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Rosie Marshall ToyWorld_TalkingShop_Header2 19/12/12 12:57:11 - 1 - (Proce
toy buyer, Boswells Boswells began in Oxford in 1738, so this year we celebrate 275 years of trading. In fact we are the second oldest department store in the UK, after Fortum & Mason. We originally began as manufacturers of “Portmanteaus” (luggage) and then have grown over the years into the department store that it is today. I started here as toy buyer eight years ago (the day before my first experience of Toy Fair when it was at Excel, so I recall). Business is generally good for us. I believe that
you can’t ever be complacent and if you plan for poor Christmas sales, then you’ll ultimately have a poor Christmas. You must always be proactive and try to offer the customer what they want (and more) in pleasant surroundings. Customers no longer want to wait for a product to be ordered. The customer order book is pretty much defunct now. They know what they want and they want it now, so maintaining stock of bread and butter lines is essential for sales. You can’t always control the number of people that come into your store e.g. weather conditions, but you can at least have what they want when they do come in. We have products that appeal to customers of all ages with varying budgets so our sales are generalised from pocket money lines to larger, much more expensive sets. Our best supplier by far is Lego and everything sells across their
Russell Rowe
ranges. We have a fantastic relationship with them and always strive to achieve more. Customers recognise us for our fantastic choice of it and our Lego area makes us a destination for it. Christmas sales are becoming later and later every year when traditionally it was London stores that experienced the rush in the two weeks prior to it. A couple of years ago, we would experience parents or grandparents bringing their children in during the October half term, making a note of what they would like from Father Christmas. The following week, we’d see the same customers come back, without children in tow, buying these items, but the Christmas sales period has definitely shifted from November and moved into December. We also had some great post- Christmas sales. Too many retailers make the mistake of wanting to sell out of products on Christmas Eve, but there are so many add-on sales to make with Christmas spending money and additional figures to add to playsets. I always attend Toy Fair and this year was no
exception. It’s valuable for me as I’m not always able to attend previews and with that many suppliers under one roof, you have to grab the opportunity and take advantage of it. I make appointments with my larger suppliers and then also earmark other suppliers that I would like to see in terms of their product offering. It’s also an ideal time to catch up with other retailers and suppliers to see how they performed in the previous year, and if I can learn anything from
what they did, rightly or wrongly, and identify potential new ranges that I can introduce to our toy department which will complement the current offering.
I am expecting us to see an increase in tourists
this year. With the positive image created about the UK from the organisation and success of the Olympics, I think numbers will increase and make us a destination. We often experience an influx of Language School parties in the department. The children are quite literally like children in a sweet shop and they normally head straight for Lego. I believe that Lego will go from strength to strength with us this year. I think if you work hard on your business, stock what customers want and provide excellent product knowledge, there will always be customers shopping with you. People are always prepared to head to a store that is enticing, away from those where you are nameless and as unfamiliar as the next person. Building a rapport with your customers is essential for success.
manager, Jadlam Racing Models Jadlam Racing Models was born in 2005 through what could be called a child-like obsession for Scalextric. We opened our Scalextric shop in a small space above a bicycle shop in Glastonbury, Somerset. We kept prices low and demand high by splitting large Scalextric sets into custom/ personalised kits. The rest as they say is history. 2012 was a strong and very busy year for us, with the addition of several
great product ranges and the overhaul of our website. Christmas sales were very good, but as ever buyers left it as late as possible in the hope of some last minute deals - not aided by the ‘January’ sales which now start over a week before Christmas.
2013 is set to be another good but busy year. We have already added
new brands to our range and are looking to expand further. So far sales have been solid due to the arrival of several good licences late in 2012 and of course buyers adding to our expanding ‘hobby’ Christmas gifts. As a whole 2013 looks to be an exciting year, with several massive blockbusters in the pipeline destined to make great licences. However at the same time I am not convinced these big licences will be massively beneficial to independents, as the big sellers will have negotiated exclusive launches already and will sell the majority of the stock before we get a look in! Ultimately I think that 2013 will be very similar to 2012, it’s a case of investing in our current customers and grabbing the stock when we can, hoping the big sellers sell out before the market is saturated. The Toy Fair is always a great trip out of the office, not only to see
28 Toyworld
new releases but also to strengthen and build new relationships with suppliers. Looking back at the show there was very little that jumped out and grabbed my attention, just good evolution of already proven products. If I had to choose a couple of manufacturers who impressed me the most at the show I would say Lego and LeapFrog. Not only have they both had great success in 2012 with new product launches, they have continued investing and made further innovative (yet subtle) improvements to their ranges. I just hope prices firm up in 2013, as 2012 was a massive price battle for both. At times it was cheaper and arguably more convenient to buy stock from big online retailers than directly from the manufacturer. The only downside I found with the show this year was how a lot of the stands are now turning to appointment only. Whilst I fully understand the merits of such a system, it does take the shine off the show as you rush around against the clock. I think I will have to take a whole new approach to Toy Fair next year as I was hearing of appointments being fully booked in October! Let’s hope 2013 is a good one.
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