Toy Industry fights back after a tough year of trading

Published: 15 March, 2010

The British Toy & Hobby Association has reported a major surge in attendance figures following its move to London. The 57th Toy Fair, which was sold out in December, took place in the Grand Hall at Olympia from 26th to 28th January 2010. Nursery Industry was there to report on its success...

Feedback from buyers and visitors was positive as the UK’s largest toy showcase changed location and moved to a three-day midweek format.

"This has been a major milestone year for Toy Fair as our move back to Olympia has coincided with a renewed optimism within the market. The new format and new venue have clearly injected a new energy into the event which is illustrated by the numbers and very positive feedback we have received,” commented Jon Diver, Toy Fair Chairman.

“There was an amazing buzz in the hall this year with a great quality of visitors, including some faces that we haven’t seen for a few years,” added Steve Reece-Gresty, Managing Director, Imagination Games.

The increase in interest in the event has resulted in sales enquiries for Toy Fair 2011 from some suppliers who have been absent from the show over the past few years. Media attention has also grown, resulting in increased coverage in the national press, helped no doubt by the presence of X Factor runner-up Stacey Solomon, who was there to meet the costume characters.

“It’s been very, very busy over all three days. It’s great to be back at Olympia, we even had a queue outside our room on the first day," enthused a spokesman for Toymaster.

Organised by BTHA (British Toy & Hobby Association), Toy Fair will return to Olympia, London, for its 58th outing from 25th-27th January 2011.

Meeting the faces behind the brand

Tomy introduced Mr Colour Maker at the show, which teaches children colours and colour creation in a highly engaging and fun way, but without any mess. Hold one of the three primary colour pots over Mr Colour Maker and watch as the mixing pot magically lights up with the colour! With three modes and over 50 sayings, learning colours has never been this much fun, said Tomy's Amanda Loveday.

Haba is a wood manufacturing company known for its high-quality baby and children's toys, as well as its children's games and furniture. The Nursery Industry team took a stroll round the stand and left very impressed by both the material quality and educational value of the range.

Early Engineers from Learning Curve, the new, easy, creative train play concept specifically designed for aspiring young engineers aged 18 months and over, won a Best New Toy Award in the vehicles category at this year’s Fair.

Katy de Looze, brand manager preschool/youth, at Learning Curve said: “It’s a great start for the brand new product range which made its debut at Toy Fair and goes on sale in February. From now on it’s full steam ahead and we have high hopes for this new brand. Its frustration-free features will encourage more young ones into train play and ensure they stay longer with this play activity. Early Engineers is fully compatible with Thomas & Friends Wooden Railway and is a natural first stage on the train play learning curve.”

We also dropped in to Treasure Trove Toys Nursery Division to take a look at their varied range, said hello to Wow Toys and found out more about Re: Creation, home to a number of licensed products.

Paul Sirett, Business Director of Treasure Trove Nursery Division said: “Toyfair was excellent for Treasure Trove both on the toy side and the new nursery side, with well over 300 visitors to the Stand over the three days. The combination of new Brands such as BRIO, Uberstix and Wedgits alongside BabyDan, Bright Starts and Baby Einstein on the nursery side, attracted great attention and enthusiasm - a fitting way to celebrate our 10th anniversary. Treasure Trove and its visitors seemed to enjoy the Olympia venue very much; a great start to the year.”

Character Options is one of the leading suppliers of pre-school licensed toys and master toy licensee of the hugely popular Peppa Pig, Postman Pat and Fireman Sam properties. In a well attended seminar Dr Amanda Gummer spoke about pre-school licensed toys and their place in children's development. She said: "Licensed products engage children in activities and play that they may not otherwise have thought to explore and children use the safety of mimicking the characters' behaviour to build confidence, but soon extend the play with their own imagination.” Amanda successfully made the case for reassuring parents that children who are encouraged to take a character from a book or television programme and discuss it, play with it and use it in a variety of settings will not be any less imaginative or creative than children given generic toys. Rather, when licensed products are carefully chosen they encourage development and prolong play by providing children with models to copy which, in turn, provide a launch pad for a child's own imagination, she said, helping them to develop creativity and improve social skills. Presentations on each of the properties followed, with new products unveiled and goody bags handed out to all attendees!

A busy show with a great deal to offer the retailer, we would encourage you to expand your range further by visiting Toy Fair 2011.