Well, what a day at the Toy Fair! Full marks to the British Toy and Hobby Association for putting on a thoroughly professional, exciting and energetic exhibition and full marks to the all the dedicated exhibitors whose reserves of energy would impress an Olympic marathon runner. This year’s fair was very much a learning process for WoodenToyShop and with that in mind we have come up with the following five things we learned at Toy Fair 2012.
First of all, we learned that there simply is no need to compromise on quality. From Brio trains through Le Toy Van dolls’ houses to Pintoy construction toys, we were reassured that quality is a priority for wooden toy makers who recognise that for our customers, quality, design, durability and value are key factors in helping them to decide which wooden toys to buy for their children.
Secondly, while fads and fashions come and go, old favourites stay with us forever. Dennis the Menace may not be wooden, but his appearance at Toy Fair was a reminder that comics, books, toys and games that combine simplicity, excitement and fun will always be loved by children and that is why we sell a core range of classic wooden toys and board games at WoodenToyShop.co.uk.
On the other hand, the third lesson we learned at Toy Fair was that there will always be something new and exciting to add to our range of toys. It’s very important to us to keep our selection as fresh as possible, which is why we will be featuring some fantastic new wooden toys on our site very soon. We spotted a sit-on wooden digger amongst the new Pin Toys that we think will be a real hit.
The fourth piece of wisdom imparted upon us Toy Fair novices was a refreshing reminder that toys are fun! The fair was full of energy, laughter and smiles and an incredibly positive mood prevailed. I am sure this was because although open exclusively to adults, the fair was full of brilliant toys that appealed to the child in all of us. You could see it in the faces of those who were demonstrating and presenting, and if you looked hard enough you could just about spot it in the hardnosed buyers who were wearing their poker faces.
The final thing we learned at Toy Fair 2012 was a news item that was released early on Tuesday morning. It could well have explained the mood in the hall: the British toy industry has bucked national trends by increasing sales by 3% in 2011. The BRC-KPMG Retail Sales Monitor reported that while retail sales in general grew by 2% last year, toys rose by an additional percentage point, helped by significant uplifts in demand for constructions toys and building sets, outdoor toys and dolls. It would appear that even though circumstances are very straitened for many families in the United Kingdom, parents and grandparents are making sure that the children don’t go without.
With things looking up for the toy trade in 2012 and plenty of reasons for cautious optimism, the WoodenToyShoppers learned one final hard lesson at this year’s Toy Fair: wear comfy shoes and take plenty of water!
Wow!
Rob
Coming
