from the W
elcome to the largest- ever October edition of Toy World. It won’t take you long to
notice that
this month’s edition of Toy World has a distinct Licensing theme running throughout. Licensed products make up over a quarter of the total toy market, and with the Brand Licensing Europe show taking place at Olympia in a few short weeks time, licensees and retailers are already planning which properties they will be signing on to work with in the coming year. As ever, Toy World prefers to look forward
rather than back: so rather than telling you what licenses have been big in 2013 (we figure you probably know that already), we’re looking firmly ahead to 2014 and running the rule over some of the hot properties which will be vying for your attention over the months ahead. So if you want to discover next year’s mega licensing brands, our comprehensive BLE preview starts on page 79. In addition, we are delighted to bring you
an exclusive pull-out supplement, produced in conjunction with Warner Bros Consumer Products. This extensive round-up of the company’s key properties for 2014 includes exclusive information on major movie launches Godzilla and The Hobbit: There and Back Again, as well as highlighting the opportunities provided by DC Comics classic franchises Batman and Superman. We’ve also rounded up the latest licensing deals and feature a host of brand new licensed merchandise in this month’s specially extended Licensing World section, which starts on page 25. With so much licensing-related information specifically targeted at children’s licensees and retailers, if you are looking to source any new licenses or licensed product, Toy World is
publisher John Baulch - @Baulchtweet
the ideal publication to give you a few helpful pointers. If licensing isn’t your thing, there’s still plenty
more to look forward to this month, including all the important news from around the trade and some great feedback from retailers as the crucial Q4 period approaches. On the retail front, I was sad to hear that Dominoes was placed into administration last month. It transpired that the Leicester-based independent retailer had been experiencing financial difficulties for some while, and had reached the point where it could no longer afford to continue losing the sums of money it was haemorrhaging every month. Local shoppers seemed genuinely saddened at the news, and there’s no doubt that if nothing can be salvaged from the unfortunate situation, it will leave a sizeable gap in Leicester, which would be a huge shame for consumers and suppliers alike. I recently received a call from a producer of
Radio 4 series ‘You and Yours’, who had picked up on the recent Toys R Us results, which had shown a significant drop in profits over the past 12 months. The assumption she made – and it was a similar conclusion which many media outlets drew when commenting on the demise of Dominoes – was that the growth of online shopping was directly responsible. Whilst it is clearly a significant factor, I am of the opinion that the situation is far more complex. In the case of Toys R Us, although profits were down by 48%, they still made a £6m profit, which in isolation could actually be viewed as a creditable performance in the current retail climate. Furthermore, their turnover actually only dropped by 3%, which suggests that while increased competition may have eroded their profit margin, it hasn’t resulted in customers completely turning their back on the store. And, of course, there are a number of
bricks and mortar retailers who continue to perform strongly. Suppliers tell me that Argos’ rejuvenation continues apace, while another toy retailer really upping the ante this year is
Smyths. I am reliably informed that they are “spending a fortune” investing in two major sponsorship deals with prime time ITV. We also gave our online readers an exclusive first glimpse of Smyths Christmas commercial on the Toy World website recently; it’s a fantastic creative treatment which I believe will make a real impact during the festive period. Smyths’ marketing campaign certainly seems to be a statement of intent, with – I suspect – one eye firmly on the coveted ‘No. 2 toy retailer’ slot. Another retailer continuing to push forward
is The Entertainer, which has announced that it will be continuing to expand its bricks and mortar presence by opening six brand new stores across the UK over the next two months. These new stores will create around 60 new jobs, and The Entertainer is on course to increase its turnover to a whopping £125m this year. So is the internet killing High Street retail? The evidence would suggest otherwise. A similar misconception has percolated through the media world in recent years: some people – including a number of my former colleagues – believed that the internet would kill off trade magazines. It hasn’t happened yet, and I doubt it will for a long while to come. In fact, the internet has allowed trade magazines to reclaim the news agenda, placing us at the heart of trade communication more than ever before. So whilst it’s important to be aware of the pitfalls that lay in store in the online world, I also believe it’s crucial to embrace the possibilities it offers, and use it to enhance your offering, whatever business you’re in. So download the Toy World app, sign up for our daily newsflash service (
www.toyworldmag.
co.uk) and follow us on twitter – but rest assured that the printed copy of Toy World which you hold in your hand contains plenty of exclusive content which you won’t find on our website, and that will always remain the case. So enjoy this month’s issue, and the Toy World team looks forward to seeing as many of you as our schedules permit at BLE.
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