In this month’s Talking Shop, retailers are getting in the festive mood as the busy Christmas selling period kicks in with a vengeance.
Toy World caught up with Mike O’Shea of online retailer, Wicked Uncle; Lisa Clay of Armadillo Toys in Leeds; and, of course, Mark Buschhaus and Stephen Barnes of Toy Barnhaus. These retailers recap how recent trading has been and tell us which lines are catching customers’ eyes.
Wicked Uncle’s carefully curated selection of children’s presents has kept inflation in mind, as customer spend continues to be squeezed. “We have aimed to be as conservative on prices as we can,” explains Mike. “We are always looking for new, interesting, fun products. At toy fairs, this means we are on the lookout for unusual products and great new ideas that aren’t mainstream.”
The team doesn’t believe in slashing prices though. “There is a fair price for every toy and cutting prices can indicate to the customer that you don’t value the product,” Mike says. “Most of our lines are going to be a present for someone, and we think they are worth it, or we wouldn’t sell them.”
Armadillo Toys is celebrating its 20th birthday on November 1st and Lisa Clay tells us this month will be filled with customer rewards to thank them for getting the toy shop to this milestone. “I’m really proud to have been in business for all this time. We have been faced with many hurdles, but I’m overjoyed to have overcome all of them,” she says.
Lisa has recently introduced Plus-Plus, which she is pleased is selling really well. “The lovely display unit they supply is a huge help in driving sales,” she adds. “Our most popular sellers come from Ty, Orchard Toys, Craft Buddy’s Crystal Art, Orange Tree’s Woodlands Range, IMC’s Cry Babies Magic Tears – and we sell a lot of Slime Putty.”
Mark and Steve at Toy Barnhaus enjoyed attending the Toymaster Regional show in Swindon, which they describe as: “the last stop for us to catch up with suppliers before the rush really happens.” They are also happy that there were “worthwhile deals to be had” – and an “exquisite” lunch.
Toy Barnhaus has noticed that the average transaction value has dropped by about 5%, so has looked hard at pricing, deciding to home in on key price points and in some cases, reducing margin to keep to the price. They are looking forward to a Black Friday boost, which they describe as their “biggest promotional push of the year.”
To find out what else our contributors had to say this month, read the full article, which appeared in the November edition of Toy World, here.
