A show of confidence

Consumer confidence this summer may be at one of its lowest tides all year, but retailers are telling PLAYTHINGS they have high hopes about the fourth quarter holiday selling season. Several said they had already placed orders for additional inventory.

"We're plowing ahead as usual," said Michelle Ricker of Savannah, Ga.'s Toy Smart. Adding that the store expected brisk holiday sales, she said hot specialty items, as well as arts and crafts products were already on reorder.

While the buying boom for licensed toy products has been in progress for months, a buyer for one mass retailer indicated the chain was planning on continued and increased sales—especially of movie-based product—through the fourth quarter. Declining to be specific, the buyer said both movie-based and other types of action figures would continue to be hot sellers.

"We think we are going to do very well" over the holidays, Lana Best, manager of The Toy Store in Lawrence, Kan., told PLAYTHINGS. "We are reordering many basics like Tinker Toys, Plan dollhouses and Calico Critters products." Best said strong sellers like Z-cars by Atomic Toys and Westminster's RC Stunt Vehicle, as well as Lego products were also on order for the fourth quarter. Other specialty retailers mentioned newly packaged Rokenbok products, Neurosmith's Musini and Nilo's Tables—which can accommodate either Thomas or Brio trains—were expected to sell well too.

"People are going to buy toys," Jerry Bloomberg, co-owner with wife Nancy of La Toys Etcetera, Cedarhurst, N.Y., referring to the upcoming holidays. "The question is," he added, "who they are going to buy them from."

Bloomberg, who expects to sell as much or more in fourth quarter 2002 as he did last year, advises that retailers must be proactive. "You have to make your own business," he said. "You can't just wait for the long dollar."