Leanne Royce will support growth in Bandai’s Collector and Hobby division as the company looks to unlock new product categories.
Bandai UK has announced the appointment of Leanne Royce as commercial manager of its Collector and Hobby Channel. The new position has been created to support the exponential growth of the division, a category that currently continues to flourish within the toy industry.
“I am beyond excited to be joining Bandai, a truly iconic toy company celebrating its 40th Anniversary year,” said Leanne.
Nic Aldridge, MD, Bandai UK, commented: “We are thrilled to welcome Leanne to the UK business, and to do so at such an exciting time in Bandai’s development as we look to unlock previously unrealised product categories from our parent company in Japan which represent a host of new opportunities for the UK market. This is while continuing to develop our already incredibly successful Collector and Hobby business. We’ll have some extremely exciting announcements to make as we progress through the year which Leanne and her team will be responsible for spearheading as we bring them to market.”
Bringing a wealth of experience from her 20 years in the industry, following roles at Tomy, Flair and most recently Wow Stuff, Leanne will be responsible for channel and marketing strategies, range planning, and distribution development. Bandai UK is uniquely positioned to grow the collector category thanks to its huge strength and depth of product deriving from homegrown IP development, alongside its distribution lines of some of the best collector brands in the industry such as McFarlane Action Figures and others. Leanne will start her new role at Bandai from 1st August.
Leanne added: “My time in the toy industry began over 20 years ago at Tomy, whilst completing my Law degree. It’s true what they say, that once you’re in you never leave. My time at Tomy, Flair and Wow! Stuff has given me amazing experience that has shaped my career today, and Bandai is the perfect next step. It is such an exciting time to be joining the company; especially in the collector category which is going from strength to strength. I am looking forward to fully immersing myself in the collector world and bringing all my experience and passion to continue driving it to the next level.”
For all Bandai UK sales enquiries, please contact sales@bandai.co.uk or 020 8324 6160.
