shoptalking In our new regular feature, Toy World’s Kayleigh Conway speaks to independent
retailers about the hot topics of the month. It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas
This issue Toy World asked retailers if pre-Christmas advertising has an impact on their buying decisions, and what their current best-selling lines are.
Bhav Patel - Managing Director, Toy Galaxy, Barnet, Harrow and Witney “Business is running well at the moment. At
times the market conditions do prove to be challenging, but it’s important to evaluate the reasons behind it and try to make a change to adapt. An example of this was the recent Olympics; shopper numbers in some areas were down due to the overall negative exposure given to travelling around London. We tried our best to counter this by offering customers 25% off selected items relating to the games. And as Team GB did so well, you can imagine how well that offer was received by our customers. “At the moment there are a handful of ranges and brands that
are doing exceptionally well for us. One of the fi rst I must mention is LEGO Superheroes and Friends. There still seems to be a huge demand for the range, and this is a key line for us in bringing customers, new and old, through our doors. Moshi Monsters is another key product that seems to be keeping up demand, and with a rapidly growing range of Moshi-branded items now available, hopefully it will stay that way. Another one of our top sellers is Skylanders. “Our pre-Christmas buying seemed like it started in early January, but in honesty most products actually started fi ltering into the stores around May. It’s fair to say that, at this stage of the year, 95% of the ranges are picked and already in store; the remaining 5% is based on what trends and crazes are yet to be unfolded. Our range for Christmas is a really comprehensive mix of products across all categories, and it’s always vital to have those must-have lines. “Pre-Christmas advertising plays a signifi cant part in our
purchasing, because it allows us to see what brands or products suppliers are focusing on, but the water is not always so clear. The promise of 1,000 TVRs is what we all want to hear, but with the diluted nature of children’s programmes across so many platforms, and the large number of TV channels, how much exposure and infl uence it has is questionable. A large part of purchasing has to depend on what suppliers provide us, but there has to be an element of gut instinct when choosing what products to stock. I can name hundreds of items that didn’t quite cut the mustard, which have probably had hundreds of thousands of pounds spent on advertising. But over time, you can easily see which companies stick to their word and use more effective methods of advertising, and those that do not. For us it’s fairly simple: if it shows value for money, it will sell, and if it has a good brand name attached, it too will sell. With an equal balance between these two things, we stumble upon our mix of products that ensure that, with or without the promise of TV advertising, the shelves in January are not full of products that won’t shift.”
Nigel Kemp - Partner, Halesworth Toy Shop, Halesworth “We have been toy retailers since 1995, and we now have two
branches about 12 miles apart in Halesworth. Business is not too bad at all. We’re about level on last year. I was convinced the fi rst few months were going to be dire, but we’ve done just fi ne. You have the odd up and down as the weeks go by, but we’re remaining pretty consistent. “Lines that are selling well for us include Moshi Monsters,
The Trash Pack and Barbie. Barbie has had a diffi cult couple of years, but just recently we’ve noticed sales increasing. Maybe girls are identifying with Barbie a bit more now. “As Christmas approaches I’m ordering in general stock including games and puzzles, FOB from Toymaster, and I will certainly be taking a look at Furby. I’ve got a feeling that anything tablet, such as the InnoTab, will do well, and Furby is looking good too. I don’t tend to go for the big lines, I prefer to stock the products I know sell to our customers, which are often our proven, perennial performers. “Pre-Christmas advertising has some effect on my buying decisions. I try to
fi nd out what is going to be advertised and get some of it in. However, I always listen to what my customers want. Often I get people coming into the shop asking for something they’ve seen advertised. There’s always a surprise-selling product every year, and I usually manage to get it in.”
Alan Caswell - Owner, The Arcade Toyshop, Dudley “I’ve been here for about 40-odd years now, and gone
from a ‘toy boy’ to a ‘toy man’; so we’ve been going for a long time. Our lines are all selling nicely, but we are down a bit this year; obviously with the weather going against everyone and the Olympics, it hasn’t done anything for me. “We do all sorts here, and our main lines are selling well:
Monster High, Cabbage Patch Dolls, Batman, Spiderman, and especially the new Mike the Knight ranges. I’ve done all the pre-Christmas buying I want to do for now with all the majors: Flair, Hasbro, Character, and I’ve just done my last bits with Mattel. “I don’t agree with everyone’s predictions for this year’s best-sellers. There’s still a lot to come, like the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle action fi gures; I’ve not really seen the turtles since the 90s, so I’m looking forward to seeing how things change leading up to Christmas. I think all Cabbage Patch Dolls are going to do fantastic, and tablets like the Innotab2 look and sound great. Furby I don’t think will do as well as everyone says; they’re just too expensive. “I base my buying on looking at the products rather than the pre-Christmas
adverts. It’s 50/50 on that sort of thing these days. There are just so many channels now, it’s crazy. There don’t seem to be any real decisions on advertising now; you used to get 90% of ads on ITV at 7pm, whereas now they could end up on channel X at midnight. For me, TV advertising isn’t as big as it was, and I really prefer to see the products. I’m a product man at heart.”
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