UK retail sales were up 4.6 per cent in April on a like-for-like basis according to the British Retail Consortium. This was due to Easter falling in April this year compared to March in 2008, along with warmer sunny weather this April, while last year it was cold and wet.
Mega launched its latest MagNext product at Toy Fair earlier this year with the help of teen sensation, George Sampson. MagNext Battle Strikers is now getting ready to spin onto the shelves...
Hobbycraft is side-stepping the difficulties faced by the vast majority of retailers and is in fact posting some impressive growth figures along with bold expansion plans. Katie Roberts spoke to MD Chris Crombie to find out more…
The Bratz distribution deal may seem like a distant memory, but Vivid imaginations is continuing to evolve its business in terms of its product line-up, its wholly-owned IP and its distribution. Ronnie Dungan spoke to boss Nick Austin about the way forward without the trouble fashion dolls...
Mattel’s latest marketing campaign to promote the evergreen boys brand combines a TV partnership with online, print and live events...
Meccano's UK operation is continuing to make progress, having started over again with former Mega Brands chief, Sue Barratt at the helm. Ronnie Dungan visited the firm's Oxfordshire HQ to see how it was all coming together...
If I may, I should like to take just a few minutes to recall some of the issues and challenges faces by the BTHA in the past 18 months and some of the industry and BTHA challenges going forward.
.jpg?i=1259680592 "Girls' market")
The girls market continues to be a lucrative buy tricky sector, as toys are constantly battling against other mediums like music, fashion and gaming. Licensed properties still figure highly, but so do more interactive based toys, with even traditional plush now featuring these elements...
.jpg?i=1259680592 "Fashion dolls")
Once dominated by the titanic tussle between Bratz and Barbie, the £112m fashion dolls sector is changing, with licensed lines, particularly from Disney beginning to dominate. NPD offers more insight…
.jpg?i=1259680592 "Magnetic Toys")
Despite being one of the smaller sectors in the industry, having been plagued with court cases and safety issues, there remains a great deal of innovation in magnetic toys. ToyNews finds out about the latest offerings...
