After two intense but hugely productive weeks at the London and Nuremberg Toy Fairs, this week saw the toy community return to (relative) normality – and of course the mountain of follow-up and catch-up activity which inevitably follows two trade shows and a fortnight out of the office.
Amidst the deluge of quotes and proposals, we did manage a fleeting visit to Spring Fair on Tuesday. The show remains a slight outlier for the core toy community, although it still attracts a selection of toy and game companies looking to extend their presence in retail channels outside of mainstream toy stores – especially garden centres, department stores, museums & attractions and their ilk. A few specialist Northern-based toy stores also visit Spring Fair, particularly those who can get there and back in a day, rather than having to stay overnight in London. I have my own thoughts on that, but each to their own.
On the whole, toy and game exhibitors have now been integrated into the general gift halls, which many companies had been asking for – given that’s the kind of retailer they’re primarily exhibiting to see, it makes perfect sense. Overall, while Spring Fair may be more focused than in its heyday back in the 80s and 90s, it still has its place on the trade show circuit – and with the volume of toys and games currently being sold to adults rather than kids, it is entirely logical for gift outlets to capitalize on that trend just as much as toy stores. It seems that everyone is after a slice of the Kidult pie.
While the UK and European toy community focuses on the follow up from London and Nuremberg, the US toy community must be waking up every morning wondering what fresh horrors they’ll be facing today. One thing now looks certain: chaos is going to be the order of the day for the foreseeable future. Who had ‘Gaza to be the new Costa del Sol’ and ‘Canada to be asked to give up their independence to become the 51st State’ on their bingo card for ’25?
Of more relevance to the global toy community, the tariff situation appears to be changing on a daily basis.
Read the rest here.
