Finding toys that are T
he nation’s enduring fascination with pedal power was brought into stark relief recently with a report by the London School of Economics suggesting
Cycling generates nearly £3bn a year for the UK economy. The report says £51m was raised for UK manufacturers from the 3.7 million cycles sold in 2010 - a rise of 28% on the number of cycles sold in 2009 Whether this windfall takes into account
the toy trade’s involvement in wheeled toys is doubtful of course, but it does signify a general trend towards outdoor fun.
There’s no doubt that kids like anything
fitted with wheels: it’s all about freedom and the sensation of movement. Kids of all ages love the energy and speed associated with wheeled toys and are happy to spend hours whizzing about. You only have to see the enduring appeal of the skateboard and latterly the micro scooter to see that. Parents too are keen to see their kids enjoying exercise instead of sitting in front of the TV or computer. It helps if the weather is good of course and the summer holidays just gone won’t have helped there with a wetter than average August meaning kids have been playing indoors. Despite these external factors, the wheeled toys sector is proving a winner, with the popularity of micro scooters in particular proving to be a sales winner. “We are seeing a sals increase over
last year,” says Martin Grossman of H. Grossman, “The category can be a lucrative one for both suppliers and retailers and benefits from a constant stream of new product development that
80 Toyworld
wheelie great!
in turn fuels growth in the category.” And although there’s a note of caution at MV Sports over the cloudy skies, sales and marketing director, Phil Ratcliffe told Toy World, that key lines were performing well. “Licensed product, particularly pre-school with lines like Thomas and Foreman Sam are doing very well. We’re really happy with our own-label lines too. Licensed product works really well in this sector but there is a lot of it out and not all of it works. We have to make sure we match the right licences to the right products.” Constantly refreshing
ranges and developing new product is very much the order of the day for outdoor specialist Hy-Pro. Hy-Pro originally made its mark with licensed product from major sports brands, inluding English Premiership football clubs like Manchester United and Chelsea but later on added character licences like Marvel Entertainment, Disney and Top Gear. Lately though more emphasis has been placed on developing proprietary brands and own-IP. “ Continued
innovation and development of our own IP is major trend for us,” says Hy-Pro brand manager, Ying To. “You can se this
The wheeled toys sector continues to offer retailers excellent sales opportunities, providing the product is top quality, eye-catching and offers good margins. It helps the sun is shining too. Toy World takes a look at recent developments.
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