news
Hamleys unveils ‘lost underground station’
Hamleys has unveiled a new attraction for visitors to its London store on Regent Street; the Hamleys Underground tube station on the store’s lower ground fl oor. The new Hamleys
Underground will see a tube station come to life through experiences including games such as a Nerf tunnel target board, a kiosk, entertainment, and the design elements from London’s most famous transport system. Central to the attraction is an actual train driver’s cab that entered service on the Piccadilly line in the 1970s. Ralph Cunningham, retail and brand director, said: “We are delighted to be the only place in London where families can enjoy the experience of being in the driver’s cab of an underground train, making a trip to Hamleys all the more exciting. We look forward to continuing our strong relationship with the London Transport Museum.”
The Entertainer announces record- breaking Christmas results
Successes in 2013 include like-for-like sales in fi ve weeks to December
28 up 6.93%, 14 new stores opened, 91 stores in total, four stores fully refurbished, fi rst franchised store opened in Dubai, and Click and Collect sales up 93% YOY. Plans for 2014 and beyond include a further 12 new stores planned to open in 2014 and further international growth plans. The Entertainer’s total sales for the fi ve weeks to December 28th 2013
were 11.98% up compared with last year. Like-for-like sales including VAT were up 6.93%. Gary Grant, founder of The Entertainer, said: “We’re extremely pleased with a solid performance in what has proved to be a challenging Christmas for the toy industry. This result was made possible by the hard work and commitment shown by our people across the business; to outperform the wider retail market by such a signifi cant margin is something they should feel very proud of.
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UL announces Licensing Industry Open Day 2014
UL has announced that its consumer products group (formerly UL-STR) will host a Licensing Industry Open Day on Thursday 3rd April at its new state-of-the-art facility at Winnersh Triangle Business Park in Berkshire. The open day will give those in the licensing industry an opportunity to discover more about UL and its expanded capabilities following the relocation of the Reading laboratory to a purpose built facility. A series of seminars will be held offering invaluable insights into Supply Chain Management, Compliance and Risk Mitigation. Additionally keynote presentations will be given by Tahir Basheer of Sheridans with an overview of the legal aspects of licensing such as intellectual property and brand protection, and also Kelvyn Gardner, managing director of LIMA UK, who will give an overview of LIMA’s role in the industry. Attendees will have also the opportunity to tour the new laboratories and participate in a networking lunch. UL’s experts will be on hand throughout the day to offer advice on how to help
ensure licensed goods are safe and compliant, and to help answer any questions relating to Supply Chain Management or Responsible Sourcing. To register for UL’s Licensing Industry Open Day or more information, contact Matthew Thorpe or Mark Randall on 01189 273 340 or email
QAenquiries@ul.com.
Tinetty’s Toys to close down
Tinetty’s Toys in Gaol Lane, Sudbury, will close for good with the loss of four jobs. The shop has been trading for more than 20 years and has been owned by directors Lynette Harvey and Kristina Read since 2007 when they acquired the business from TM Kingdom, which had fallen into administration the previous year. Tinetty’s remained part of Toymaster, of which TM Kingdom was also a member. However, Chris McKay and Chris Williams from East Anglian insolvency practice
McTear Williams & Wood, who were appointed at administrators on February 13th, said the Sudbury store’s sales had been severely affected in recent times by a combination of the economic downturn and a number of local factors. Mrs Harvey said these included a loss of footfall for a three-month period last year when access to Gaol Lane from Market Hill was partly obscured by renovation work on the town hall, as well as the council’s Christmas lighting scheme not being extended into Gaol Lane in December.
Learning Resources Nuremberg party a success
This year the Learning Resources reception celebrated the 20th anniversary of the company’s European operation and was held in the ball room of the Meridien Grand Hotel. Guests were presented with appropriate headgear, trilby hats for the men and hair fastenings for the women, and then entered a 1920s celebration of cocktails, entertainment and networking. From dancing Flapper Girls to Gin Rickey cocktails, a traditional 1920s all-American menu and an extremely busy photo booth, this year’s event didn’t fail to impress. Having grown from humble beginnings, this was the tenth year of this event which is organised to show
appreciation of customers business from the previous year. The reception is now a key part of many people’s Nuremberg Toy Fair calendar. Dennis Blackmore, managing director of Learning Resources UK, said: “We realise how the importance of this
event has grown to our customers around the world, providing a perfect opportunity for international contacts to network with each other. Year on year we watch the attendance numbers grow raising the bar on the quality of evening we provide. Be reassured that we’re already planning for 2015....”
08 Toyworld
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