UK toy sales fell last year amid supply disruption

Toy sales have fallen as the industry faced availability and reliability issues amid disruption from the Covid pandemic.

Sales in the UK dropped by 3% last year compared with the previous 12 months, said market research group NPD.

The supply of materials and transportation of finished toys, particularly on shipping containers are creating a headache for manufacturers.

But a toy industry trade body said the sector was remarkably resilient.

Bucking the trend were scientific and educational toys, with some suggestion that their popularity among girls in particular could have been inspired by the Gilbert effect.

Prof Dame Sarah Gilbert became a household name as one of the creators of the Oxford-AstraZeneca Covid vaccine.

Prof Dame Sarah Gilbert and her mini me doll

The Barbie-maker Mattel even created a doll of Dame Sarah which, at the time, she described as "very strange" but she said she hoped it would inspire children to pursue a career in science.

England's run in the Euro football championships also helped sticker sales.

The British Toy and Hobby Association (BTHA) said that 2020 had proved to be an unexpected bumper year for the sale of larger toys and games. Demand from families for entertainment during lockdown drove the market.

That momentum waned last year, but sales were still 2% higher than pre-pandemic levels.

The average price of toys in 2021 fell 2% to £10.22 compared to the previous year.

Despite encouragement from the industry to buy early at Christmas, sales rose sharply by 35% in the final week before Christmas.

The rise was the result, in part, of Christmas Day falling on a Saturday allowing for a full week of trading in the preceding days.

The challenge in the year to come and for Christmas 2022 is centred around supply chain problems, according to Kerri Atherton from the BTHA.

She said that competition for shipping containers between industries and port congestion meant toy manufacturers were facing issues with the supply of materials and delivering toys to the retail market.

That pushed up their costs, which could ultimately be reflected in consumer prices. Availability of products and reliability of shipments were also an issue, she said.

"There are never going to be empty shelves in toy shops, but there is an impact," she said.

The BTHA's annual trade show, showcasing some of the products likely to be seen in stores at Christmas, is taking place over the next three days in London's Olympia.