SECTOR GUIDE: INDUSTRY SERVICES Behind the scenes stealers
They are the important firms behind the scenes of the toy business which help to keep the cogs turning. From logistics and safety, through to PR and marketing, recruitment and even character costumes, ToyNews takes a look at the unsung heroes of the toy industry
GAMEPLAN EUROPE
Founded in 1988, Gameplan Europe is a business consultancy specialising in the toy and nursery products industries. The firm has recruited managing directors throughout Europe and North America, while it also recruits marketing managers and key account salesmen. Operating in four languages and with 30 years of senior international industry experience, Gameplan provides an executive search service which is second to none in its efficiency of identifying top talent and its rigour in thoroughly checking out all the candidates.
CE SYSTEMS IMPORT SERVICES
Retail logistics company Import Services has a toy client portfolio including GP Flair, Toymaster, Jakks Pacific, Melissa and Doug, IMC Toys, Fun4Kids and Clementoni.
The company also advises clients on business strategy, stating that it does more than respond to a brief. Indeed, it says it is often in a position – based on its experience – to recommend improvements to the brief which can help a company to achieve its business objectives. 01442 870100 margit@gameplan
europe.com
The firm is based at Southampton Container Port and handles inbound shipping, customs clearance, warehousing operations, high volume order processing, pick, pack and distribution, B2B and B2C throughout the UK and continental Europe.
AMETHYST GROUP
Amethyst Group says it is the UK’s largest toys and games third-party logistics provider. It’s been operating in the sector for over 20 years, and has been the partner of choice for the Toy of the Year six times in the last decade.
Strategically located in the logistics ‘golden triangle’, the firm’s philosophy is based on understanding the clients’ business so it can deliver a competitive advantage via its unique processes and service offerings.
Amethyst’s services
stretch beyond simple storage and distribution, from delivering successful peak operations and
CETech is a software package developed by CE Systems. It aids regulatory compliance under the Toy Safety Directive and corresponding national regulations, by reducing the effort and risk involved in generating a Technical File and maintaining it through the life of a product. It provides a single point of access for the Technical File and simplifies the review and updating process. The risk that products will become non-compliant is
reduced by the events and standards functionality. A Product Control Document is generated in one click that shows the compliance status of a product, and allows firms to respond fast to requests from authorities. CETech has been developed with input from enforcement agencies, importers and trade associations to ensure alignment to the latest EU legislation, and is scalable for any size business. 020 8144 5127
www.cesystems.eu
BIRCHWOOD RECRUITMENT
Birchwood offers bespoke solutions to finding the right sales and marketing people for the toy sector. Owner Amanda Holder has over 14 years of recruitment
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experience across the children’s market. Birchwood works on sales and marketing positions of all levels from trainee to director, and everything in between. Although many of Birchwood’s clients prefer to remain anonymous, its
portfolio includes VTech, Cartamundi, Jumbo Games, Bandai and Sambro International. In response to increased demand, Amanda also offers an all-encompassing solution to meet the needs of people from both inside and outside
the toy sector. Birchwood works with individuals on their career ladders and with businesses on their ongoing training and development programmes. 07796 697100 amanda@birchwood
recruitment.com
December/January 53
customisation at the point of exit, to retailer relationships and a paid on results commercial approach. The firm is also an expert in e- fulfilment, despatching five million orders a year across the UK and internationally. 07798 646438 jhayward@amethyst
group.co.uk
AARDVARK SWIFT
Specialist toy and licensing recruitment consultancy Aardvark Swift recruits for a variety of roles, including national account manager, sales director, brand
manager, marketing director, licensing manager, product development manager, graphic designers and across QA. Key clients include
Hasbro, Mattel and Disney, as well as a number of smaller companies – plus start ups – which are
looking to expand their teams. Aardvark’s recruitment service is free until the right candidate is found, while it also offers advertised search and headhunting services for the harder to fill vacancies. 01709 834777
jen@aswift.com
Import Services has vast
experience, after starting working in the industry 25 years ago. It offers a unique Port- centric operation to toy suppliers, with three Port- centric flagship DCs. The
latest of these is a 165,000 square foot, 20,000 pallet capacity site, situated adjacent to the container ships berth at port. 01489 799500 mikethomas@import
services.co.uk
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