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Carte Blanche to launch new retail venture
Newsanalysis:
Carte Blanche Group has announced that it will launch its own retail store in The Marlands Shopping Centre, Southampton, this month. Trading under the name ‘Carte Blanche’, the store will be launched and managed under the guidance of retail expert Terry Harvey. The new store offers Carte Blanche a ‘shop window’ to showcase its full range of award- winning brands and licensed consumer products. Alister Marchant, Carte Blanche CEO, commented: “Having our own store
will allow us first hand to understand how consumers engage with our brands. The store will also offer great opportunities for R&D, product launches and point of sale solutions, as well as the opportunity to get under the skin of the issues our retailers face.”
Barbie opens doors to life- sized Dreamhouse
Can you feel the chemistry? The BTHA’s new free online chemical toolkit, Toyograph, has been launched to coincide with the upcoming Toys Safety Directive requirements for chemicals in toys.
The interactive touring experience brings the Barbie Dreamhouse to life in Berlin. The 2,500 square metre Dreamhouse reveals insights into interior and lifestyle of the famous doll. Fans are invited to explore the house from the entrance, to the kitchen and living room with a balcony up to the walk-in closet. Visitors can touch, feel and engage with interactive elements of house. Barbie will be in Berlin from 16th May to 25th August, and will then tour the rest of Germany.
Tolo acquired in management buy-in
The number of substances and chemicals that are the subject of legislation for toys has been increasing over the last decade, and this is set to increase even further when the Toys Safety Directive requirements for chemicals come into force on 20th July this year. But in challenging economic times, the traditional
method of testing final products is likely to prove more expensive for toy manufacturers as they take the necessary steps to ensure their product complies with the latest European standards. That is why the British Toy and Hobby Association (BTHA) has launched Toyograph. Developed in association with Bureau Veritas, Toyograph is a free online chemicals toolkit available exclusively to full BTHA Members and clients of Bureau Veritas. Toyograph helps toy companies identify the chemicals and substances
Tolo Toys Learning has been acquired for an undisclosed sum in a management buy-in, by business partners Jeremy Wilks and Jan Nielsen. The pair plans to rebrand the business to more accurately reflect the diverse range of toy brands it distributes, as well as adding to the brands it represents. The company forecasts that business will grow by over 15% in 2013 against the previous year. The company, which employs 10 people at its Bryn Lane premises, has moved its full business banking to HSBC as part of the transaction in a deal led by international commercial manager Nick Shannon. The finance to support the transaction has been backed by the Government’s Enterprise Finance Guarantee.
that are likely to be present in a material, and then target their compliance strategies in the most cost-effective way. By accessing a Bill of Materials through Toyograph, BTHA Members and Bureau Veritas clients can more easily identify which materials may contain restricted substances above the limits set out in legislation or at levels that may be a safety concern. This new risk-based approach means that toy manufacturers are now able to focus their resources on those chemicals and substances that may actually cause concern. Toyograph went live on 20th May with a webinar hosted by the BTHA. The ninety-minute session set out in detail the benefits of Toyograph, the philosophy behind its development, and information on how to access and use the online toolkit. BTHA Technical Committee chairman Jerry Burnie, who along with
Travis Norton, director of technical services (EMEA) of Bureau Veritas, presented the webinar, said: “The BTHA has developed this industry toolkit for checks of materials through the dedication and skill of a variety of the members of the association’s Technical Committee and other long-standing contacts. The assistance of Bureau Veritas’ team of experts has been invaluable, and I am sure this service will prove to be a most valuable tool for members; complementing other sources of assistance in the market.” Roland Earl, director general of the BTHA, added: “I would like to publicly thank the BTHA and Bureau Veritas teams, and commend the Toyograph toolkit as a real step forward in a very tricky area.” For more information on Toyograph, visit
www.btha.co.uk or e-mail
toyograph@btha.co.uk.
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12 Toyworld
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