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plushtoys


Soft toys come in all shapes and sizes, and the continuing integration of technology into the often-termed ‘traditional’ toy categories has penetrated this market too. Tom Roberts reports.


Soft focus A


ccording to NPD, the overall Plush Toys super category is currently tracking 9% down year-to-date. The fi gures for the sub-categories


show Special Feature Plush down 34%, and Traditional Plush up 5%.


Barry Hughes of Golden Bear explained that there are certain areas of plush that have pushed the fi gures down. “The special feature plush sub-category is important to the sector, and has greatly impacted on the overall fi gure, leading to a misleading picture when it comes to traditional plush. At Golden Bear we are experiencing great demand for many of our new lines with Woolly and Tig being most notable with its early Summer launch. We had to bring forward production of this brand in order to satisfy the consumer demand for products, and weeks after launch its popularity does not appear to be abating.” Also experiencing ongoing success is Tatty Teddy


from Carte Blanche. For Q1 2013, Tatty Teddy was the number one plush brand in UK retail. 50% of the company’s toy sales will come from the Q4 period, so Carte Blanche is looking forward to further success towards the end of 2013. Catherine Lawrence of Carte Blanche said that despite the decline of the plush category as a whole, the company is “pleased with the performance of its brands which have bucked the downward trend. Our soft toy range includes both traditional and collectable plush, dress-up outfi ts and accessories, and with pocket-money and gifting price points has driven much of the success of the brand at retail. With over 100 My Blue Nose Friends and a large and growing fan-base, children are inspired to collect which helps drive repeat footfall. Our interactive products are important for bigger Christmas or birthday purchases, and we are embracing technology to keep in line with today’s tech-savvy kids; for example the New Tatty Puppy works with the Blue Nose Friends app.” Roger Martin at Coiledspring Games is also pleased, having seen the recent launch of Sorgenfresser go very well. “We’re really pleased with the initial fi gures, and we are confi dent that Sorgenfresser will prove as popular in the UK as it has in Germany. We’re just about to introduce four new characters to the range, which I am sure will help to move the brand forward.” Sharon Smith of Mookie Toys is also bullish about the category despite the downturn, because “plush will always be a colourful, tactile proposition. It appeals to adults and children alike and perfectly complements existing ranges of plastic, collectables, games and puzzles. Pillow Pets will be bringing in further new ranges of Dream Lites, and new licences include Disney, Thomas the Tank Engine, and Hello Kitty. Launching in time for Christmas 2013 will be new Mr Men Little Miss lines, comprised of seven different colourful characters in 6” and 12” plush. The range will also include a 12” Little Miss Chatterbox Plush, with playback voice recording so little girls can personalise their favourite Little Miss character. Further lines will launch in 2014 supported with TV advertising.”


48 Toyworld Coiledspring Games Character-licensed products feature heavily in the


Plush Toys category, whether it be classic evergreens or new licences making their fi rst moves into the toy trade. Barry Hughes commented that, with certain licences, Plush is the core product that customers want. He said: “When stocking licensed brands, retailers should ensure that their plush offering is given the most prominent positions. It is fact that consumers will often then pick up an accompanying licensed item from the same property to complement their purchase, so giving the plush products pride of place will increase the opportunities for additional sales. In addition to Woolly and Tig, In the Night Garden and Something Special are incredibly important to our Autumn plush launches with many new products arriving in store. Something Special had a tremendously successful exclusive launch last year with the Plush Mr Tumble being a key driver. There will also be TV advertising support, and we have a campaign planned that will target the youngest of viewers, watching at home with their parents.” Sharon Smith of Mookie Toys said: “Mookie is very


excited about licensed plush at the moment because we have three new licences: The Hive, Mr Men, and Hello Kitty are all on board in addition to our existing Pillow Pets plush. For Mookie this is a growing market place, and we are really excited to have brands on board with great heritage and popular characters. We intend to create a fun and innovative range of products to capture all the magic that the brand represents to appeal to adults and children alike.” And once products get to retail, it’s important to


know there is merchandising support. Roger Martin explained that Coiledspring Games spends a lot of time looking at the way retailers approach POS and offered some advice for retailers. He said: “I think with plush, a branded and well-stocked display unit can make all the


Mookie Toys


difference. Secondly, having a strong feature or story surrounding the product seems to be an approach that’s working well, and fi nally, don’t forget to look at the margins.” On the subject of margins and price points, Barry


Hughes observed that as labour costs continue to rise, and with the quality of plush that Golden Bear produces being a labour intensive product, it is more and more diffi cult to get very low price points for simple plush. He added: “It costs marginally little for larger plush, however, owing to the fact that labour not material is the largest factor in the cost. I therefore believe that in the better quality plush collections we will see a general increase in the size, and fewer very low price points. This may not be the case with lesser quality items, but we produce for very younger children and so quality is not something to be compromised. This philosophy has made our brands trusted by parents for many years.”


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