With only one day to go until Christmas, PreschoolNews.net, from the publishers of Progressive Preschool, would like to take this opportunity to wish a very happy holiday to all our readers. We will be taking some time out over the Christmas and New Year period, returning on Friday 3 January 2020 to bring you all the festive news from the holiday season.
Until then, we’d like to thank you all for helping us share the latest news from every corner of the preschool industry. Brexit and the general election aside, it’s been an eventful year and we’ve broken more stories than ever before – so please do continue to send in your news, views and opinions. We love to hear from all of you!
Before we sign off to go and eat our bodyweight in mince pies, here’s a round-up of some of this year’s highlights…
No round-up of this year’s news would be complete without mentioning Mothercare – from the initial CVA and store closure annoucement this time last year, selling the Early Learning Centre to The Entertainer, to the closure of the UK operation and finally last week’s announcement that it will be partnering with Boots in a move that will see the brand return to the UK’s high streets.- Nursery trade shows have been an essential part of this year’s success for many, with INDX Kidswear breaking all attendance records, Harrogate International Nursery Fair bringing big names back to the UK nursery scene and a hugely successful Kind und Jugend giving a big boost to Q4 business. Meanwhile, in the toy space, London’s Toy Fair saw a number of new preschool launches, while Nuremberg upped its commitment to our sector with dedicated halls and activations for infant and baby articles.
Major nursery companies have been celebrating some impressive anniversaries in 2019, with Little Tikes and LEGO Duplo both marking 50 years in business, Frugi celebrating its 15th year and ewan the dream sheep notching up ten years of helping babies (and their parents) get some much -needed sleep.- Independent retailers have been busy too, with Huggle appearing on television talking about royal baby fever, Pud opening its fourth UK store and new retailers – including Bygge Bo, Good Things and Timeless Toys – opening across the UK.
The Toymaster buying group has enjoyed a bumper year – not only was it celebrating its 30th anniversary, but its annual May Show was another storming success. It hosted its first awards dinner during the event, handing out a number of accolades including Golden Teddies to popular execs from Mattel and Character Options. Toymaster also continued to add new branches throughout the year including a batch of British Garden Centres outlets.- In the licensing arena, Hasbro made an ambitious swoop to acquire eOne in the summer, meaning that preschool brands such as Peppa Pig and PJ Masks would join its catalogue. The deal achieved shareholder approval in October, before the Competition and Markets Authority announced in November that it was considering whether the deal would “create lessening of competition within any market or markets in the United Kingdom for goods or services”.
- FAO Schwarz opened its first European flagships in October, in Selfridges in London and Arnotts in Dublin, expanding the audience for the iconic toy brand.
- Brand Licensing Europe was another major success for preschool properties. Anna Knight, vp of licensing, called preschool “essential” to the show as it opened its doors at its new home of ExCeL in October.
And finally, making its mark on the swish new venue was this year’s Progressive Preschool Awards – undoubtedly the biggest and the best yet. The stand-out winners for 2019 were The Entertainer (which won an impressive three awards) and the BPA’s Robert Anslow who took home the Outstanding Achievement award.
The PreschoolNews.net team wish you all a wonderful Christmas and a very happy, healthy and successful New Year!
The Progressive Preschool and PreschoolNews.net team will be on the trade-show circuit as usual and look forward to seeing you and working with you in 2020.
