Page 4 - Toy & Hobbly Retailer Magazine August-October 2019
P. 4

EDITORIAL
BY IMOGEN BAILEY
Ebb and flow: retail reality
GIVE or take a few weeks, but it’s almost exactly a year since I wrote Toys R’nt Us Anymore in the July-August edition of Toy & Hobby Retailer. Fast- forward to 2019 and here I
am reporting on its return. The conditions of 21st
century retail means that entering administration, bankruptcy and shuttering operations is not uncommon, albeit unfortunate, and
has been seen in Australia, especially in the fashion
industry with brands such
as Roger David, Topshop/ Topman Australia and Debenhams closing down
in the past 12 months. Even Woolworths Group is closing
30 Big W stores across
Australia in a bid to keep the retailer’s store network profitable.
Indeed, brands are sometimes saved once they enter administration and carry on operating under new ownership, however a complete shut-down in key markets and then re-entrance roughly a year later is fairly unique, at least to my knowledge.
It’s still early days, but from what I can tell from people I’ve spoken to, the suppliers and the consumers are glad Toys R Us (TRU) is back. We’ll have to wait and see how the business performs here, however I think that a nimble, digital-first approach is definitely a smart move, leaving the stagnant big-box perceptions of the previous TRU business behind.
And so, change is inevitable.
The licensing industry is experiencing the fluctuations of change too. The modern licensing landscape means that no longer do licensing programs only spur from traditional film and TV mediums. Granted, film and television properties still make up a significant proportion of the licensing industry however YouTube entertainers, video
Change is inevitable.
game properties and toy properties themselves have certainly increased their share of the pie in recent years.
Similarly, the digital revolution means that a property has to cover an array of touch-points in the 21st century licensing space, enhancing itself across digital, social, on-demand and physical experiences.
Meanwhile, the burgeoning eSports space has yet to
be truly tapped into and licensed in Australia, so in this bumper licensing edition we have an expert column about the industry and how Australia can step up its game.
There’s also showcases from Moose Toys and Haven Global, highlights from the Las Vegas Licensing Expo, a gorgeous visual spread of insightful data on the landscape of the Australian licensing industry and a licensing anniversaries listicle. ❉
Enjoy!
Imogen Bailey – Editor
EDITOR
Imogen Bailey imogenbailey@yaffa.com.au
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