinking the product and consequently squeezing more in a container. You will see innovation whatever challenges are presented.

Nick Saunders - Sales and marketing director, Brainstorm Toys

The new year signals a raft of new and exciting products launching at Toy Fair, and it will be brilliant to return to Olympia after everyone’s enforced hiatus. The Brainstorm product team has once again created some unique products, all of which are rooted in STEM play and learning. Our ‘My Very Own’ range will be expanded with My Very Own Cloud, a lovely 3-in-1 nightlight shaped like a floating cloud, while Zoetrope is based on the classic 19th century animation toy. My Super-Fun Voice Changer will no doubt be fun to demonstrate at the show, with its cool effects including two robot voices.

Eugy’s growth has been phenomenal: the brand is fast becoming a collectible craze. Phased launches of new models throughout 2022 will offer kids (and adults) more than 50 animals to collect. Its eco-credentials are popular with people looking to make more sustainable purchases, while one of our customers described it as an ‘intelligent collectible that draws kids away from the online environment prevalent in modern society.

StikBot and KlikBot have established themselves as Brainstorm evergreens since we partnered with Zing Toys back in 2016. Customers will love the new Mutant StikBots and KlikBots Guardians.

We’re facing inflationary pressures from our product supply chain, horrendous freight costs, increasing UK operational expenses, and a shift in how consumers access broadcast media – so we need to ensure that every product continues to deliver fantastic value. We will continue to support retailers by investing heavily in a diverse marketing plan, be that linear TV and online campaigns or eye-catching in-store POS solutions.

Like many in the toy industry, we are feeling very positive and budgeting for growth. Brainstorm is rapidly transitioning to plastic-free packaging and working towards a net-zero target by the end of 2022, while Eugy will become fully FSC certified across both product and packaging. For the team here, it’s really inspiring to be able to bring this brand’s products and ethos to the UK and Irish markets.

Neil Bandtock - Managing director, MGA Entertainment UK & Ireland

We have exciting developments and innovation in our current portfolio and are launching two completely new brands that promise to disrupt the dolls’ and girls’ markets for 2022, including a new doll brand early in the year which is like nothing else on the market. We’re also making substantial investment across all MGA’s brands, with a particular focus on product development, our forte, as well as innovative marketing campaigns. We have big news on our fashion doll lines L.O.L. Surprise! and Rainbow High too, with two huge tentpole launches to be announced for spring/summer 2022 and further development of our viewer content and strategic partnerships.

On an operational level, our move to Wincanton will change our supply structure and warehousing solutions. This should mean a quicker turnaround on shipping products (to less than a week) and enhanced capabilities on the eCommerce side of our business.

One a personal level, 2022 will be my second full year as MD at MGA. I’m looking forward to a year that is (hopefully) more business as usual, with retailers open and more consumer events. I’m also very much looking forward to implementing changes and developing our team.

Our whole industry is hoping for a much calmer and more predicable year, one that is less turbulent and with fewer stock and operational issues. The current challenges won’t disappear in January, though: we know there may still be some challenges when it comes to meeting consumer demand in the early part of 2022. We’ve put in measures to address this, such as our new warehouse and delivery structure.

All in all, 2022 should be much bigger and better for MGA UK. We have huge product developments across the board and our objective is to grow our L.O.L, Rainbow High, Little Tikes and Zapf properties with NPD.

The aim is for L.O.L to continue to dominate the doll category as No.1 in the market and the No.1 fashion doll. Rainbow High is currently the No.2 fashion doll property and the fastest growing Top 10 property in the market, and its success will only continue. Little Tikes is already a best-selling outdoor brand and one of the best-selling pre-school brands. Innovation within the Little Tikes portfolio will continue to deliver further growth. Similarly, Zapf baby Born and Baby Annabel are No.1 in Nurturing dolls, with many product developments planned for 2022 that will keep them front of mind with consumers.

Away from product, we’ll continue our focus on being a digital leader while also investing in bricks & mortar retail experiences, from attention-grabbing in-store takeovers to VIP customer experiences. Our new B2B portal will also build our business with our independent retail partners.

Darran Garnham - Founder, Toikido

Toikido had an incredible 2021 which saw our lines hit over 100 markets and win multiple awards, and we finished the year with the Netflix hit Back to the Outback launching internationally.

The 12 months ahead will be just as exciting, as Toikido continues its global development partnership with Innersloth on our No.1 selling line, Among Us. Fans can look forward to plenty of exciting Among Us expansion thanks to the recent game updates and the announcement of the brand’s move into VR, both of which will offer us new areas to explore in terms of product development.

In 2022 we will also be bringing to market products for the multiaward-winning game Gang Beasts, from Boneloaf Studios. Not only is this a game with a very strong and loyal fanbase, having been No.1 on PlayStation, Xbox and Steam, but it’s also set to welcome more game and brand expansion throughout the year.

Toikido will support Gang Beats with cross-media marketing TV, print and socials. The product range will include action figures, collectibles, play sets, dress-up and unique brand related SKUs. I am very excited about our partnership with Boneloaf: our highly collaborative discussions are going to lead to some very special cross-promotional opportunities.

Later this year will see the launch of Smighties in the form of collectibles, plush, play sets and more. This unique opportunity has really brought the digital and physical worlds together. Everyone in the Toikido team is a digital native, having worked in mobile, gaming and platform development, so this has been a fun partnership. And the products are looking amazing.

2022 will also see Toikido unveil two own-IP launches. More details on that will follow soon.

Finally, I want to give a shout out to the growing Toikido team: recent hires Neil Porter, head of Creative, and Lucy Pearce, head of Product Development, have expanded the family. I am proud that we not only added IP, onboarded people, ramped up our development and our expanded planning last year, but also kept up our speed to market objectives and supply levels. All signs point to this performance continuing into 2022 and beyond.