Interview
by about the same amount in 2022. I estimate we’ll end up doing sales of about £70 million this year – around 38 per cent growth again. In terms of where that growth is coming
from, it’s across the range. We’ve taken a very significant market share in plush, for one thing; this year, we’re expecting to distribute over 8 million units of character plush toys. Our licensed goods are a large part of it, without a doubt. In particular, our Barbie range has been very successful, both here and in Europe. We hold major licenses for both Peppa Pig and Paw Patrol, and they have sold in enormous quantities.
Where do Sambro’s product ideas come from? Do you have a design team? We have a designated product design team at our Bury office; they’re really creative. We also get ideas from what’s out there in the market, of course, and we buy in some ideas from standalone designers, both in the UK and the Far East. Our manufacturing partners in China are also pretty innovative, so ideas emanate from there as well. Ideally, though, we like the ideas to come from us, both for our licensed goods and our own brands – and we have an increasing number of those, like Battlestar Brawlers, Let’s Create and Puzzle Pals, which have sold over 35 million units worldwide since we launched the range in 2019.
How important is sustainability, both in the design and manufacturing processes and to the company overall? We’re private equity-backed, so we’ve got great governance. Our investors want to drive ESG initiatives in our business, but the
Sambro distributes 8m units of character plush each year, including Disney branded products
demand is also coming from other areas; our customers want green initiatives, as do our licensors. We have an ESG steering committee that sits once a month and has agreed an action plan for 2022, which includes about 10 different initiatives. Quite rightly, our investors think it will improve the value of the business, but from the Sambro leadership and management
Sambro’s Paw Patrol Work Station. The preschool brand is the company’s top seller
We’re running a 30 Under 30 feature in this issue [page 33], celebrating young talent in the toy industry. How does Sambro go about attracting Gen Z, and what qualities have you found they bring to the workforce? First off, I’m extremely positive about people in this age bracket; I’ve got three of them at home, and if they’re typical of their generation, then Gen Z have certainly got their heads screwed on and know exactly what they want. Plus, they’re not prepared to put up with things that maybe I would have, 30 or 40 years ago. How do we attract them? By offering them the chance to work with the likes of Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Cinderella… How we keep them is more challenging, as it is for most companies.
I think, first of all, we need to make sure that they know what part they’re playing in our organisation, and exactly what’s expected of them. Secondly, we need to give them autonomy, and let them think for
Spring/Summer 2022 | ToyNews | 7
team’s perspective, it’s morally the right thing to do as well. We’ve recruited a Sustainability
Manager to the management team, who is helping to keep us on the straight and narrow. We’ve still got work to do. We are shipping large amounts of
product from China to Europe, and that’s nobody’s idea of an environmentally friendly thing to do. But we are making grounds in terms of stuffing our soft toys with
material that’s been recycled.
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