As children use outdoor space to combat cabin fever and keep themselves entertained during lockdown, Toy World looks at the wheeled and outdoor toys category.

Toy retailers across the country have reported strong sales in wheeled and outdoor toys throughout the lockdown period. As the government starts to ease restrictions on travel, exercise and the playing of sports, this strong demand looks set to continue. The category has arguably become more vital than ever, for play value, mental health and as an alternative to public transport.

MV Sports told Toy World about the company’s new range of Li-Fe lithium scooters which is in the pipeline, as well as a new range of the popular uMove scooters, which includes sparkle, sequin and camo print models. Sales and marketing director Phil Ratcliffe told Toy World: “Anything outdoor-related is selling very well. We have expanded all our ranges this year, to offer something for everyone. We have got a great, committed team of people; in particular our warehouse and sales admin staff have been brilliant in keeping the doors open and all our deliveries moving.”

Meanwhile HGL has put additional focus on the company’s selection of wheeled toys, as CEO David Mordecai told us: “Wheeled toys and all outdoor toys are holding up really well. The allowance of unlimited exercise during lockdown is encouraging families to exercise together and wheeled toys allow everyone to join in.”

Phil Ratcliffe went on to discuss how having more customers shopping online offers increased opportunity for the sector, and Peter Shaw, UK sales manager of Berg Toys concurred with the need for retailers to have a strong online presence, describing how Berg can provide content via its trade portal in order to help retailers improve its website listings.

Pritesh Dave, EMEA sales manager, DGL Group explained how Covid-19 has helped boost sales of the company’s scooters and hoverboards, and shared that DGL expects to see huge growth in sales of e-mobility, after the government decided to fast-track the trialling of e-scooters.

All the suppliers we spoke to are upbeat and optimistic about the sector for the rest of 2020.

To read more and discover the latest offerings in the category, see the full article which appeared in the June edition of Toy World here.