Page 29 - Toy & Hobby Retailer Magazine June-July 2020

and the quality of the meetings themselves, then I would suggest it was a successful show.
The annual NPD presentation covering
the previous year’s trading was sobering on many levels, offering a balanced post-mortem on the events of the previous 12 months. On the positive side, despite an incredibly tough year, the UK market remained the biggest
in Europe, although Germany is now a
closer second than previously. In terms of the strongest performing categories, action figures achieved 9% growth, whilst board games and puzzles enjoyed a 1% increase. Collectibles also continued to dominate the market, with sales equivalent to 21% of all toys sold.
opening day of the London Toy Fair with an appearance by Batman and his Batmobile in the custom-built Gotham Café, while UK Supplier of the Year went to Orchard Toys.
On the retail side, Smyths was awarded the overall 2019 Toy Retailer of the Year, while the Very Group, B&M Stores, Thomas Moore, Toy Barnhaus and W J Daniel were also recognised with individual awards, vividly illustrating the diversity of the UK retail channel.
Sustainability was high on the agenda for many companies, with exhibitors keen to highlight the strides being taken to address concerns surrounding single-use plastic
BTHA TOY INDUSTRY
AWARD WINNERS
• Toy of the Year – L.O.L. Surprise! 2-in-1 Glamper Fashion Camper, MGA Entertainment
• Action Figure of the Year – Goo-Jit-Zu, Character Options
• Construction Toy of the Year – Harry Potter Knight Bus, Lego
• Imaginative Play Toy of the Year – Nerf Fortnite SP-L Elite Dart Blaster, Hasbro
• Collectible Range of the Year – Funko Pop! Assortment, Funko
• Novelty Toy of the Year – Pets Alive Boppi the Booty Shakin’ Llama, Zuru
• Game of the Year – Pictionary Air Family Drawing Game, Mattel
• Doll of the Year – L.O.L. Surprise! O.M.G. Fashion Doll, MGA Entertainment
• Play Set of The Year – L.O.L. Surprise! 2-in-1 Glamper Fashion Camper, MGA Entertainment
• Plush Toy of the Year – Rainbocorns Series 2 Ultimate Surprise Egg, Zuru
• Pre-schoolRangeoftheYear(Joint)– Paw Patrol, Spin Master, and Peppa Pig, Character Options
• Movie Toy of the Year – Toy Story 4 True Talkers Assortment, Mattel
• TRASpecialRecognitionAward– Barbie Dreamtopia Royal Ball Princess Doll, Mattel
• GlobalSupplieroftheYear–SpinMaster
• UK Supplier of the Year – Orchard Toys
However, given
the brutal trading
environment in 2019, a
6% drop in both sales
volume and value – the
third consecutive year of
decline in a row – was not
unexpected. Furthermore,
the concentration of sales
at the very end of the
year offered major food
for thought: £1 in every £10 spent across the whole year came in weeks 51 / 52.
Another noticeable statistic was that 37% of toys were purchased on promotion in the UK – up from 34% the year before. Without these promotions, the market would have been down by double digits. But this fierce promotional landscape makes the UK a deeply challenging and competitive market in which to operate. Someone recently suggested to me that the UK is probably the most competitive market for pricing in the world, and that even some suppliers who can comfortably work with Walmart can find it difficult to make it work in the UK.
Few argued with the winners of the
UK Toy of the Year awards. MGA Entertainment’s behemoth collectible brand L.O.L. Surprise! was awarded Doll of the Year, as well as the overall Toy of the Year accolade for its 2-in-1 Glamper Fashion Camper. At this very show a year ago, a number of people were loudly proclaiming that LOL had passed its peak and would struggle to get anywhere near the numbers of the previous year: those people are keeping rather quiet right now. There were also awards for collectible brand Goo-Jit- Zu; Lego’s Harry Potter Knight Bus; Nerf; Funko; Mattel’s Pictionary Air game; Zuru’s Rainbocorns and Boppi the Booty Shakin’ Llama and Mattel’s Toy Story range. Peppa Pig and Paw Patrol were joint winners of the Licence of the Year; Global Supplier of the year went to Spin Master, which launched its new DC Batman master toy collection on the
“The concentration of sales at the end of the year offered food for thought: £1 in every £10 spent across the whole year came in weeks 51/52.”
packaging and virgin materials. Placards could be seen next to numerous ranges highlighting their environmental credentials, from 100% recycled PET filling in plush ranges to innovative packaging which becomes part of the play experience (and therefore doesn’t go straight in the bin).
The show finished with UK suppliers and retailers feeling a sense of cautious optimism about the year ahead– that 2020 would surely be a better year than its predecessor. If only we had known then what we know now. ❉
MAY / JUNE / JULY 2020 TOY & HOBBY RETAILER 29