Page 27 - Toy & Hobbby Retailer Magazine Nov-Dec 2018

interested parties about how the company could look in the future.” That future looks to be in the form of Geoffrey’s Toy Box (GTB), which according to Barry will be a, “shop within a shop,” concept which is expected to launch with, “a prominent mid-west retailer,” in November.
CATCH SNAPS UP CHADSTONE EX-TRU LOCATION
Catch Group opened its first physical retail store in the ex-Toys R Us site in Chadstone shopping centre, in October. The pop-up concept store offers Catch’s top 500 products
at the same discounted rate that appears on
the website, while a daily rotation of popular products will keep the offering fresh, reflecting the nature of the online store. The 500m2 store – which features a 1500m2 back room and is open through to Christmas – sees bricks and clicks combined, with consumers able to click and collect instantly in the store.
By Appointment
◗ The Lego Group
appointed Cedric Roose
as Country Manager for
New Zealand, taking over
the role from George
Hammon who departed to pursue new opportunities outside the toy company.
◗ Former CEO of now shuttered electronics company Dick Smith, Nick Abboud, found a new position as CEO of toy retailer, Kidstuff. Abboud
was appointed in June and replaced outgoing CEO James Glanville.
◗ Maud Rocher joined
VTech Electronics Australia
in late February as the
marketing manager for
Australia and New Zealand.
She joined the business
after working as a senior consultant at Germany-based business, Full Moon Kids.
◗ Pamela Kaufman was promoted to the role of president of Viacom/ Nickelodeon global consumer products in May. She oversees the
consumer products business globally across the Viacom Media and Paramount Pictures networks.
◗ Christie Fleischer joined
internet entertainment
service, Netflix, as the
global head of consumer
products in September.
She oversees the
implementation of retail and licensee partnerships, publishing, interactive games, merchandising and experiential events across all categories, for Netflix original series’ and films.
◗ Mattel’s board of directors announced in April, that Ynon Kreiz was their pick to take the reigns as the new CEO of the company. Prior to his
CEO position, Kreiz had been serving as a Mattel director since June 2017, and took up the top spot on 26 April.
FAO SCHWARZ IS COMING DOWN UNDER
150 year-old toy shop, FAO Schwarz,
made its way to Australia, as part of its international expansion plans. In partnership with Myer, FAO Schwarz launched two pop- ups in the Myer flagship stores in Sydney and Melbourne, as part of the Giftorium Event that began in late October. FAO Schwarz also opened new pop-ups in time for Christmas in Canada, London and Spain, while a huge 27,000 square-foot store will open in China in March 2019. The company also opened its New York, 20,000 square- foot, flagship store on 16 November.
ZING POP CULTURE TO EXCLUSIVELY SELL INAUGURAL DOCTOR WHO BARBIE
Mattel and BBC Studios
have partnered to release
the first-ever Doctor Who limited-edition Barbie.
The doll, which is made to represent and honour the
first female Doctor, Jodie Whittaker, will be sold exclusively through Zing
Pop Culture in Australia.
The Doctor Who Barbie
became available for pre-
order on 09 October for $88
and will be available in Zing Pop Culture stores in December.
BUZZFEED RUMOURED TO
BE WORKING ON OPENING
A TOY STORE
According to a report by the New York Post, internet media company, BuzzFeed, is planning to open a toy shop in Manhattan in the coming months. Titled Camp, the store is set to be located in a large 11,000 square-foot location at 110 Fifth Avenue. The store will feature toys merchandised in the front windows, as well
as an experiential area in the back of the store. The experiential space – which will change themes throughout the year – will host a spot where customers can snap a selfie to post to social media. ❉
THOMAS & FRIENDS TEAMS
UP WITH UNITED NATIONS
The United Nations and Mattel worked together to put on a round table discussion event in September, which focused on Sustainable Development Goals. The talk demonstrated how the UN and the producers of Thomas & Friends worked to integrate elements of the Sustainable Development Goals into the show. Education, gender equality and environmental protection are themes that have been woven into the new season of Thomas & Friends and the event also explored why it is important to begin educating children about these issues from a young age.
NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2018 TOY & HOBBY RETAILER 27