Shelf Sheet (Wood Ver.) 970 x 440 mm
shoptalking Onto a winner
Brian Simpson general manager/buyer, SMF
Toytown, nationwide My father started Toytown in 1979, having been a toy agent for a few years beforehand he saw an opportunity when one of his customers decided to sell his toy store, so he went for it and the business grew slowly from there into its current 27 locations across the UK and Ireland. I entered the business in January 2010, having previously worked as a construction engineer in Northern Ireland. The business has been profitable since the day it began trading, and one of the strengths of my father is that he has always been able to “duck and dive” as he says, adapting to the constant changes in the retail market. The last four years have been a very steep learning curve, but between us and the rest of the management team I hope I am not out of place to say that we do a very good job, and work well with our suppliers to create a strong, mutually beneficial relationship. We stock every kind of toy, but tend to stay away from the tablets and computer games as there is not enough profit from selling items like this. We stock all of the major branded items and also carry many high quality product ranges from the Far East to help with the ever decreasing margin
on a domestic basis. You can be sure that when you enter one of our stores, we will have something for everyone, and at very reasonable prices.
As the buyer, I spend a lot of
time reading the current trends and am constantly monitoring our best sellers to make sure we are never out of stock. For me the early excitement is all about The Lego Movie, and product ranges such as Minecraft from Character Options and the hotly anticipated Transformers 4 later on this year will make this a great year for movie products. We have had a bumper start to 2014, and are constantly chasing every sale to maximise our business with every customer. Also, we are still expanding our business, and are on the lookout for new opportunities whenever they arise. We are extremely happy to be
recognised as one of the better retailers in the UK and Irish market as winner of Specialist Multiple Toy Retailer of the Year (up to 30 stores). It is not easy getting our name out there when we are based in Northern Ireland, and there has been a common misconception over the years that my father mainly bought and sold clearance products as a wholesale business,
The charming world of
Toy World’s Kayleigh Conway speaks to independent retailers about the hot topics of the month. This month, our featured retailers tell Kayleigh about the Toy Fair season and what they do to make their stores stand out from the crowd.
which has not been the case for many years now. We have ploughed a huge amount
Continued...
Connectable & Collectable making toys Limited 4 Ramsay Court, Hinchingbrooke Business Park,
Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire, PE29 6FY For more information call: 0843 557 4062 or email:
sales@epochmakingtoys.com Toyworld 27
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