news
BLE launches 2013’s Retail Mentoring Programme
Brand Licensing Europe has launched its Retail Mentoring Programme for 2013, with more places and new features. The number of retailers participating has tripled since its launch, and last year 40 buying professionals from Avon, Boots, John Lewis, Mothercare, New Look, Sainsbury’s and Tesco took part. The programme, funded and organised
by Advanstar, starts in April and spans six months, during which the participant buyers take part in workshops and seminars, including the LIMA Licensing Essentials Course and Spring Fling in May. In 2013 there will be more resources available to participants as well as the chance for retailers to host licensors.
Consumer coverage and new website for Rainbow Toy Awards 2013
The Award winners and ‘highly commended’ are featured in the live online ceremony as well as in various consumer publications, with another double-page spread planned in the Mum’s Survival Guide Autumn 2013 issue. Rainbow 360 Media has joined the Awards team
this year and has helped design a new website for them. Helen Davis from Rainbow 360 Media said: “During discussions on the planned new site, we all agreed that parents, and in particular mums, preferred the blog-style arrangement, allowing them to gain the information they required and even comment on each product in a format they are at ease with. We felt the site with this familiar feel is much more powerful than a potentially off putting full corporate offering.”
www.toyworldmag.co.uk
@toyworldmag
Tom Roberts
from the editor @tomtoyworld
Hello and welcome to the March issue of Toy World magazine. It’s not as big an issue as our whopping January issue, but it’s still packed full of everything you need to stay up-to-date with the goings on in the toy trade. It feels like a lifetime ago that I sat down to write my previous column; I guess that’s what show season does to your perception of time. It’s been a crazy few weeks which has seen myself and the Toy World team attend Toy Fair, Nuremberg’s Spielwarenmesse and Spring Fair back-to-back.
There’s no business like... The 2013 Toy Fair was a busy three days packed with back-to-back half-hour meetings, that (thankfully) on only one afternoon became 20-minute back-to- back meetings. The BTHA did a fantastic job organising the show, and I have to mention that the free-to-use laptop in the Press Office was a literal god-send when it came to putting together the morning newsflashes. Having attended a lot of previews through the final months of 2012, I saw a lot of items and lines that I’d already seen, but also a lot of items that had been saved for the show. There’s nothing quite like being shown something in a secret room to make you feel a little like James Bond...if only I could find a better way of phrasing this
sentence...nope, can’t think of one. Anyway, a big thanks to everyone who took the time to show me round their stands and ranges.
While I’m on the subject of Toy Fair, I have to say a big congratulations to all the winners and runners up at the TRA Awards. A great opportunity for the industry to celebrate its achievements, and to recognise those members who make a difference. There were some very well-deserved wins, but I must mention our regular contributors, the Toy Barnhaus boys, Stephen and Mark, who won a Judges Special Recognition Award; well done, guys. Four days later, John Baulch, Mark Austin and myself were on the direct
flight from City Airport to Nuremberg. I don’t know what you’ve heard about the Air France direct flight...but it was not pleasant (wink wink). The Nuremberg show is big, really big; it’s full of people, and packed to the
UK NPD reports LeapFrog growth in 2012
LeapFrog grew by 26% in 2012 according to end of year data released by UK NPD. Sales of LeapFrog products rose, making it the eighth biggest toy manufacturer in the UK and the fastest-growing toy company in the top ten. The company’s growth was driven particularly by sales of the LeapPad tablet, which was the industry’s number one toy in the UK in 2012 and winner of Lifestyle Toy of the Year at this year’s Toy Fair Awards. Its Explorer software took the number 10 industry spot.
rafters with toys. In his ‘Nuremblog’, John made mention of how there’s no way you’ll see everything in a few days, and he’s right. Mark and I tried our best, but seeing everything while keeping up with your appointments is practically impossible. Special mention must go to the British stand, which was a brilliant place to make some new connections and meet up with people I hadn’t been able to see in London; it was also a vital stop for a quick tea or coffee when we first arrived. Overall, I had some excellent meetings, and the team made some great
discoveries that we are now following up on; and I’m not just referring to the beer and sausages. You can read my full report on the Nuremberg show on page 72. In the report
you’ll find out about how it all went from organisers and exhibitors. The team’s final stop was Spring Fair, and it was nice to be back in the UK for one last ride on the show circuit. Spring Fair’s format has become familiar and comfortable to everyone who attends and exhibits, as befits a show with such history. We arrived on Monday, and were there until the end of Wednesday taking in the atmosphere and visiting stands. As ever, Spring Fair proved to be a relaxing few days of interesting chats and meetings, and a good chance to reflect on a very busy start to 2013. In Hall 3 I spoke to several toy companies, some enthusiastic new companies, some first- time exhibitors, and later on I even trekked the Nuremberg-esque distance to one of the gift halls to meet a new toy company.
This month Over the course of the issue you’ll see some of our great regular features, reviews and feedback on all the shows that we’ve attended. Thanks for reading this slightly longer-than-usual column, and I hope you enjoy the rest of the March issue.
10 Toyworld
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