from the I
t is a relief to hear toy retailers and suppliers saying that after a somewhat sluggish March, April trading showed
distinct signs of improvement. Whether as a result of better weather, the Easter holidays or just a general lurch in the right direction, I have detected a distinct note of optimism creeping back into people’s outlook. Tom and Kayleigh spoke to a selection of independent retailers to get their feedback on Easter trading, and thankfully the overall picture wasn’t adversely affected by the weather as we had initially feared. The vast majority of the people they spoke to reported highly respectable footfall and sales over the Easter period, despite the appalling weather which beset most areas: you can see the results in our news analysis piece on page 10, and also in our regular Talking Shop section on page 23. The resurgence of cautious optimism amongst the toy retail community is largely mirrored amongst toy suppliers. Mattel unveiled a frankly stunning set of quarterly results, resulting in its shares hitting a 15 year high. Monster High seems to have been the stand-out performer, which comes as little surprise based on feedback from retailers for our Talking Shop section recently. Vivid’s launch of Moshi Monsters series 6 was also a huge success, and the company is – in its own words - “cautiously” predicting a whopping £70m worth of Moshi retail sales for 2013 (and that’s just Vivid’s range, without factoring in sales of all the other Moshi licensed product). So, without doubt, some things are certainly flying at retail. There has been a flurry of ‘comings and
goings’ in the higher echelons of a number of major toy companies over recent weeks. Hornby has confirmed that Frank Martin will be stepping down from his role as Chief Executive on or before 30 June 2014, and
publisher John Baulch - @Baulchtweet
that the search for his successor is already underway. Frank has enjoyed a long and distinguished career in the toy trade, and has thoroughly revitalised Hornby during his tenure. Without doubt, he will be a hard act to follow. Elsewhere Mary Wood will be joining Vivid as marketing director in early June, with Emma Weber taking on the role of international licensing director when she returns from maternity leave in November. Meanwhile, over at re:creation, Seth Bishop has been promoted to sales and marketing director, resulting in the departure of former sales director Ian Wickham. Further details of all of these moves and more can be found in our Industry Moves section on page 13. The other big news of the month came from
K’Nex, which has announced that it will be setting up a brand new UK operation, which will open for business in January 2014. Tomy will continue to distribute the range for the remainder of this year, and we’ll bring you more details on the new set-up as and when they become available. Another story which recently caught my eye
involved a group of academics attempting to revive the old chestnut of banning advertising to children by writing an open letter to the Telegraph (like that’s the best way to make it happen…). This particular debate has been done to death in the past, and I’ve been asked to comment on it many times before by national newspapers. My response is always the same: personally, I believe that calling for an outright ban is grossly over dramatising the situation. I have two bright, happy, well- adjusted kids, despite the fact they have lived their life being constantly bombarded with advertising messages (not to mention spending hours looking through copies of toy magazines).The measures this group is proposing seem draconian, disproportionate, and ultimately unnecessary: the advertising market is already tightly regulated, with especially stringent rules in place governing advertising to children. I appreciate that
others will think otherwise, and I am sure the subject will continue to be debated, but I do believe that the industry is well-positioned to make a robust case in defence of the status quo.
Last month saw the 5th AIS Show take place, and I think it’s fair to say that this year’s show was probably the best yet. The show was rebranded as ‘The Independent Toy & Gift Show’ to reflect the addition of a selection of gift companies to the list of exhibitors, and overall, the majority of the suppliers we spoke to seemed pretty happy with the turnout. Quite a few mentioned that they had opened new accounts, which is encouraging. It’s nice to see the show continuing to develop, and credit to Joyce, Miles and the team for doing a sterling job organising the whole event. This month we look ahead to the Toymaster
Show in Harrogate. Over 100 suppliers will be exhibiting, many of whom have put together special deals to encourage Toymaster members and other retail visitors to place orders at the show. We’ve put together a comprehensive round-up of what exciting new products will be on show, together with a selection of the deals on offer, which you can find in our 20 page Toymaster preview section, starting on page 75. Invaluable reading for everyone heading to the show in a few weeks time. The Toy World team will, of course, be visiting the show, so if you would like to meet up with us, feel free to get in touch. We’re also giving you the chance to win an amazing piece of in-store display theatre courtesy of H Grossman Ltd. Surely no-one who visited Toy Fair can have failed to spot the incredible animatronic dinosaurs which greeted visitors to the company’s stand, and now you have the chance to win one of these eye-catching creatures for your shop for a whole month. To find out more, head over to our news section or visit the Toy World website,
www.toyworldmag.co.uk. I guarantee the lucky winner will be the talk of their town when it is safely ensconced.
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