56 INTERVIEW TOMY EUROPE Hunter’s new pack
Tomy’s acquisition of RC2 was one of the main talking points of 2011. Now, with the integration of the two firms complete, the new-look Tomy Europe is pushing ahead with some ambitious plans. Samantha Loveday talks to president Gary Hunter and head of European marketing Joanne Gray to find out more…
AS STATEMENTS go, aiming to be the largest toy company worldwide by 2015 is a pretty strong one to kick off a press release with. But that’s exactly what Tomy Europe said back in November when it revealed its new-look team following the integration of the RC2 business, which it acquired earlier this year. And, face to face with the firm’s president, Gary Hunter, he’s just as bold about Tomy’s future. “Putting the two companies [Tomy and RC2] together makes us the eighth largest in the UK, but we obviously have an aim to be bigger than that,” he tells ToyNews.
We are expecting - and planning for - double
digit growth in 2012. Gary Hunter, Tomy Europe
“Now Takara Tomy is about a $2.4 billion US company and there’s only really two or three higher than that. And we’ve got aggressive growth targets going forward.
“I think there’s no doubt we’ve lost some momentum these last few months, with the integration and with the change in the sales and marketing teams, but I think we’ll get some really good momentum moving forward. We’re expecting – and planning for – double digit growth next year.”
The integration of Tomy and RC2 was one of the key talking points in the toy business through much of 2011, in part due to some high profile departures such as Robert Mann and Paul Fogarty, and Hunter admits the firm has had to lose some good people. “Unfortunately, there are probably about 60 people who will be made redundant over a period of time, from
FEBRUARY 2012
Both Hunter (above) and Gray (right) believe that Tomy Europe will see growth in 2012
across the two companies. The new firm will be about 120 people in Europe, most of those in the UK, probably about 90 or so throughout both offices [Sutton and Exeter].” Joanne Gray has taken on the role of head of European marketing, with the team now split into four categories: Mother, Infant & Toddler;
Pre-school; Boys/Girls; and Gacha. The Farm and Agricultural sector of the business will be operated separately due to its specialism. The first public outing for Tomy Europe will be the London and Nuremberg toy fairs, and Gray is confident that the ranges it is planning to show off will hit the
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