TOTAL LICENSING
Hong Kong • London • Nuremberg • New York
The first two months of every billion).” Toy exports to the United and the UK’s Hamleys.
year brings a plethora of Toy States and the European Union re- Whilst Hong Kong’s toy exports were
Fairs - from Hong Kong in early corded 4.7 per cent and 24.2 per cent sluggish over recent years, 2007 saw
January to New York in February. increases respectively, said Mr Lam, a significant increase. In fact, exports
On the following pages, we take who added that Christmas sales of to the top three markets, namely the
a brief look at four of the key traditional toys were steady in major EU, the US and the Chinese mainland,
events of the season, beginning markets. all recorded increases. In particular,
with Hong Kong. Of course, as with every other toy fair exports to China rose by 175% dur-
this year, product safety issues were ing the period, with its share of the
The Hong Kong Toy Fair, organised high on the agenda in Hong Kong. total exports increasing from just 6%
by the Hong Kong Trade Development “Hong Kong manufacturers are com- in 2005 to 21% in the first ten months
Council (TDC) was held in early Janu- mitted to product safety”, said Mr of 2007.
ary, and very much marks the begin- Lam, noting that a fair highlight would Looking ahead, the overall export
ning of the ‘toy fair season’. More than be an international toy safety semi- business of Hong Kong’s toy compa-
2000 exhibitors filled the Convention nar, with mainland officials and US nies is expected to be steady, despite
Centre, with products destined for US industry leaders providing the latest the recent toy recalls in the US and
and European distribution as well as updates on the industry and related the EU, with growth being under-
products designed for the more local regulations. pinned by video games, educational
Asian marketplace. The 34th Hong Kong Toys & Games toys and electronic toys. Emerging
Fair featured exhibitors from 36 markets like China, Russia and East-
countries and regions, including group ern Europe will likely exhibit stronger
pavilions from the Chinese mainland, growth for Hong Kong’s toy exports
Germany, Italy, Korea, Pakistan, Spain, than the territory’s more traditional
Taiwan and Thailand. A broad array of export markets.
exhibits, ranging from ball games, bi-
cycles, water sports and gymnasium The 55
th
annual UK Toy Fair took
equipment, to action figures, puzzles, place from January 30th to February
Speaking at the opening ceremony, Jef- miniatures and collectibles, electronic 2nd with 244 exhibitors showcasing
frey Lam, Chairman of the TDC Toys and battery- operated toys, are high- tens of thousands of new toys to the
Advisory Committee, said that Hong lighted in seven special zones: Hobby UK toy industry.
Kong, the world’s second-largest toy Goods; Baby Toys and Products; Magic; Organised by the British Toy & Hobby
exporter, has built up a solid reputa- Outdoor and Sporting Items; Candy Association, the show provided the
tion for quality manufacturing over Toys; Paper Toys; and Story Books. first British springboard of 2008 for
the years. He also said that exports Highlights included a variety of semi- hundreds of exclusive product launch-
last year were strong, despite the toy nars, with topics ranging from toys es. Exhibitors made for a busy press
recalls. trend in Asia, licensing opportunities day with personal appearances from
Joining Mr Lam at the opening cer- and risk management and brand de- TV stars including BBC Top Gear’s
emony were Professor KC Chan, velopment. Stig and ITV Dancing on Ice’s Suzanne
Secretary for Financial Services and In all, around 30,000 buyers visited the Shaw. Other highlights included James
Treasury of the Hong Kong Special fair and, this year, the TDC organised 86 Bond’s Aston Martin DBS and a dis-
Administrative Region, Fred Lam, buying missions, with more than 4,800 play of the celebrity-signed toys being
Executive Director of the TDC, and major buyers from around the world auctioned off for the Toy Trust and
Evan Sha, Deputy General Manager of taking part in the fair. These included Barnardo’s.
Messe Frankfurt. key buying representatives from well- As one would expect, licensed prod-
“Hong Kong is a sourcing hub for toys known toy brands and leading chain uct played a major part in this year’s
to trust,” said Mr Lam. “Toy recalls stores such as Toys R Us, Walt Disney, UK Toy Fair.
last year had a limited impact on our Mattel, Hasbro and Bandai; Australia’s Lego used the occasion to celebrate
export performance. In the first 11 Toy World; Germany’s VEDES; India’s their 50
th
anniversary. Since Lego de-
months of 2007, toy exports grew 25 Pantaloon; Japan’s Don Quijote and buted in 1958, more than 400 billion
per cent, to US$11.4 billion (HK$88.8 Kawada; New Zealand’s Baby Factory; Lego bricks have been sold worldwide
48
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112 |
Page 113 |
Page 114 |
Page 115 |
Page 116 |
Page 117 |
Page 118 |
Page 119 |
Page 120