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Toyworld has opened five new stores this year off the back of strong demand for locally owned and operated retail. The new shops opened in Whangarei, Milford, Whitianga, Rotorua and Nelson and the company now has 32 stores across the country. General manager Repeka Clubb said despite the tough retail environment, Toyworld has performed well this year.
She said the brand has focused on growing its online platform but a tangible experience in store is something many customers still want. "Post Covid, locally owned and operated was really on the rise and we've seen another generation that are coming through that are really supporting the locally owned and operated initiative and we've been really lucky enough to benefit from that. "We're quite nimble at adapting to consumer trends.
When you're in a big box retailer it's really hard to apply some of those things at the last minute because you have to jump through so many hoops. But we've been lucky enough to have a really engaged membership where we can get things over the line pretty quickly." Clubb said Toyworld's biggest demographic is people aged 65 years and over who buy toys for their grandchildren in store.
But she said men aged 40 plus are also an important group buying collectables and LEGO. "We really are serving a community from 0 to 99. We might be perceived as being only for children, but we have quite a large and wide demographic.
" Clubb said the brand's Black Friday sales in November had built great traction online and in store and would take it comfortably into the new year. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday..
