allegedly...
Allegedly is hearing rumours that some pre- Christmas shipments from China could potentially be subject to significant delays. Ongoing labour shortages are inevitably being blamed, and factories are said to be having to prioritise orders across their global customer base. The interesting aspect to this rumour is that suggestions have been made in some quarters that certain UK retailers are developing a reputation for being – how can we put this politely – a little over-demanding, with the result that UK shipments may be falling further back in the pecking order.....
Lego has overtaken Hasbro to become the second largest global toy company, with soaring Asian sales (+ 35% ) making a major contribution. The company turned over £1.2b in the first half of the year, which represents a 13% increase on last year, a highly creditable performance given what Lego chief executive Jorgen Vig Knudstorp described as “a slow start to the year in the largest and most mature markets of North America, Europe and Japan.”
Christmas TV advertising campaigns are beginning to kick in, and one toy retailer really upping the ante this year is Smyths; Allegedly understands that they are “spending a fortune” investing in two major sponsorship deals with prime time ITV. The first – for evergreen family favourite You’ve Been Framed – runs until the end of December; the second covers the six week run of new show Big Star’s Little Star. It’s certainly a bold statement of intent, with presumably one eye firmly on the coveted ‘No. 2 toy retailer’ slot....
Looking ahead to next year, Toy Fair registration has opened, so if you’re planning to visit the show (and frankly, if you’re in the toy industry, why wouldn’t you be?), make sure you register free of charge via the registration page of the Toy Fair website, thus saving valuable time when you arrive, not to mention the £15 entrance fee you’ll otherwise have to pay on the door (which will at least get you a Sandwich and drink at lunchtime!)....
Allegedly will confess to not being a massive fan of Dragon’s Den, and a recent episode – which featured not one but two toy / game inventors pitching to the Dragons – neatly encapsulated those misgivings. In the larger of the two toy- related segments, the Dragons chose to opt “out” of a deal proposed by new game developers Linkee, Despite a concise explanation and easily picked up game play (which they seemed to enjoy), the Dragons were unanimously wary of the board game market in general, largely based
108 Toyworld
on the abject failure of Peter Jones’ Big Business Game. Lest we forget (or indeed, never knew in the first place), Jones’ product was self-published in 2007 as a (very) limited edition £19.99 game. At the launch in Hamleys, Jones was beaten at the game by a 12 year old boy, which some might argue he should have taken as a sign. Unsurprisingly, the game flopped massively, only ever attracting one review on Amazon UK: “2 out of 5 stars. Not a very fun game. I bought this for my boyfriend because Peter Jones was his favourite dragon, but it wasn’t a particularly good buy. The game is not really designed with fun in mind. Now he likes Duncan Bannatyne instead.” All of which suggests that while anyone can have a go at a market, it helps to actually know something about that market and produce a quality product if you want a chance of success. Anyway, it was a case of ‘all’s well that ends well’, as both toy- related products rejected by the Dragons have now secured distribution deals; Linkee with John Adams and Hobbyheadz with Kayes of Cardiff. Allegedly wishes them both luck and hope that Deborah Meaden will be forced to eat her words: “There isn’t any money in it” indeed....
There has been some low-level grumbling amongst suppliers about the number of trips people will be required to take to the Far East between now and Christmas, as many retailers seem to have chosen completely different weeks for their visits. There is even talk that a couple of very large toy retailers won’t be going out to Hong Kong in January, which could potentially put the proverbial cat amongst the pigeons....
Allegedly understands that TK Maxx’s Beth Carey has moved from toys to another department after 9 years, while Victoria Bushell will be leaving Hit Entertainment for pastures new at the end of the month....
As ever, Allegedly enjoyed mingling with the great and the good from the licensing community during the recent Licensing Awards. As usual, the award presentations went on far too long (come on, we’re only saying what all of you are thinking....) and inevitably there was the occasional winner which caused everyone to turn to their fellow guests with a look of surprise on their face and mouth the word ‘really’ (or something slightly less printable). This year’s particular curveball was the triumph of Next in the ‘best retailer of kids licensed products’ category. Allegedly appreciates that he – and many of the people he knows – are bound to have a toy-skewed perspective, and there is plenty going on beyond the realm of the toy world. But even allowing for that, quite how Next successfully managed to
fend off the challenge of Argos, Smyths and The Entertainer remains a mystery, not least among the defeated retailers themselves. On the plus side this year’s animated segments – featuring Matt Hatter and Sooty – were enjoyable, and although host Ed Byrne took a few minutes to get into his stride, once the audience warmed up he seemed to go down very well. At the end of the evening, Allegedly was a little surprised to find that this year’s goody bag of licensed product contained one particular item which can only be described as a ‘parallel-marketed’ light sabre, which seems mildly ironic to say the least....
Beanie Baby supplier Ty’s annus horribilis continued last month when company owner Ty Warner was found guilty of tax evasion which could theoretically see him face up to five years in prison. Admitting the charge, Mr Warner’s lawyer said his client had agreed to pay a $53m fine. Mind you, as his net worth is estimated by Forbes magazine at a cool $2.6b – making him the 209th richest American – Allegedly guesses he’s not going to end up on a street corner any time soon....
For the first time in nearly a decade, a year will pass by without a new Pixar film in theaters, and that year will be 2014. The hotly anticipated Good Dinosaur movie was originally scheduled to hit cinemas in May of next year, but this week the studio announced that the release date has been delayed until November 2015. The studio is also delaying Finding Dory – its Finding Nemo sequel – from a November 2015 release date until June 2016.
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