Toy Fair returned for its 65th year this January, with more than 250 exhibiting companies launching thousands of new products to eager buyers and visitors. High-tech coding robots, motorised skates, board games, and flying poop toys were just some of the stars of the show.
The show opened with the news that UK toy sales had decreased by 2.8 per cent in 2017 to £3.4bn. The British Toy & Hobby Association (BTHA) and the NPD Group attributed the dip to a number of factors, including under-performing licenses, the impact of Brexit, and concern over counterfeit toys. But 2017 also had successes for the toy industry, with collectables growing by 17 per cent to hold nine per cent of overall value of the UK market.
Many of the show's most exciting and innovative products were selected for Toy Fair's Hero Toys, the inaugural awards judged by the BTHA and independent industry experts. Toy Fair TV presenters Anna Williamson and Gavin Inskip also spotlighted the show's biggest launches and announcements, broadcasting news live for the duration of the show on screens around Olympia and on the Toy Fair website.
The BTHA, organisers of Toy Fair, announced that Toy Fair 2019 will once again return to Olympia London, running from Tuesday 22nd to 24th January.
Applications for Toy Fair 2019 are now open and companies can apply online at www.toyfair.co.uk.
Posted: 3 April 2018
