products up close. So I could make do without Toy Fair, but I do like to go. I tend not to go to shows later on in the year, because things get too busy and usually I’ve already bought what I need by then. The problem with the timing of Autumn Fair, for example, is that it’s on the cusp of the kids going back to school; a lot of toy shop owners tend to have children and just can’t make the time to go to the later shows because of this. Unfortunately I think there will still be a few
more independent shops to close; it all depends on the crucial Christmas period to how many make it through to next year. It was a shock last year; the stronger ones have rallied to come back and have been more careful, but sadly I do think some will go again. The public don’t seem to understand the impact they have when they buy from the internet. We have much higher overheads so obviously we have to charge more, and it’s a shame when you see people come in and scan products to find them cheaper online, as it’s the little shops who have given the service - though smaller places with rural customers don’t tend to have that problem.
Ian Moore
Quotes from the @ToyWorldmag Twitter feed:
director and toy buyer, Howleys Toymaster I have been working in our toy store in Weymouth since I was about 12, helping my parents out at weekends and after school. I have loved playing with the toys ever since. It’s a great business to be in and I thoroughly enjoy it. Over the years I have worked alongside my father and have developed our online business which is now a valuable part of our business. My father, Philip Moore, is taking it slightly easier these days but I think he loves it too much. If he ever thought about retiring I don’t think he would know what to do with his days – it’s great working together anyway. It has certainly been a very difficult year.
Our Summer season was disappointing; we are near the beach and the weather was not in our favour for most of the season. We also hosted the Olympic sailing events in Weymouth, which was great but a lot of the regular tourists and locals were put off venturing into town because of the expected crowds (unfortunately the crowds did not arrive either)! We are optimistic for the Christmas season; there are some amazing toys around this year and it is good that so many suppliers are supporting Toymaster members with some great deals. We have some great lines at the moment -
Moshi is still selling very well, as is Trash Packs, Skylander Giants, and of course most of the Lego ranges. Nerf is still strong, but only if there is a deal on. We are doing well with some core lines at the moment like Dolls World, Bigjigs, Peterkin, Galt and Scooters. These are the important ranges to us, as they offer better margins and sell all year round. I like the new ‘B’ range from John Crane, and I also think the Turtles will be very good this time round. This year I have been to the Toy Fair at
Olympia, NEC Spring Fair and the Toymaster May Show. The Toymaster May Show is extremely important. It’s always a great show and it’s where we can start our planning and buying for
Christmas; most suppliers have some great deals to take advantage of. Toy Fair is also a key show, but we do not buy so much here as we would in Harrogate. Olympia is great to see the new ranges. It is also a good place to take our store managers, this way they know what customers are asking for throughout the year. There is nothing that looks worse than having a customer that knows more than our staff. It very important to feed the information we learn at the trade shows to all our staff - having our staff read the trade magazines is also very beneficial. It’s been a very tough
year for independents and I think next year will be a similar story. It’s more important than ever to keep our costs low. We look at every opportunity to save from utility bills, to bank services and supplier
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purchases. Online price cutting has also been more competitive than ever, and although we have lots of fantastic deals online, cutting our margins to compete can get very dangerous and is not something we get involved in. Unless it’s a supplier deal and we make a margin, I am more than happy to let someone else sell it and not make a profit.
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