companyprofi le
but after a slew of changes they decided it was a good time to move on and start up on their own. “When we started Logic RC, we only had our own
On the launch pad A
ndrew and his business partner spent over 20 years working for Ripmax; his partner was the company’s IT director, and Andrew its purchasing director. When Ripmax was sold, they stayed on for a couple of years,
range of Fusion chargers and electronics from a factory that I had dealt with in the Far East for 14 or 15 years. Despite the economic situation we managed to become one of, if not the leading charger supplier in the UK Hobby market within six months of launching; our European exports also took off almost immediately.” Andrew told Toy World that on the fi rst day of Logic RC coming into being he spent the day emailing and phoning buyers from key European hobby distributors who he’d worked with for years, and was pleased to fi nd they were overwhelmingly supportive. Since then, Logic RC has been growing at a steady pace and acquiring exclusive ranges such as Traxxas radio controlled models, Estes Model Rockets, and various OEM brands, such as Storm batteries and Logic RC accessories. The company has a wide range of products
available, but one of the most successful is Estes, a range of model rockets that the company has big plans for. Andrew feels that Logic RC was very lucky to get Estes 14 months ago, because it has been a massive success story for the company. He said: “We initially launched the range into the hobby market and then targeted the education market, both successful moves, and the brand is still growing in both sectors month-on-month. We wanted to create a solid sales base before starting to sell into the toy market, which, to be honest, is still a little unknown to us. The Estes range has expanded from the solid fuel motors, that have been successful in the USA since the 1940s, to include some air-powered rockets, and a full range of balsa and foam free-fl ight chuck gliders and rubber-powered planes.” Most recently, the company has also been given
exclusive UK distribution rights for Graupner SJ, a range of model products, accessories and HoTT radio (the second biggest selling brand of Radio Control equipment in Germany). Andrew explained: “The change of ownership at Graupner, and the re-launch as Graupner SJ, has opened up this great opportunity for us, and it has the potential for huge growth this year.”
Up and away The big news, as reported by Toy World in our July issue, is that Logic RC’s Estes rockets are now listed with the Toymaster buying group. It’s a little early to tell how big an impact this has had yet because Logic
18 Toyworld
RC was so busy during the Spring trading period keeping stock on the shelves of existing customers. Therefore it didn’t want to add to the demand and launch into Toymaster unless it was sure it could supply. Andrew explained: “Customer service is paramount; order fulfi lment, and 24-hour turnaround, is essential in today’s market. Our great Spring performance means that we have only just gone out to Toymaster, and are not in their catalogue. But the Toymaster shops that have taken us on for the Summer season are doing very well with it. The orders are consistent and regular, which I’m taking as a very good sign for the future.” Andrew observed that the Estes
rockets are a really easy sell once people see that they can launch a rocket to 600ft plus, and then watch it fl oat down on a parachute, put another motor in and launch it again. He said: “The price also has a huge part to play. For around £20 at retail the customer gets a launch set, which includes a rocket, launch pad and the electronic launch controller, they then just need to buy motors, which work out at around £2 a launch. It’s inexpensive, hands-on fun for the whole family.” The repeat sales opportunities are a big plus with the Estes range, because any of the other rockets can be launched from the same launch pad. The range itself is also very wide, with plenty of rockets to choose from including ready-to-fl y, out-of-the- box rockets, to a scale model of the Saturn 5 rocket, which has to be built and painted. Andrew added that “customers keep coming back for more motors, and when they are in the shop, the likelihood of them buying another rocket that does something different is really high. The market research from the US, where they are sold in various multi-national chains, tells us that for every launch set sold there is an average of 2.6 repeat sales.” In terms of merchandising, the products are all designed to sit comfortably on a shelf and the company also offers a small accessory stand for POS designed to sit alongside the boxes. The company also produces a 30-page catalogue as a free-of-charge handout, and features everything available on the company’s website along with downloadable sales videos. Andrew told Toy World that he has found that getting the rockets into the hands of kids, at the local cub scouts (who now have a rocketry badge), or on a school playing fi eld, can garner massive interest
Logic RC is fi nding great success with the Estes range of model rockets. Logic RC’s Andrew Nicholson spoke to Toy World about how the company is faring, and why retailers should take a serious look at the company’s offering. Tom Roberts reports.
Andrew Nicholson director Logic RC
and subsequent sales. “We held a rocket workshop at a local radio controlled fl ying show and over 200 rockets were built and fl own in the two days,” he said. “The children’s faces, as they launched the rockets they built and chased them across the fi eld to catch it as it came down, were a real picture. I would say that 90-95% of the parents in attendance were asking where they could buy a rocket.”
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