Tag Archives: games

Kayes of Cardiff appointed exclusive distribution partner by Orchard Toys

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Orchard Toys says the appointment of Kayes of Cardiff will benefit small indies with a lower minimum order quantity.

Orchard Toys appoints Kayes of Cardiff as exclusive distribution partner

Simon Newbury

Orchard Toys has appointed Kayes of Cardiff as its exclusive distribution partner to the independent toy sector covering England, Wales and Scotland.

Under the terms of the partnership, Kayes will carry the entire Orchard Toys product portfolio. Independent retailers will still be able to order split-pack quantities of Orchard Toys games and jigsaws, and benefit from the same pricing they currently receive. Additionally, the appointment will benefit many small independents with a lower minimum order quantity. Customers who will be moving across to Kayes have been notified.

Simon Newbery, managing director at Orchard Toys, said: “By supplying through Kayes, we ensure we can protect our price points with the independent sector and not pass on price increases. The past two years have presented a number of challenges for the industry, but have also provided us with the opportunity to review our business and operational practices. We’re excited to be entering this new partnership with Kayes, as it seamlessly takes on this part of our operation.”

For independent sales enquiries please contact: orders@kayes.co.uk.

Smyths Toys cancels traditional Christmas promotional event in UK & Ireland

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Smyths’ £10 off every £50 spent event has previously taken place at the end of September.

Smyths

According to media reports, Smyths Toys has cancelled its long-standing Christmas promotion of €/£10 off for every €/£50 you spend. According to the Irish Mirror, the retailer made the decision due to the Covid-19 pandemic, saying that it cannot risk having large volumes of shoppers flock to stores in a short period of time with social distancing in place. The decision will apply to the retailer’s stores in both Ireland and the UK.

A Smyths spokesperson said: “Unfortunately, our 10 off every 50 promotion will not run for 2020. We cannot responsibly encourage a large volume of customers to visit our stores in a short time period while adhering to social distancing guidelines.

However, we are excited to announce we will have more promotions and super savings on your favourite toy brands throughout the autumn-winter period.”

While it is undeniably true that bricks and mortar retailers will have to adopt different strategies when it comes to crowd management in stores in the run-up to Christmas this year, suppliers have been speculating for months about what may happen with retail discounting during this year’s festive season. Potential logistics challenges, together with the possibility of product shortages on some hot items, has led some to wonder whether aggressive discounting might be a less widespread tactic this year.

In addition, despite the fact that many toy retailers have enjoyed far better trading than many other retail markets, the whole retail sector is facing increased costs and ongoing uncertainty; under the circumstances, each retailer’s individual market share is arguably less important than maintaining a viable, profitable operation. So, while there will inevitably still be a raft of retail promotional activity to entice consumers, perhaps this year’s offers will be less cut-throat than we have seen in recent years?