NEWS ANALYSIS
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Tricks and treats
AUTUMN IS upon us and it’s all on Christmas to keep the toy trade busy now, right? Well, maybe not. As Halloween creeps up and Bonfire Night promises to be as explosive as ever, do these traditions offer toy retailers the opportunity to make an extra killing? For Neil Palmer, the
owner of The Cinema Store, a London-based cult movie toys and collectables shop, they do. “Halloween is a big deal
for us now,” he tells ToyNews. “It’s massively improved in the last four or so years. It’s a mini Christmas for us which spills over into Guy Fawkes. “The whole thing has become a big deal now. Even the full size mannequins, which we sell for £300 to £400, do well. Halloween never used to be that big.”
In the last decade, the
largely US-influenced tradition has seen an increase in popularity in the UK, as consumer spend on Halloween has soared from £12m to an estimated £300m. “Halloween is definitely
increasing in popularity,” Toy Town Seaford’s owner Jeanette McGee says. “Kids see so much of it on TV and cartoons about trick or treating. They absolutely love it.” Yet, while demand for the independents to embrace the tradition grows, it is the
14 October As more shoppers are
returning to the High Street to shop locally, Bonfire Night may also present a few
opportunities of its own. Steve Kerrison, owner of
Kerrison Toys, has been selling fireworks in his Norwich toy store for over 40 years. “They are always popular,” he states. “It’s one area that you’re not battered on all sides by silly pricing.” Selling fireworks all year
round, Kerrison admits that the regulations of stocking the product can present difficulties, but the hard work pays off. “The demand for
Halloween has massively improved in the last four or so years for us. Neil Palmer, The Cinema Store
supermarkets that dominate the sector. “It’s not really that pushed over here,” explains Palmer. “You get big firms like Tesco seeing it getting bigger, so there’s definitely a market for more of it.” But the independents
are not short of support, as Rubie’s, one of the UK’s leading manufacturers and distributors of fancy dress and accessories, now trades with over 1,200 independent retailers. Alexandra Gilles, product
manager, says: “Halloween is an overall event - it’s one to be embraced and loved by all.”
And Toy Town’s McGee is
one retailer who certainly has embraced it. “We have a really good
face-painter who comes down and sets up in-store,” she explains. “We run competitions for best fancy dress, and then we have little stands around the store.”
And with a dash of
creativity, McGee demonstrates that the celebration can be a relatively inexpensive affair. “Our most popular one was a big inflatable coffin with loads of cooked spaghetti that had been dyed to look like worms.”
fireworks has grown and various indies have tried selling over the years, but the regulations do make it difficult. It is hard work, but we are very successful with this fireworks side of our business, so it is certainly worthwhile.” “A lot [of indie toy
retailers] don’t realise they can embrace the trade,” says Lee Beecroft, fireworks display organiser at Dynamic Fireworks, a UK retailer, event organiser and trade supplier of fireworks. “We have worked with a few toy retailers in the past, but at the moment it is still very minimal. There are some legalities, but we always help retailers out with making sense of it.”
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As Halloween consumer spend soars from £12m to £300m in the last ten years, Robert Hutchins asks if the impending spook season and the excitement of Bonfire Night can become a ‘mini Christmas’?
Lee Smith, buyer and
owner of fireworks trade supplier and retailer, First Galaxy Fireworks, adds: “It is actually very straightforward and ten minutes with somebody who knows what they’re talking about can make it very easy.” Both Galaxy Fireworks and Dynamic Fireworks seem to have found their niche working with indies. “Our business is mainly
driven by the specialist retailers,” says Smith of Galaxy. “And we’re at a turning point where the popularity [of indies selling fireworks] is coming back.” His optimism is driven by the belief that indies will always be able to offer the reassurance of specialist knowledge, a quality highly regarded in the sector. “I would love to see
more indies, particularly toy retailers, embracing the fireworks trade,” he concludes.
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