February can sometimes feel a little anti-climactic for the toy community. Unlike other sectors, which can often find it hard to get going in January, the toy world hits the ground running in the first few weeks of the year, with several key trade shows giving us a fast start to the New Year. No ‘Blue Monday’ for us – January is a whirlwind, and it rushes by incredibly quickly.
After the excitement of January, it can sometimes feel a little quiet in February, as suppliers wait patiently (or not so patiently in some cases) for retailers to firm up selections for autumn winter. I wonder if they fully appreciate just how gargantuan a task that can be. We saw hundreds of new launches at the shows in January, and whittling those down to the fortunate items that will be added to retailers’ ranges can’t be easy.
Obviously, suppliers come away from the shows full of enthusiasm, after retailers have shown interest in their new additions (even if, in some cases, it was just a case of being polite). But by the law of averages, they can’t all make it through – there is only so much shelf space available for newness, regardless of how integral it is to the health of the industry. Some new introductions are obvious choices, while others will either just scrape in or just miss out… the fine line between success and failure can sometimes be frustratingly narrow.
At this stage, most companies are still playing the waiting game, hoping they get the feedback they are looking for soon, so they can move on to activating the next stage of this year’s plan. In the interim, it can feel a little like nothing much is happening – even if we all know the decisions that will make or break the year are in the process of being finalized.
There has, at least, been some good news in recent weeks, with Circana confirming that the UK toy market has got off to a decent start in 2025, with the 7% growth to date unsurprisingly driven predominantly by collectibles and items in the £0-15 pocket money price bracket. So, what better time for Toy World Magazine to be running a special feature on this sector – if you have new pocket money & collectibles ranges to shout about, get in touch now to secure your slot in the April issue, which is shaping up to be a powerful edition. In addition to the traditional April features (Pocket Money & Collectibles, Pre-School and Games & Puzzles), I also wanted to flag up a brand-new feature that we’re adding to this edition – our first-ever look at how toy companies are expanding into the Beauty & Fashion category. The feature will encompass a wide variety of product, including Make-up, skincare and fragrance; Bath foams, bombs and bubbles; Jewellery and watches (inc. make-it-yourself and craft kits) and Accessories (make-up bags, sunglasses, hair clips, bows and scrunchies).
Read the rest here.
