FOR THOSE readers who follow me on Twitter, it will have been quite obvious that I became slightly obsessed with the Olympics – along with the rest of the UK, seemingly. But, while we were all getting swept up with the sheer brilliance of Team GB’s achievements, what of our retailers? Were those that had chosen to stock official London 2012 toy and gift merchandise benefitting from the wave of enthusiasm sweeping the country? Well, to a certain extent it seems yes. However, only after some heavy discounting in some cases.
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Those that ToyNews spoke to were also concerned about being left with excess stock and, having taken the gamble on Games- related merchandise, chose to cut prices. While this must be a blow to some licensees – many of whom had worked hard on trying to educate retail about Olympic product – it’s also not surprising. There was a very small window of opportunity for retail – sales didn’t ignite until the games kicked off and indies were competing with larger retailers which could afford to slash prices by half, or more. Some didn’t even try. Licensees such as Golden Bear and Hornby deserve credit for putting together strong ranges with some headline-grabbing touches (everyone was talking about the ‘Golden Wenlocks’ for example). But just like the Olympics themselves, there were always going to be winners and losers at retail. Samantha Loveday