Busy Kids Toys, Staffordshire
Shiela Broad It is very diffi cult when the companies we deal with, that previously only sold to independents, are selling to multiples. The thing that really makes the difference is that the multiples seem to get the same things cheaper than we can, presumably because they can buy huge quantities. When this happens, try as we might, it’s almost impossible to compete on price. Combine this with rising overheads and it makes things very diffi cult.
Thingimijigs, Lancashire
Rachael White As we sell a lot of licensed ranges, it is hard to fi nd something that the multiples are not dominating, or that retailers and Amazon are not selling for pennies rather than decent margin. However, the ever- changing landscape is what makes our job so interesting
Toy Shed, Hampshire
Faye Bobillier Internet stores such as Amazon that massively undercut RRPs are starting to have a knock-on effect into stores. Customers want us to match the prices. Either we do and lose money (we can ill afford to with high rents and rates), or we disappoint a customer; either way the independents lose out.
Your Jigsaw Puzzles, Carmarthenshire
Rhys Davies I think, in 2013 and beyond, smaller companies are going to have a hard time competing with the big guys on prices. It’s too hard to compete on price.
Molibob Toys, Shropshire
Robert Downie There’s little point in complaining about the major high street retailers, so instead we look for products that will be more niche and give better margins; they tend to be better quality and more up-market too. On the mainstream products such as Lego or Sylvanians, we simply expect to compete head-to-head with the majors and make incremental gains on these products. After all, why leave it to the majors, just because...? The biggest problem might well be suppliers living in the past who pretend to protect their products whilst discounting into the majors. There’s too much hypocrisy and too little thought about the future of retailing.
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40 Toyworld
The independent voice...
viewpoint Indie
H
ello all. As we write this we are two weeks out from Christmas. After a slow start to December, the tills are finally ringing as we hoped they would by now. With Christmas Eve being on a Monday this year, it seems that everyone has put things back a week, but hopefully, as you read this, things will all have come good.
We are pleased to announce that our stockrooms are now passable, and the
Shard-esque tower of Lego advent calendars has now cleared. For these two weeks our total focus goes to the sales floor, being commercial with sidestacks, and bulking out the counters wherever possible. However, we still find people being very price conscious, and looking out for a sale bargain. A couple of great successes for this Christmas have been Furby (if you had them), Lego (which continues to perform well across all categories) and, by the rate of sale, we reckon every family in the South-East will have a Creationary by Christmas. Now, with our focus moving on to the January sale, we always deliver a Boxing Day sale. We have picked up some great deals for the lead ends in-store, and we mix this with any lines we have excess of after Christmas, which will deliver a strong sale message. Also, we nearly forgot to mention our one day off for Christmas when all we do is eat and sleep; some more than others... As you have probably picked up from our articles we really like our food, which
brings us nicely onto Toy Fair. With our hotel booked and our diary filling out nicely, we normally pack it into two intense days with appointments on the hour. Reacting to the opinions of our store managers that we spend the two days with our feet up, we decided to invite them along this year, so our diary is especially packed out. We find that Toy Fair is a compulsory event for us, as it is a good way to see all the new ranges, but as we have learnt you really do need appointments, or be able to bribe security. A key part of planning our diary is ensuring we have gaps for tea breaks and lunch, and after several years’ experience we always look forward to lunch at Schleich on the first day, Vivid on the second day, with Bandai producing a very good cup of tea in the morning. We are also always hopeful that the Ben & Jerrys ice cream stand makes an appearance at Lego again this year. We always find that the Toymaster lounge is a good place to relax between appointments, and gather thoughts after viewing so many products. At the end of the day, we find the Character stand is good for the late afternoon bar, before heading out in the evening for some light social drinking and eating. One of the key things we will be paying attention to at Toy Fair 2013 will be the new character licenses for next year. A few that have arrived early are Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, which are selling very well, and also Series Three Trashies. Looking to the new year, there will be more opportunities with Skylanders, as more licensees get on board, and the new Superman film should generate significant sales for the iconic superhero. From previews, Monster High will continue to grow as a license, and evergreens, such as Thomas, Batman and Barbie, will continue to deliver a good range of products. Well here’s to
a great Toy Fair at Olympia and a successful start to trading in 2013.
Mark Buschhaus and Stephen Barnes, Toy Barnhaus
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