As discounting continues unabated at retail, I have come to the conclusion that the pricing bloodbath of the past few weeks has come from a very straightforward place: ultimately, I very much doubt it’s about ‘buying market share’ or driving sales of food & drink or other categories (the grocers are often accused of this, and whenever I speak to them about it, they almost laugh at the idea that this is their cunning plan). No, the simple truth is that retailers are sitting on way too much stock. Did they overbuy? Maybe some did on certain lines. But I can’t countenance the notion that just ..read more

Golden Bear Toys, Jazwares, Just Play and Click Europe featured on ITV in This Morning’s Ultimate Children’s Gift Guide for Christmas. Luke Nuttall takes on Golden Bear’s Soccer Bot Presenter Steve Wilson shared his top pick of children’s Christmas presents with This Morning’s Emma Willis and Rylan Clark. On Wednesday morning, YouTuber Luke Nuttall showed off his football skills on This Morning with Golden Bear’s Smart Ball Soccer Bot which uses advanced technology to help players to master their dribbling skills by attempting to avoid the sensor which follows the ball. Soaring to the top sp ..read more

In time for fans to ‘get stuck in’ for Christmas, the all-new  Panini Premier League Official Sticker Collection is launching earlier than usual this year. The Panini Premier League Official Sticker Collection has arrived at retail and this year, it’s launching in time for Christmas. Hitting the shops and online at least three weeks earlier than usual, the team at Panini has worked around the clock to make this year’s collection bigger and better than ever before, as well as available in time for Christmas. All 20 Premier League teams are featured in full, from squad shots and shirts to N ..read more

Creative construction toy brand Plus-Plus expands its team as it welcomes Lois Stewart to take on the role of national account manager for UK and Ireland. Plus-Plus has announced the appointment of Lois Stewart as national account manager, Plus-Plus UK and Ireland. Lois joined on 27th November and brings a wealth of experience to her new role of managing all major retail accounts across the UK and Ireland. Her key responsibilities will be to build and maintain long-term relationships with customers, coordinate retailer marketing initiatives and oversee inventory management. Lois said: “I’m th ..read more

Kevin has joined the Xplore Distribution team as National Account manager for the toy division, as the company continues to expand its presence in the toy market. Kevin Griffiths brings with him a wealth of experience within the industry working for the likes of Funko and Ickle Bubba. He is keen to meet with both previous and new contacts during toy fair season, to showcase some of the products he will be managing. The recently launched Xplore Distribution has already secured a range of top retail partners and signed exclusive distribution deals with international toy companies for the variou ..read more

Lego Fortnite, an all new survival crafting game within Fortnite, is the first play experience to come from the partnership between Epic Games and the Lego Group.  Within the new Lego Fortnite game, players can explore vast, open worlds where the magic of Lego building and Fortnite collide. The game is rated E10+ by the ESRB. All experiences in Fortnite, including Lego Fortnite, utilise the Epic Games parental controls and safety features. Lego Fortnite is built inside Fortnite and powered by Unreal Engine 5, taking advantage of features such as Chaos physics and destruction to give playe ..read more

Inspired by the charm of the classic childhood game, nature, play and friendship sit at the heart of the PeaKeeBoo animated series. Moonbug Entertainment and creative studio Toikido have unveiled their first collaboration project, PeaKeeBoo, a new animation series for pre-school children and their families. The world of PeaKeeBoo is full of the wonderous sounds and visuals of nature, and home to a range of unique characters who are united in their love of fun and zest for life. It is inspired by the charm of the classic childhood game it is named after, which holds a special place in the hear ..read more

Spielwarenmesse returns attracting the biggest toy and game manufacturers, distributors and retailers to NürnbergMesse GmbH. The show consists of five packed days of networking, entertainment, product inspiration, trade deals and much, much more. Toy World spoke to Christian Ulrich, spokesperson for organiser Spielwarenmesse eG, about what makes the event an unmissable show, what’s new for the upcoming iteration, and how its organisers are ensuring it continues to offer what the toy trade wants. Spielwarenmesse 2024 marks the second iteration of the hugely popular European show since lockdown ..read more

James Xuereb has been appointed as the European account manager for Funrise’s e-Commerce team. James Xuereb joined the growing Funrise International team in November 2023 with 10 years of experience in planning and directing diverse e-Commerce businesses. James said: “I am very excited to join Funrise at this stage in its journey and am looking forward to joining a strong team, the growth opportunities presented and using my skills to develop an e-Commerce strategy.” Having served as head of e-Commerce at Wow! Stuff, he oversaw the implementation of the e-Commerce strategy in European markets ..read more

Board Game Club’s Boxing Day Boredom Busters-themed night broke attendance records with support from various popular games companies. Board Game Club’s Boxing Day Boredom Busters-themed festive night returned to London’s Century Club on Tuesday 5th December and drew the biggest crowd of the year with more than 80 attendees getting stuck into an array of new and classic games. There were even members of Team Toy World’s editorial squad in attendance. Caroline, Gabriela and Marianna demonstrated their competitive spirit, eager to try out the latest titles and meet everybody. The event was gener ..read more