to receive any confi rmation of advertising plans. The reps/agents never have any advertising plans. Some companies, such as LEGO, do publish details on their B2B site. But more often than not we have no forward notice of the start of a campaign and its impact is lost.
The Toy Cupboard, High Peak
Steven Howard I try to create my own Top 20 at Christmas, because I either cannot get supply of the popular products, or cannot get a worthwhile deal that gives me a profi t worth stocking them for.
The Board Gamers, Burry Port Rhys Davies
I would always sway towards purchasing games advertised via pre-Christmas TV. The potential for increased sales is huge.
Just Williams Toys, London
Vicky Brown Our customers are generally looking for something different for Christmas. The TV adverts reach the children but not necessarily the parents who buy the gifts. Therefore, TV adverts only contribute a minor part in my buying process.
Hoomble Toys & Collectables,
Havant Teresa Bramble TV advertising is the best way for customers to see the toys that kids want for Christmas. If kids don’t see adverts they can’t ask Father Christmas for the toys.
About Toy Shop UK
Toy Shop UK is the free, independent directory of UK toy stores with over 8,000 unique visitors each day at busy times of the year. The site helps toy companies deliver key messages to toy searchers who are actively looking to buy online. Retailers, suppliers, wholesalers and PR agencies are able to use the directory’s free and paid promotional opportunities. Toy Shop UK also offers specialist op- timisation services for toy and nursery companies that are looking to increase website traffi c and sales.
For more information on how the directory can help you contact: Michael Hawkins E:
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viewpoint Indie
The independent voice...
Barnhaus weather satellite finally delivered a week’s worth of warm weather. Hurray! And as we go to print, another warm week is predicted. Quick, get those paddling pools and waterguns out now. We do not want to store them for another winter. With the Olympics now in full swing, and the medals coming in thick and fast, we are both truly proud to be British. Trade has also been better than expected. I think the only downside is that the trade as a whole has slashed the prices of the Olympic gifts, as always happens with these big events. Our games and puzzles have been making great gains so far this year. We have given them extra footage in store, and the unseasonal weather has really helped this category. Some of the best sellers have been Elefun, Doggie Doo, and a real star has been the London Game. Best of British is also proving a really good one to cash in on the patriotic spirit. For the past few years, we have stocked
A
Ravensburger puzzles and have had their lightboxes installed in all our shops; this cunningly makes us stock their ranges in store. With the new Autumn releases having just arrived, we are expecting strong sales with the start of the ‘puzzle season’ in September. In the stores, we are now gearing up to
cut down our space on outdoor toys, and increase the games footage for Christmas. Forward location in store, range and price are key for a good delivery on games for the main selling season. And with ten pallets of games due in from Hasbro, Mark is quickly booking up his holiday again. Another key category for us in Christmas
is Remote Control. With the wet weather, we have done a roaring trade on RC boats this year. We stick to the entry-level price points on RC helicopters from Wilton Bradley and Amerang, but tend to avoid
lot has
happened since
our last column. The
Mark Buschhaus and Stephen Barnes, Toy Barnhaus
the higher price points due to Modelzone stores near our shops. With RC cars, we tend to like a large box, and the make of car is key because both of us are petrol heads. Additionally, we always have a clip strip of batteries nearby as an extra sale (the Woolworths look). As you are reading this, the holidays are
drawing to a close, and we are wondering what the latest playground craze will be. It will be a given that Series 4 of Moshi Monsters and the latest Trashies will be strong, and keep a good look out for Skoobies, which are making a comeback from five years ago. A growing category for us is stunt scooters (listen to what the kids want), with a good seller being the MV scooter (thanks to Bradley for pushing that). Now our focus shifts to the Christmas setup in all of our stores as the new Autumn/Winter lines start to arrive in force. We also bring in new categories purely for Christmas. A range we do really well on is Lindt chocolate novelties, and some specific Christmas lines, including stockings and Santa hats. A favourite of ours is the Cadbury’s chocolate machine, and if anyone can tell us where you can get the refill chocolates for them it would be much appreciated. This is the time of year, in the calm
before the storm, when we wonder if we’ve bought the right toys, and have we got enough of the best-sellers. And with all that workload coming up, we have to go now. So, until next time, happy selling.
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