Sam Giltrow catches up with a selection of toy shop owners to find out how their summer season is going so far.
UK indie toy retailers are used to dealing with the ups and downs of the British weather, coping with the demands of rainy days, heatwaves and everything in between.
Mike Masey and Teresa Carter of Chocoloons, Coleraine, Co. Londonderry, tell us how their business has developed, from starting as a pop-up shop for12 weeks which never closed. They decided to launch a permanent store and have already had to relocate to a bigger unit.
“We try to be more diverse than the larger toy retailers in the area,” explain the couple. “Since taking on the bigger premises, we have introduced outdoor toys, have added Schleich and expanded ranges from other suppliers.”
Mike and Teresa are looking forward to developing the new shop even further. “We were considered a pocket money destination before,” explains Mike, “but now we can offer so much more.”
At Harold’s Toy Store, Church Stretton, Rachael Sankey, who only opened in April, says she is very pleased with how the business has taken off. She caters to all ages, saying: “One of the positives to come out of the pandemic is a renewed interest in activities that can be done at home; hobbies, model making and board games had a resurgence. This interest has continued.”
Donard McGreevy of McGreevy’s Toys Direct in Westport, County Mayo has also been busy throughout the summer. McGreevy’s recently became a Toymaster member and Donard is very pleased with how that’s going, with easier access to a wider range of suppliers and the central invoicing system helping the business run smoothly. “It makes our business much more efficient and is saving us time already,” he says.
The team at McGreevy’s is looking forward to the months ahead. “Here on the coast, we are blessed with great summer trade – it’s like having two Christmases,” enthuses Donard.
At Toy Barnhaus, Mark Buschhaus and Stephen Barnes are grateful their wishes for a spell of warm weather have been granted. “The hot spell has been great for sales,” they tell us. “Coming at the perfect time – just as kids are breaking up for summer – demand for outdoor products has gone through the roof.”
As an independent retailer, Mark and Stephen enjoy having the flexibility to adapt when demand changes. “We are proud to say that in 13 years, we have never run out of paddling pools during a hot spell,” they state, adding that trade has been excellent over the last month – and on other categories, not just outdoor.
To find out more about our featured retailers, including what ranges are proving winners this summer season, read the full article, which appeared in the August edition of Toy World, here.
