I really am excited – although to be fair, I always am just before Toy Fair. My show diary is full (literally) from 9.00 on opening morning until close of play every day. I have even started putting 10-minute meetings into the schedule this week in an attempt to get the most out of the event. The fact I have not built in any time for eating or comfort breaks will undoubtedly come back to haunt me at some stage, so if you see me walking extremely quickly with my head down towards the Gents (or eyeing up a pile of biscuits on your stand), don’t be offended.

It’s a little harder to cram everything in this year, because we have lost the Hong Kong and New York trips which used to bookend Toy Fair Season. Those two events used to allow me to see 40+ companies, taking a little pressure away from London and Nuremberg.

However, let’s look on the bright side: we’re left with two fantastic shows, back-to-back across two weeks – rather than four shows over a six-week period. The more condensed show schedule will make it an intense fortnight, but it does give us more time either side to make sure we are fully prepared beforehand and can follow up from meetings after the shows in a timely fashion.

If you are still prepping and looking for inspiration for new lines to seek out or companies to visit at either show, our January issue is a great starting place – being the largest and most comprehensive resource covering both events available anywhere. Some people have told me it is taking them ages to work their way through it, which is lovely to hear – it isn’t just the biggest issue we have ever produced, but it’s also packed through with great content, not just giant images to fill space.

I expect one major talking point at the shows will be what is going to happen after Nuremberg in terms of further toy events and international buying trips. I gazed into my crystal ball and wrote a piece about what I feel might happen with Toy Fairs going forward. Of course, this is just my personal opinion – I appreciate others will have their own thoughts about how it will all pan out. Read the whole thing (it’s a long read, but it is a very complex subject) and see what you think – all comments welcome.

Ahead of shows, the toy trade rumour mill always goes into overdrive – and you have to be very careful to sift the fact from the fiction, as Rob Brydon might say. Some suppliers were thrown into panic this week when they received an email from the Argos Outdoor buyer, who is leaving her role shortly, to say that she wouldn’t be attending Toy Fair and that all appointments were automatically being cancelled. Unfortunately, her use of the royal ‘we’ rather than ‘I’ in the email (a modern semantic tic that has become common amongst people being interviewed on TV) meant that some people interpreted it as the whole Argos buying team wouldn’t be attending, rather than just one buyer. Thankfully, a quick email exchange with one of the Argos buyers who will be visiting the show meant I was able to reassure those people that it was just one buyer, rather than the whole team, who would be absent on this occasion – which is a relief all round. Of course, it’s not ideal when a major account is transitioning and has no-one in place to start the selection process at a show (and the fact that it’s an internal transfer has led some to question the handling and timing of the move). However, arranging an overlap or handover isn’t always easy these days, and I guess the Outdoor category is at least in an interim period before selections begin in earnest for 2024 in a few months’ time.

One retail development which is certainly not a rumour is the news that Wilko will effectively be closing its toy department (if you can call half a shelf of uninspiring Far East open market toys a ‘department’). The retailer has said it will offer seasonal / outdoor toys at the relevant time of the year, although when I looked just before Christmas, all I saw was a very small selection of pale imitations of successful brands. So, if I am being honest, the news that they have decided to throw in the towel came as little surprise to me. I always thought Wilko had a good opportunity to help fill the gap left by Woolworths, but the truth is that they never really got their head around toys, nor showed any real enthusiasm for making it part of their core offering, unlike other multi-category stores such as B&M and Home Bargains. A missed opportunity perhaps, but probably the right decision in the end – surely the retail landscape at the moment lends itself to the ‘either do it right or don’t bother’ mantra.

However, there is plenty of good news elsewhere: Toymaster has announced today that the May Show is once again a sell-out; Flair has picked up the UK distribution rights to Bildo, while Smyths has confirmed to me that two brand new stores will be opening in the Netherlands before Easter, with more to follow in time. The news was supposed to be under wraps, until the Dutch property agent sent out a press release without informing Smyths! This was picked up by some people from the Dutch toy community, who in turn shared the news on LinkedIn. How quickly the jungle drums beat these days. Meanwhile, elsewhere within the Smyths international retail operation, rebranding of the PicWic store estate in France has also started this week – and I am sure the Smyths team will not exactly be dismayed that Argos has announced that it will be shutting all its stores in Ireland.

All things considered, there is plenty to be optimistic about in the UK & European toy community, and I hope – and believe – you will see that reflected in the mood in London and Nuremberg over the next two weeks. The whole Toy World team looks forward to seeing you at the shows, and I wish you all a tremendous Toy Fair Season. Let the fun begin!