THE BIG INTERVIEW
In tough economic times, a turn around such as this, transforming the loss of one store into the opening of four new ones since Allders demise, is certainly no mean feat, and is one that Simpson puts down solely to hard work. “We managed, as a team,
to work hard enough to not feel the recession. I know of a lot of people that work extremely hard and have not been so ‘lucky’, but we have done everything within our power to improve and drive our business, and it is paying off for us. Now we are strengthening our business and consolidating it as we go so we have seen consistent growth every year for the last five years. It’s tough, but good going and with the hard work that we have put in and the
Wishesdoll will be very sought after in the run up to Christmas." “And LEGO is riding the
wave at the moment, between its Super Hero, Galaxy Squad and City ranges, LEGO has just been exceptional for us." “I am really looking
forward to The LEGO Movie next year. Watching the trailer, it looks absolutely brilliant. And because they’re not just going from scratch and only introducing a couple of core ‘unheard of’ characters, they are working in their portfolio of licensed characters such as Batman and Turtles among others that they already control – my goodness, you couldn’t ask for anything better.” So, as the run up to Christmas shopping season
I want to be doing this all my life. Toys are an exceptionally interesting and dynamic form of retail trading. I enjoy it very much.
evergreen products [such as these] and I don’t know if after a couple of years there will be enough room in the pre-school girls market for both. It will be interesting to see how they fight it out this year. “Moshi Monsters is a
craze item, and by nature crazes always slow down at some point. “Vivid have done an
excellent job of keeping this brand so strong for the last few years, but we have noticed a slight dip in sales, so it will be interesting to keep an eye on this and see how Mind Candy’s plans to keep the brand alive come to fruition.” The young business
owner speaks passionately about his products, and it’s probably just as well, as he plans on sticking around for a while. “I want to be doing this
effort we have made, we are hitting targets every single week.” Of course, exploring
expansion models and fighting recessions are only part of the work that Simpson enjoys so much, as he also ensures he keeps his eyes firmly on the season’s hottest products, starting his career as the head buyer within ToyTown. “Monster High and LEGO
have been our big sellers of the year so far. Monster High has just been absolutely phenomenal. The recently released 13
www.toynews-online.biz
fast approaches, what is Simpson predicting to make a big impact? “I wasn’t around
whenever Teksta was released about ten years ago, but it is definitely one to watch for this year; with the PR that Character Options are doing on this line I think it will see exceptionally high sales. “I am also very
interested to see what happens with Doc McStuffinsand Princess Sofia which will be very strong this year. But, Disney always creates
all my life. “We have an exceptional team in our head office and out in our stores that really back up what we see as our vision about being a great High Street retailer. “Toys are an
exceptionally interesting and dynamic form of retail trading. I enjoy it very much and I am hoping to be able to provide good jobs for all our staff with a great business that makes a solid profit from its turnover." “The retail trade has
changed hugely over the October 71
last number of years. The economic recession has caused a reduction on spending and forced people to look differently at how they use their cash. “All we can do as toy
retailers are provide an excellent service and a great retail experience to everyone of our customers.”
Simpson concludes: “I am forever grateful to our
suppliers for their effort in helping service our business. I get worried every year with increasing cost prices and stagnant RRPs, and at some point I will be forced not to stock brands that don’t allow me to make a profit. “But for the most part,
we have very strong relationships with all suppliers and it is great to have their backing right through the year.”
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