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NEWS Countdown begins to Dream Toys 2014


The 12 days of Christmas will be the theme for this year’s event, taking place on November 5th By Samantha Loveday


THE TEAM behind Dream Toys is aiming to make this year’s event the best yet, with a new theme and more categories than before. The annual pre-Christmas industry showcase will take place on Wednesday, November 5th at St Mary’s church in Marylebone, London. This year’s theme will be the 12 days of Christmas. There will be more categories than in 2013, but like last year, these will be PR-led rather than the traditional toy categories. The top 12 – rather than ten – has also been mooted to make a comeback. “We’ve taken on board


more comments this year from the manufacturers having discussed the theme with them,” Dean Barrett from the Dream Toys press office told T


oyNews.


“Dream Toys is a collaborative event, which I think gives it the edge over the other preview events. We’re not working to any agendas, just retailers and


manufacturers working together to create a list and an event that accurately reflects the market. “The team behind Dream Toys work really hard to


make each year better than the last one – our goal is to be the best every time. At the end of the day, the toys are the stars of the show,” Barrett continued.


Usborne targets toy sector with latest incentive


Publisher has created bespoke FSDU for its new Slot-Together Castle kit


By Samantha Loveday


USBORNE PUBLISHING is looking to target toy retailers with its latest launch – the Slot-Together Castle kit. An all-in-one, ‘no extras


required’ kit, children simply remove the sturdy foam board pieces from the box and follow the instructions to build their own model castle, complete with two armies of knights. A book about life in a castle is also included,


featuring suggestions of games that can be played with the castle.


As a further incentive, Usborne is offering a bespoke free standing display unit which holds 15 copies/kits at £25 each, free with a stock order of 15 copies or more. The firm said that it


expects retailers to restock several times over during the Christmas season. It offers discounts starting at 40 per cent, however it


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September 07


oyNews’ to their rep when ordering. “We are interested


can offer 50 per cent for any retailer who quotes ‘T


in working with all toy retailers,” said Anna Howorth, marketing and publicity manager at Usborne Publishing. “We are a preferred supplier to Toymaster and we already deal with a lot of independents. “The Slot-Together Castle is a traditional


toy that will delight and amaze customers. We are expecting these to fly off the shelves this Christmas. “This is the perfect addition to any toy shop who wants to create the wonder and magic of a traditional Christmas with traditional toys, that will provide hours of entertainment and education with no batteries, screens or sound effects.” Usborne Publishing: 020 8636 3734


Gary Grant, chair of the


Dream Toys committee, added: “Why Dream Toys? Well, we are independent, not sponsored by batteries or any other special interest group. You can’t buy your way into Dream Toys.


“It’s all about both sides of the industry working together to achieve a common goal which is to positively promote toys in the run up to the peak season, and where we attempt to capture some of that magic that makes Christmas so special. “We achieve this


together in a way that we cannot achieve separately, and it’s the collaborative nature of Dream Toys that makes it worthwhile and something rather special,” Grant added. Dream Toys Press Office: 020 7269 7900


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