Tradition with a mission

Toy World chats to indie retailers to find out how they make their selections, how business has been lately, what lines are trending this year and how they’re getting ready for the busy festive season.

Jayne Carpenter - Totally Toys, Bristol

As a Toymaster member, we visit the regional shows and the May Show, to see all the newness coming out throughout the year and help us decide which products to add to our shelves. What I like about being a Toymaster member is the excellent communication from representatives who can answer questions and assist with anything we need. This year’s May Show was absolutely amazing, much grander than we had imagined, and we got to see most of the companies we work with, all under one roof. This was our first time attending and my dad, Paul Carpenter, who has been the owner of the shop since 1988, was awarded a Golden Teddy which was a very special moment. I’m now taking over the store as he starts his retirement.

Since attending the Toymaster May Show, we have taken on a good few new suppliers, including Plus-Plus. We really liked the look of its expanded range, with some very nice products on display and excellent show deals. We’ve doubled our order of Plus-Plus, as were so impressed. The company has offered to host a Make and Take event at our store during half term and we’re going to take them up on that next year. We’ve also started working with Aurora World – its Palm Pals range of plush food has been extremely popular with our customers. Another new supplier we began working with this summer is 3D Studio Gifts; its Jigglets range of 3D printed collectibles has been a phenomenal seller for us.

Outside of the new ranges which we picked up at the Toymaster May Show, we’re seeing strong sales of Hot Wheels collectible cars. Fidget toys continues to be a hot trend. It’s interesting how the trend has evolved from fidget spinners to anything squishy and tactile. The popularity of sensory toys has really taken off, with new squishies of all shapes and sizes coming out constantly.

Brainstorm’s Eugy range of 3D model kits is also performing brilliantly. We’ve stocked it for several years now and the range is showing no signs of slowing down at all – just when you think the brand has come out with every animal imaginable, it surprises you with brand new additions to its ever-expanding collection. Anything collectible is selling well at the moment, so to have a collectible craft brand, like Eugy, provides something different for consumers.

One of our biggest challenges is competing with online retailers. It’s just so quick and easy for customers to find products and price compare online – however, small high street retailers like us have had price comparison challenges for as long as I can remember. It used to be Argos, then it was Amazon and now we’re up against the whole internet. Nevertheless, I'd like to think that there will always be people who like to shop locally and in person, and who think of high street retailers as important. If you don’t use it, you lose it. I believe that that message is hitting home and will encourage enough people to keep supporting high street retailers.

Our main point of difference is we can offer the in-store experience, especially for customers who don’t know what they want to buy – it’s harder to do that online, it’s much better to go into a shop and be able to browse products, see them in person, feel them and test them in the moment, getting advice from store staff – a picture online is not going to give shoppers that experience.

I also feel that online shopping takes away from the excitement of the shopping experience, especially for children, whose faces light up when they enter a toy store. In the same way, even as retailers, ordering ranges online will never be as satisfying as going to a trade show, talking to suppliers and seeing products in person before deciding what to order. I can’t buy into a picture, but if I go to a trade show and I’m being shown how a product works and the quality of it, that’ll help me make a confident decision quicker.

For us smaller retailers, order quantities can be a challenge. With large minimum order quantities, you can easily end up with excess stock, especially in the current financial climate. Ordering from distributors has gone a long way to solving this problem for us. For instance, we get Hasbro products from Wind Designs and Mattel Hot Wheels ranges from Kayes of Cardiff. This is brilliant and the arrangement works very well, as we know we can order one offs and smaller quantities; because of that flexibility, we’ll probably end up increasing our sales with those companies. It’s always easier adding to an order that you’ve already got.

I am optimistic about 2026: while there will always be passing trends, there are some classic brands, like Lego and Galt, that will always be reliable. We’ve got an excellent customer base, and it’s all about looking after our bread and butter, as my dad would say. I took over the business in April, and he’s guiding me through the next steps as I take over fully as the owner of the store. My new year resolutions include becoming better at social media. My dad never really utilised social media for the business, but it’s much more important to make the most of those tools nowadays. Although today’s grandparents make up a large percentage of our customer base, we need to be able to reach younger parents in this increasingly technology-savvy world.

Although I’ve been working in the shop a long time, it’s a bit different to have the responsibility for everything, as owner. I hope to do my dad proud, as he enjoys his wellearned retirement.

Lisa Clay - Armadillo Toys, Leeds

Our store carries a multitude of brands, and we are often so packed that we need to constantly evaluate which brands are working and how we can create a few extra inches of shelf space for new arrivals. I’m addicted to finding new lines and am always on the lookout for product ranges to incorporate into our offering. New suppliers we’ve started working with this year include BTL Diffusion, Hippychick (Crocodile Creek) and The Source Wholesale. All of the new ranges we’ve brought in from these suppliers are selling extremely well – we’ve been particularly pleased with the Les Ptipotos soft toys collection from BTL Diffusion, which has been a great addition to our plush range.

We find that there are so many ways to discover new brands. Social media and the internet play their part, and customers also keep us informed about what’s trending. I’m part of a WhatsApp group of fellow independent toy shops, which means we can help each other in many ways, including sourcing new products. There’s also the traditional route of visiting trade fairs; although this remains very important, it is no longer the only way we source new stock.

The trends and product categories driving sales and footfall into our store at the moment include squishy fidgets, with the Gump stress ball range from Speks (Baby Republic) being one of our best-sellers, and, of course, Pokémon, which remains in high demand. We’d love to get more stock than we are allocated with Pokémon, because we know it will always sell almost immediately.

There are, of course, challenges which we face as an independent retailer. While competition from bigger retailers like Amazon used to be our main concern, more recently, the volume of small parcel imports coming into the market has been affecting all aspects of UK trade, not just the toy industry. The rise in popularity of the major platforms is a real concern; the convenience and low prices are a major pull for customers, and quality and safety are not at the forefront of their minds when they see a bargain that’s hard to resist. However, we pride ourselves on offering exceptional service, higher standards and more of an experience for our customers and their children. No cardboard box with a smile on it can replace the IRL smile on a child’s face when they visit a real toy shop.

We wish there was a bit more support from the government; taxation and business rates should be fairer to independent high street stores. It’s an age-old problem I’ve been struggling with since opening in 2003 and never seems to get much better.

I was particularly worried after last year’s budget, wondering how I would be able to manage all the increased costs loaded onto my business. Business rates and wages have increased, and we had to adjust staff hours to survive. However, we do seem to be performing well so far this year, which has mostly been due to creating extra margin where we can, to compensate. I’ve not been shy to ask about any discontinued lists or discounted offers from suppliers and using these to offer ready-to-go gifts and prewrapped birthday presents that are convenient for the customer to pick up. This gives us a much better margin and increases profitability overall; it’s just a question of being reactive to circumstances.

As we get ready for Christmas, we will have a festive window including a tree decorated with gift tags for our annual Toy Appeal. The proceeds are donated to the Trussel Trust Leeds and West Foodbank and our local church, which collects for underprivileged children.

Wayne Kincaid - Plaza Toymaster, Llantwit Major, Wales

Plaza Toymaster is a family-owned independent toy store which has been trading since 1981 in Llantwit Major on the Bristol Channel coast, one of the four towns in the Vale of Glamorgan. As a relatively small town, we have a loyal following in the local community.

When deciding which new products to stock, I pick toys and brands that I like the look of. That said, my selections can also be influenced by feedback from other Toymaster members whose opinion I trust – and by repeated requests from customers for a particular item that they’re looking for in store. Our main product ranges are reviewed and refreshed on an ongoing basis, bringing in whatever’s new from our regular suppliers, as newness keeps the store interesting.

There are only two trends this year that I would say have increased footfall: the first being Pokémon trading cards. Every time a new theme is released, there has been a huge buzz surrounding it. The second one is Pop Mart’s Labubu; so many children came into the store over the summer looking for them, but every child left the store disappointed with this one.

However, there has been a lot to be positive about this year so far - which I didn’t think I’d be saying at the start of year. As mentioned, Pokémon has been huge, Lego continues to be a core sales driver and evergreen collectibles such as Sylvanian Families blind bags, Hot Wheels cars and Eugy figures have all continued to sell well. However, it’s the Pocket Money aisle where we have seen the most added sales this year; it really has been tremendous. Whether it’s squishy, slimy, fidgety toys from One for Fun and Kandy Toys, Jigglets from 3D Studio Gifts or, more recently, Brainrot, there has just been so much going on in this department, and the kids have been all over it. In fact, I’ve been very pleased with sales right across the store.

I’ve been anticipating supplier price increases being the biggest challenge this year. Customers are only willing to spend so much, considering financial pressures at home. Thankfully, we haven’t been impacted too much (yet) by high increases. Supply chain issues remain, as does competition from online sales and big box discounting, but these factors have become a regular fixture these days, and in all honesty, I don’t waste time worrying about them anymore.

We’d love to see a bit more support from suppliers, just the basics, really: as low as possible carriage paid orders, sensible MOQs, dealing with issues/ faulty products swiftly and a little support now and again if we buy into an absolute klunker of a line. Some are great at all of the above, and some have room for improvement.

Looking ahead, I’m quietly optimistic, despite the obvious challenges. Let's be honest, every year for what feels like the last decade, there’s been some factor or other making business difficult and yet, we’re still here. Perhaps being a small player has actually been a strength. I certainly feel we can be reactive to new trends, for instance, and since 2020 and the Covid pandemic, customers seem to have come to cherish their local indie toy store more than ever.