In association with...
shoptalking
Zhara Armstrong owner, Treasures of Wetherby We opened two-and-a-half years ago in
December 2010, when I saw an opportunity in Wetherby. A long-standing toy shop of many years was retiring. They were closing the shop to a developer, so I got in there, which allowed me to design the shop I wanted. I researched the market and met up with Toymaster for advice, and then I opened up the shop. We’re all about having a fun store, and obviously taking a lot of time and care in selecting our ranges. We’re not a huge shop, but we encourage people to come in through our fi ve activity tables; the older kids love the Hexbug table. We have Connect4 and other games out for the kids to play on and it really works for us; it’s getting the kids involved, and parents can relax while they shop. We’ve also got our Treasures Express Train running about the shop, and the kids love that; toddlers in prams look for the train because they’ve come to know it. Business has been good for us; I know it’s a
diffi cult climate and we’re a brand new business, but we have regulars and people who have heard about us come in to the store; we’ve put a lot of effort into our demonstrations and theatre which gets us good press, so when we get that feedback it’s really good. I know it’s doom and gloom out there, but
we’re bucking the trend. Wetherby is a lovely market town, so we get a lot of people coming in who want to support their local businesses
Join a world of Blue Nose Adventures...
tattyteddytoys.com @CarteBlancheGrp
If you would like to get involved with next month’s Talking Shop, please get in touch with Kayleigh: 01442 840 306
kayleigh@toyworldmag.co.uk @KayleighConners
ToyWorld_TalkingShop_Header1 19/12/12 12:49:31 - 1 - (Process Magenta) Process Black) Process Cyan) Process Yellow) Do it like the Indies
Toy World’s Kayleigh Conway speaks to independent retailers about the hot topics of the month. This month our interviewees discussed their Christmas sales and Toy Fair experiences, and revealed how they combat threats to the Indie retail sector.
and we need more of that. I’m really pleased and optimistic, with lots of plans for this year. Christmas was good; it became very manic, which I had anticipated. I ordered the bigger products in quite late and I’m glad I did that. Our best-sellers were things like Lego, as well as role- play and wooden toys, where we did quite well. We sold a lot of Schleich and crafts as well, so a fairly mixed launch. We started our loyalty schemes in 2012 and
they’ve been excellent for us. We’ve kept them as simple as possible; we don’t use cards and we keep all the data on our systems so our customers don’t have to do anything. A lot of people saved their points for Christmas, which is interesting; they knew that they had that reward coming, which brought in repeat business. When we have events it’s also easy for us to email everyone and let them know what’s happening; it’s all been well worth the time. We also have our Minifi gure Swap Shops, which
we fi nd promotes feel-good interaction between the kids after school, as well as our crafts and face painting sessions – the suppliers are really good at supporting us with these, like our Play-Doh days. We’ve got a Sylvanian Rabbit day coming up at the end of March, and it’s days like that which will be very busy; it’s all about picking the right time and doing something that’s not overly complicated. I did go to Toy Fair this year; I love the atmosphere and seeing all the new ranges. I don’t use it to make orders so much, but to make decisions on the year ahead and see the catalogues.
Cheeky, Playful, Affectionate and now Fully Interactive!
* Actual game footage
tattyteddytoys.com @CarteBlancheGrp
To find out more about the Tatty Teddy & My Blue Nose Friends toy range call 01273 792600 or email
info@cbg.co.uk
Toyworld 27 I think this
year Lego will continue to storm away. I love the new Innovation products, especially the R/C Spider; I was playing with it at Toy Fair and I think it’s fantastic. For us, I think things like Pillow Pets and Hasbro’s new little Furby will do very well, and Depesche’s Top Model range and Schleich’s new additions; I’m looking forward to their mid-year releases. I think if toys are seen as a commodity and people are just ordering them online then that is a threat, but for me I guess it comes down to doing things well and creating the right atmosphere in store. If Indies can do that well then people will want to shop there. The people who just stock the shelves and open the doors are the ones who will suffer the most from the big retailers and the online retailers. It’s about making it that much more special and providing more customer experience through demonstrations and advice, and through helping customers in their choices, like helping grandparents choose the right toy for the age of the child. That’s why people come to Treasures. Anyone can pick something off a website; you’ve got to go that bit further.
Includes Free App & 16 Movement Combinations
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76