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The Entertainer to open fi rst overseas stores
The Entertainer is to open its fi rst overseas stores in Pakistan and Dubai as it builds on its UK expansion. The toy retailer has chosen an unnamed franchise partner for its Pakistan
operation, while managing director Gary Grant said three potential partners are “very anxious” to take on the franchise in Dubai. Gary said the retailer had found a strong franchise partner that is
“professional and enthusiastic”. “They’re not a small company and they know what’s expected,” he said. The Entertainer revealed in November it was considering international
stores after it recorded pre-tax profi t up 24.2% to £1.3m in the year to January 28, 2012.
January shopper numbers fall by 4.6%
Footfall fell 4.6% year-on-year in January, representing the weakest fi gures recorded since April 2012 when shopper numbers declined 6.9%. The BRC/Springboard Footfall and Vacancies Monitor showed that the snow affected numbers across the country during the second half of January. Out- of-town locations reported the greatest fall, down 7.2%, followed by shopping centres, down 5.2%, and the high street, which fell 3.3%. Footfall fell the most in the North and Yorkshire, down 8.3%, while shopper numbers rose 2.2% in the Southwest. The national town centre vacancy rate in the UK was 10.9% in January, down from a record high of 11.3% in October 2012. British Retail Consortium’s Helen Dickinson said the steep drop in footfall
was “a cause for concern” but that as sales fi gures showed, fewer shoppers on the streets “doesn’t seem to have dented sales growth in January”.
Mothercare hires former Carphone Warehouse boss
Mothercare has hired Matt Stringer as the new commercial director for its UK business. Stringer will join the business on March 1 and will sit alongside director of
product and sourcing Philippe Dayraud and Jude Bridge, director of marketing. Stringer will report directly to chief executive Simon Calver. His role was created as part of the management restructure that led to UK managing director Mike Logue exiting the business. Calver has taken on more direct control of Mothercare’s UK business, which is mid-turnaround.
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Monopoly names new token
After a month of voting on Facebook, the cat has been chosen as the newest addition to Hasbro’s Monopoly, while the iron will be retired from the game. Hasbro will begin to
replace the iron with the new cat token on the Monopoly production lines immediately, so those who want to continue to play with the iron and the seven other classic tokens have a limited time to pick up the existing version of the game. The new game featuring the cat will arrive on store shelves in mid to late 2013. Hasbro held the Monopoly ‘Save Your Token’ campaign on Facebook from
9 January until 5 February 2013. A special Classic Monopoly Golden Token Edition game will be issued, which will include gold-coloured versions of all eight classic tokens and the fi ve new tokens included in the vote. Eric Nyman, senior vice president and global brand leader for Hasbro
Gaming, said: “We know that cat lovers around the world will be happy to welcome the new cat token into the Monopoly game. While we’re a bit sad to see the iron go, the cat token is a fantastic choice by the fans and we have no doubt it will become just as iconic as the original tokens.”
Skylanders Swap Force revealed
Activision has revealed Skylanders Swap Force, the next instalment in the franchise, which was featured at Toy Fair 2013 and in New York. Swap Force builds upon the
franchise’s signature gameplay with a new play pattern, ‘swapability’, which allows players to swap the top and bottom halves of the toys to create their own characters. The game lets Portal Masters reconfi gure 16 Swap Force characters into more than 250 combinations. Players can mix and match characters’ powers and moves, and then bring them to life in the game.
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