face-to-face
It’s all Clicking into place
Click Distribution was established by Mark and Luke Hillier in 2009. Mark has extensive experience in the collectables field through his long-term association with major players such as Merlin Publishing, Topps and Panini, and Luke previously spent six years working for specialist distributor Cards Inc. Since its inception, the company has developed an enviable reputation as the leading supplier of collectable products to the toy trade. Toy World visited the Click team at its Northampton HQ to find out more about the operation and how the collectables market is currently faring.
TW: What made you decide to set up Click Distribution?
MH: We’ve always felt that there was a solid business to be had in distributing collectable ranges to the toy trade. In the past, suppliers of trading cards, stickers and other collectable lines tended to concentrate on the news trade, but we believed there was huge untapped potential for these products via the toy channel. So our core business is – and will continue to be – as a distributor for key partners in this sector. We work with all the major players, such as Topps, Panini, Konami and Emax. We also act as a distributor to the independent toy trade for some of the large mainstream toy companies, such as Vivid, Flair and Character Options.
Mark Hillier
TW: What makes Click the leader in its field?
LH: Our business revolves around providing excellent customer service, both for our retail customers and our suppliers. We listen to what both sides need, and do our utmost to implement that. We’re midway through our fourth trading year, and we’ve grown the business every year, so we must be doing something right! We’re approached regularly by companies wanting us to distribute a particular product, and if we think something has potential, we’ll do our best to introduce it to the market as quickly and effectively as possible.
TW: How has the collectables category fared in 2012?
Luke Hillier 42 Toyworld
MH: It has been a consistent year so far. We’ve had several major peaks – we sold a lot of Euro 2012 Trading cards and stickers,
and also did fairly well with London 2012 merchandise – but overall I’d say it’s been a steady year so far. Retailers have been backing the best licences, but ordering smaller quantities more often. That can prove expensive for a distributor, but that’s what our customers want, so that’s what we will deliver.
TW: How is Q4 looking?
LH: We’re really excited about the autumn, there are so many exciting new ranges launching over the next few weeks. We’ve recently taken delivery of the latest Angry Birds release, which is really hot at the moment. Topps will be launching the third series of Moshi Monsters trading card game and also a brand new Skylanders Trading card collection in September. Plus, of course, we’re really looking forward to the release of Vivid’s Moshi Monsters series 4. We first started working with Vivid in the early part of 2011; Moshi took off like a rocket immediately after Toy Fair. Because Click has such a strong independent account base, we were the perfect working partner to ensure that the independent channel was kept in stock.
TW: When a brand such as Moshi really takes off, how hard is it to keep on top of supply?
MH: It’s never easy. We rarely get as much stock as we need, but it’s not necessarily a bad thing to keep the market a little short.
TW: What else is hot right now?
LH: Panini recently launched the Bin Weevils trading card game, and the reaction from the trade has been amazing. Within minutes of sending information about the
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