AWARD CRITERIA: Innovation, Quality of products, Marketing, Retail strategy, Sales success
PERIPHERALS & ACCESSORIES BRAND
POWER A
BDA-owned Power A is currently the biggest third-party accessories brand in the UK in terms of unit sales. The firm sold more video games peripherals than any of its competitors last year, with sales up 71 per cent since 2010. Some of the firmʼs more interesting products include: Bobblehead character stylus pens for DS, featuring the likes of Mario and Peach; Batarang controllers released alongside Batman: Arkham City; LEGO Play & Build Wii Remotes and Air Flo controllers, which feature built-in cooling fans.
SKYLANDERS:
SPYROʼS ADVENTURE Activisionʼs video game toy range is unique, innovative and hugely successful. Skylanders figures are quality figurines that stand up next to any toy range, grant access to their characters in the game when placed on the Portal of Power accessory. Not only that, but they work with any version of the game – a pioneering form of cross- platform play – and allow gamers to continue their progress. More than 20m figures and accessory packs have been sold since the lineʼs October launch, with sell- outs reported across Europe and the US.
TURTLE BEACH The Turtle Beach line of headsets is a global leader in the accessories market. The brand was the No.1 peripherals label in terms of value in both the UK and US, and the best- selling headset brand in Australia. Distributed by Lygo in the UK, the brand saw a 35 per cent rise in sales in 2011. Major sales drivers included the official Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 range that was launched in collaboration with Activision in November.
VENOM 2011 was a year of expansion for the Hertfordshire-based accessories firm. The company greatly expanded its marketing and sales teams as its products became more and more popular – it even hired a house designer to create unique products that stand out from rival offerings. Venom also continued to grow its portfolio of licensed products, including an official range of 3DS accessories and a licensed Sony headset for PS3.