The independent buying group Toymaster has commenced its annual slate of Regional Meetings in Ireland, where it caught up with members and suppliers alike.
L-R: Toymaster chair Chris Blatcher presents Gareth Staunton of Nimble Fingers with the 25 Year Member Award
Toymaster‘s yearly Regional Meetings are officially underway following a successful Irish leg which attracted a strong turnout of members and suppliers.
Around 30 of the independent toy buying group’s members attended the meeting, alongside 20 Toymaster suppliers. The day was spent networking, catching up with colleagues and friends, planning their FOB orders for spring 2024, and sitting down with suppliers to finalise their plans for the remainder of 2023.
Brian McLaughlin, development manager at Toymaster, told Toy World: “Whilst trade is challenging, we all enjoyed a really positive day. The general feeling in the room was one of optimism for this Christmas, with lots of new products already in store and selling well. Feedback from both members and suppliers was really good, as the meeting gave them opportunity to discuss orders and deals for this Christmas.”
During the day, Toymaster also presented a 25 Year Membership Award to Gareth Staunton of Nimble Fingers in Dublin, who received his trophy from group chairman Chris Blatcher. Established in Stillorgan in 1962, Nimble Fingers has grown to become one of Dublin’s favourite toy stores. The family-run business celebrated its 60th anniversary in 2022, with Gareth and his sister Katherine, who took over the running of Nimble Fingers from their parents, Patrick and Jean Staunton, successfully continuing to keep the shop up-to-date and beloved by its loyal customer base.
The regional meetings continue with Harrogate and Swindon, as the official Toymaster autumn/winter catalogue launches in UK stores from today. The Toymaster Christmas Catalogue features all the key brands Toymaster members are stocking ahead of the festive season, and the front cover highlights a selection of the major suppliers and brands that will be appearing on the shelves of Toymaster stores this year.
The colourful catalogues can be offered in-store, where shoppers can pick one up while browsing for or buying their latest purchase, or retailers can opt to have them distributed along with local newspapers. In total, the group anticipates that more than 2m copies of our catalogue will be distributed this festive season across the UK & Ireland.
