Page 24 - Toy & Hobbby Retailer Magazine Nov-Dec 2018

HEADLINE MAKERS
YEAR IN REVIEW
Looking back on 2018
NOVEMBER/ DECEMBER 2017
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debts owed by the company to its landlords. However, this deal did not help to save the retailer which eventually had to liquidate the entire UK operation.
NEW ATA BOARD ANNOUNCED AT AGM; RISING STAR NOMINATIONS OPEN
Andrew Skinner was re-elected for another term with the ATA to continue in the role
of president. Under Skinner’s leadership, a number of new ATA initiatives were introduced including the Sydney Mid-Year Preview and the Play World event. John Fitz-Gibbon (EdVantage) and Heath May (Innovation First Intl) stepped down from the board, with James Thurlow (Jasnor Australia) and Andrew Lee (Crown & Andrews/Goliath) named as their replacements.
AMAZON AUSTRALIA OPENS
Amazon’s Australian sales portal opened in November – a week later than anticipated – with many local retailers fielding the opening with some hesitation. The business then went onto launch Prime membership and Prime Day in July, as well as opening a new, giant fulfilment centre in South West Sydney in August.
MOOSE TO DISTRIBUTE
BUSH BABY WORLD IN USA AND CANADA
Moose Toys was awarded the distribution rights to plush collectible range Bush Baby World in the US and Canada. Under the terms of the agreement, the range created by Golden Bear trades as Fur Babies World in North America and went on sale in the first half of 2018.
ABOVE: (l to r) Tim Britz, Britz Marketing founder and managing director and Adi Golad, Goliath founder.
TOY & HOBBY RETAILER INDUSTRY AWARD WINNERS • Toy Retailer of the Year – Mr Toys,
Queensland
• Hobby Retailer of the Year – Frontline
Hobbies, NSW
• Toy Supplier of the Year – Modern Brands,
NSW
• Hobby Model Product of the Year – Metal
Earth (Range) – Divisible by Zero
• RC Vehicle of the Year – Traxxas TRX-4
Scale and Trail Crawler – Southern Model
Supplies
• Licence of the Year – PJ Masks –
Entertainment One
• Outdoor/Activity Product of the Year –
Kinderboard – Artiwood Australia
• Arts & Crafts Product of the Year – Ultimate
Shrinkies – Tiger Tribe
• Imagination/Role-Play Product of the
Year – Flower Fairies (Range) – Crown and
Andrews/Goliath Games
• Preschool Product of the Year – Wooden
Teepee Hideaway (Range) – Plum Play
Australia
• Collectable Product of the Year – Lol
Surprise (Range) – Headstart International • Construction Toy of the Year – Mayka Toy
Block Tape – Modern Brands
• Games & Puzzles Product of the Year –
Harry Potter Astronomy Tower Wrebbit 3D – Ventura Games
LEGO CELEBRATES 60 YEARS
From a simple idea – putting tubes inside the form of a plastic brick – came the Lego brick, one of the most exciting and influential toys in the world, which 60 years later is a staple of childhoods across the globe. The Lego Group
COLORIFIC CELEBRATES REBRAND AND NEW HQ Melbourne-based children’s product developer, Colorific, celebrated its move to a new global headquarters with a new logo and re-brand in November 2017. The move to the new Colorific headquarters had been in the works for almost two years. The new office space encourages teamwork and agile work-flow while providing the team with the tools to continue to move the business forward.
TRU UK TO CLOSE 25 STORES AND COUNTING
Following the announcement of the Toys R Us (TRU) bankruptcy in the US, the UK subsidiary of TRU entered a deal to close 26 of its 106 UK stores which sought to renegotiate
GOLIATH ACQUIRES BRITZ MARKETING AUSTRALASIA Global family play company, Goliath, acquired Australian outdoor play specialist, Britz Marketing Australasia. Brtiz’s brands, Wahu and Britz’n Pieces, are now run as brands as part of the Crown & Andrews business. Tim Britz, Britz Marketing founder and managing director, has continued his involvement in the business in a special advisory capacity.
24 TOY & HOBBY RETAILER NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2018
YOUR ESSENTIAL INDUSTRY DIRECTORY 2018
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