It’s the morning after the (incredible) three days before. My challenge – as it is at this time every year – is to get up at the crack of dawn, sink a mountain coffee to fire up the synapses and come up with something different to say about Toy Fair that you won’t read in the ‘official’ post-show releases and haven’t already seen across your LinkedIn feeds all week (although you can find a great review here).
If you were there, you will know that this week’s London Toy Fair was a great success. There was a buzz from beginning to end – even the last day, traditionally something of an anti-climax, was perhaps the busiest Thursday I can remember. And it was certainly not just because it was influencers’ day – as I made my way around my appointments, I saw numerous buying teams still fully engaged. Indeed, I gather that one very senior figure from ‘the largest’ UK & Ireland toy retailer told a few people that she could do with a 4th day of the show to get round everyone she wanted to see. I have been saying this for years (and I appreciate no-one is going to be swayed by me), but it’s interesting to hear that some major buyers are beginning to come to the same conclusion.
Every retailer you would expect to be at Olympia was present and correct (even one who apparently had said they weren’t coming – perhaps they saw positive posts on social media and changed their mind?), and several people said they were pleased to meet with potential new accounts, including a few major retailers not currently massive in toys, who appear to be exploring options to increase their toy selection.
Keep reading here.
