While Brexit may be taking its toll at this tills, toy sales in the UK dropped just 7% for 2018 compared to the 12 months prior. While this may seem like a big drop, this has happened in a year when we saw Toys ‘R’ Us leave the UK market unexpectedly, and yet the UK still remains the number one toy market in Europe.
Frederique Tutt of The NPD Group told London toy Fair attendees at a press briefing this week that though sales had seen a drop of seven per cent on the year prior, the UK toy market still brought in an impressive £3.3 billion.
Highlights within the market include collectables that grew 32 per cent with one in every four toys purchased being a collectable figure, squishy or MGA Surprise.
“Brexit is still taking its toll on retail and the current mood on the high street,” said Tutt. “But if you look to France and the US, political uncertainty is also having an impact.
“Toy specialists have done an incredible job at adapting, soaking up a large portion of `[Toys R Us’] business, and offer consumers better toy shopping experiences.”
Let’s see what 2019 brings, all fingers are crossed for a good year!
