The December edition of Progressive Preschool magazine is ready to read online now – and can be read by clicking here.
You… are the champions, of the (preschool) world. No, finishing up the last edition of PPS this year with song lyrics isn’t what you’d call our best foot forward, however as a team – and as a sector if you happen to open your LinkedIn or Instagram app – really are high on life after another successful Progressive Preschool Awards.
This year’s event – unlucky 13, was in fact very lucky. The conclusion of the suppliers’ innovation, the retailers’ determination, and the marketing superheroes’ executions. Plus, the fitting finale which saw one of the industry’s very best, John Carolan, crowned for his achievements over the last 30-plus years. We know, he doesn’t look a day over…
Before we move onto the next, one final thank you goes to the retailers who judged product, the suppliers who judged retailers, the marketing gurus who judged campaigns and everyone else who is the extended organising team. As was said from the very first event – these are your awards as much as ours, we just thank you for letting us organise them. If you missed it, catch up on everything that happened in our extensive review on pages 22 to 53.
Onwards, there’s plenty in store (quite literally) as we steam towards Christmas trading. As Circana’s Melissa Symonds – executive director UK Toys – stated at the Spielwarenmesse Dialogue last week, week 51 and 52 are where it’s at. Be stocked-up, be ready, be active as hell on those socials. Wishing retailers the very best of luck with the final push before Turkey Time.
After which, we’ll all be dusting off our winter clothes and hitting the trade show circuit with gusto. PPS can and will be found at Toy Fair, Spielwarenmesse (Nuremberg to you and I) and Spring Fair for which we are media partners to all three. Our expectations are high; there was a little re-grouping this year as outside forces – headwinds as the aforementioned Melissa frames it – have made it tough for suppliers and retailers to smash the budgets. And so we expect to see suppliers on those show floors having a niche number of specific, targeted, relevant ranges, whilst we also expect that retailers are well organised in advance to ensure they can get as much touch-time as possible with the products that will drive the footfall they need. And for the first half of 2025, we expect every pair of feet will make all the difference before the brighter spells of later spring and summer.
It’s unlikely that much will change on consumer spending for a small while yet, so we know we have to think innovatively. The same is not enough, we all have to be on-trend, on-time, which will hopefully have us on the money. Collaboration will be key and understanding the total entity of the kids space – as PPS sets out to offer in its content and will continue to do so in 2025.
Until then, wishing everyone good fortune for the final throes of the year and we look forward to working with you all again next year. We’ll keep forging new connections if you keep reading and heading to our events – NEW is one thing we can and have always offered.
Merry, Merry Christmas to you all.
