This month, indie retailers reflect on the year so far, highlighting their best success stories to date and looking ahead to what they are expecting to sell during the Christmas rush.
Toy World spoke with Pauline Connelly from Connelly’s Toyshop in Barnard Castle where Pokémon and Top Model pocket money toys from Depesche have been best-sellers.
“Barbie is a top licence for us that I think has gained new fans this year – as well as rekindling some old ones,” said Pauline. “We see great sales from all kinds of superhero action figures too. Top Trumps is always popular, and some of the newer licensed sets, such as Disney 100, Encanto and Marvel, have been a great success. One of our most successful licensed lines has been Pokémon Squishmallows – we can’t keep them in stock.”
Next is Will Osborne from Osborne’s Sports and Toys in Rushden, who told us that the store has seen good sales from evergreens like Lego, Playmobil and Sylvanian Families, but more recently a brand-new introduction – the Disney Lorcana trading card game – has been popular to the point of selling out.
From Wigwam Toy Shop in London, Katharine Spence shared with us the latest pocket money trends such as Premier League Panini cards and fidget spinners. Arts and crafts including Eugy from Brainstorm and Ravensburger’s Paint by Numbers also sold well over summer.
“For Christmas we have a wide selection of games for all ages which we expect to sell well as they have done in previous years,” Katharine explained. “Big Potato is a very successful brand for us – the range has something for everyone, and all the games are fun to play (we know, because we’ve tried them!).”
Finally, we spoke with Sarah Lotter at Wallys Toyshop in Thame. She told us collectibles have been booming with MGA Miniverse and the latest Obsidian Flames Pokémon cards.
With Christmas in mind, Wallys has some new licensed stock coming in including some new Funko Pops and bigger Lego sets such as Indiana Jones and Star Wars. Sarah also expects Little Live Pets Mama Surprise to be a popular Christmas present.
She added: “Over the last couple of years, it’s been difficult to compare Christmases and predict what is likely to happen next. I hope that this year will be nice and busy again.”
To read the full Talking Shop feature, click here.
