Haico has used its team’s skills as buyers and product developers to build a robust, tried and tested infrastructure that supports retailers globally.
Haico’s Katie O’Neill, buying director, Ravelle Leacock, creative director and Hayley Leacock, commercial director, told Toy World what it was like to launch a company at the start of the pandemic, and what its goals are for 2022 now a raft of new product launches are taking place.
The team has all been in the toy and creative industries for over 10 years, and its aim is to provide an outlet for creativity and innovation, in a business in which the company’s culture and its successes stem from giving people the freedom to thrive in their own unique way.
Launching during the pandemic, Haico has been able to take the time to develop and train its teams, establish an infrastructure, and nurture its supply base. “This means we were 100% ready and firing on all cylinders for when our much-missed customers were ready to buy again,” Hayley explained. “We’ve had really positive results and founded many new relationships which we’re sure will flourish into 2022 and beyond.”
The company has looked at the toy and stationery markets cross-category and identified gaps where it has launched its own IPs and ranges. The team is very proud of the new MindFul product range, which is specifically developed for children with ASD (Autistic Spectrum Disorder) and SPD (Sensory Processing Disorder), and the Squidgems product range which brings toys, sensory play, compounds and arts & crafts together in one product.
“All our products can be viewed at our showroom in Media City,” added Hayley. “Buyers are invited to visit for either a face-to-face appointment or a virtual link if they are unable to travel. We’re also always on the road and will be all over the country meeting buyers throughout January and February.”
To find out more about the company’s product line up, which will be extended by no less than five new brands in 2022, read the full interview, which appeared in the January edition of Toy World, here.
