(30 Oct 2019) LEAD IN Retailers have been stockpiling toys ahead of Christmas, as uncertainty over Brexit continues across the UK.
For some, the changing deadlines for leaving the EU have led to increased imports from traditional toy makers within continental Europe, plus months of planning to avoid festive disappointment.
STORY-LINE
Benjamin Pollock's Toyshop in London's iconic Covent Garden arcade dates back to Victorian times.
Pollock opened the store in 1880 to sell toy theatres, which are still stocked today, along with an array of traditional children's toys and games.
But here in the UK, toy retailers are facing ongoing uncertainty as the deadline for the country to leave the European Union continues to be in doubt.
"Toy making traditions actually do come out mostly from Europe, so Eastern Europe, Germany, and modern designed toys are a lot from France, Spain, so most of our toys that we source are actually from Europe," explains Louise Heard, owner of Benjamin Pollock's Toyshop.
Heard adds that she has been stockpiling toys in case it becomes more difficult or costly to source them from EU countries.
And she says she worries for small traditional toy makers in Europe and the impact Brexit might have.
"What I'm hearing from my suppliers in Europe is that the transport costs have gone up, and then obviously there's currency fluctuations, so we are looking for prices to be going up. And whether the availability, we're going to have them, it's all unknown, we don't know," she says.
The UK's Prime Minister Boris Johnson had insisted the UK would leave the EU with or without a deal on 31 October.
Now, that's all changed.
Heard says if sourcing from the EU does become increasingly complicated, she may have to rely on more traditional British skills, such as printing and making toy theatres.
QT Toys is another retailer based in the British capital.
It stocks some traditional toys, but the majority of its products are modern, with many sourced from China.
Co-owner Joseph Yap says Brexit uncertainty has also led to him stockpiling toys too.
Fluctuations in the British pound have seen costs of toys from various parts of the world increase.
Yap adds that one of his major products is Denmark's LEGO, which imports into the UK from Denmark, the Czech Republic and Hungary.
The company has been in touch to try to avoid supply disruption.
"For the past couple of years we've been getting the occasional correspondence, whenever there's been a build up to 'Oh we're going to leave', like on 31st March this year, we did get quite a lot of communication from LEGO saying be prepared for a 'No Deal', there will be extended delivery times," says Yap.
Yap adds that Brexit uncertainty is affecting consumer confidence.
"It's how long are you going to be in limbo for, I suppose, and, of course, I think that affects customers as well in terms of how much they're saving and what they're spending their money on," he says.
Whatever happens, the traditional Christmas bank holiday is still expected to take place on December 25th and 26th.
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