Toy World asked exhibitors what Spring Fair means to them and what they are expecting from the show this year. 

As London Toy Fair and Spielwarenmesse come to a close, toy retailers will next turn their attention to Spring Fair. While Spring Fair attracts a host of exhibitors from across the toy industry, it also offers a wide range of products from the wider retail sector, including gifts, fashion and homewares, many of which can complement a toy store’s offering.

Mark Jones, sales director at University Games, said “The combination of University Games, Lagoon and now the newly acquired The Learning Journey gives us such a diverse range of products. Spring Fair presents us with the opportunity to showcase our ranges to a wide variety of retailers, not just those in the toy industry. It also allows us to spend quality time with our fantastic customers and an opportunity for them to touch and feel our products, which isn’t always possible when we see them in their stores.”

Click Europe will be offering a massive 20% off its own brand products at the show, with free delivery over £250 to the UK mainland. This will be on new, as well as existing, product lines. Steve Finch, Click Europe’s marketing director, told us: “We always enjoy exhibiting at Spring Fair because we get to meet so many diverse types of buyers, from farm shops and garden centres to museums and football clubs and everything in between. There are also always great speakers at the show that we try to pop along and watch too.”

“Spring Fair is a lifestyle show, not just toy specific, which means we see a wider range of businesses coming through,” explained Julia Minchin, founder and joint managing director of Hippychick. “It’s one of the biggest trade shows in the UK and comes after both Toy Fair and Spielwarenmesse, so people will have a pretty good idea of what they want to stock for the season ahead. They will also hopefully have greater knowledge of Hippychick, and the brands we distribute, and will be ready to place their orders.”

To read more of the Spring Fair Touching Bases, click here for the full feature, which appeared in the February edition of Toy World.