Very disappointed!

[Iclaudius]

I have just picked up The Magic of Toys Christmas catalogue from Tesco, a major league supermarket in Great Britain. Playmobil does not feature at all!
There are pages of the unmentionable xxxx products. I am so shocked and disappointed that there is not even half a page of the latest Playmobil sets.
Tesco have been selling the Fi?gures packs but I am very disappointed that the Christmas publicity ignores Playmobil completely.
Any insight appreciated?

[Oliver]

Whoever is in charge of getting Playmobil into stores in the UK is pretty badl at it, to be honest. While the big department stores (Fenwick, John Lewis) normally have a decent range, other stores are very hit and miss. 'The Entertainer' toy shop chain have a pretty terrible and random collection in most stores. Sainsbury's don't stock it at all, not even online. So this news hardly suprises me.

[GrahamB]

Both Jarrolds and Langleys in your fair city have good PM stocks (we visited both over half term  ) which you know I am sure Iclaudius. Indeed when you find them, independent or regional stores seem to offer quite good ranges of PM. But why the national chains like Tesco (and Argos) are so lukewarm about PM is a mystery. Toys R Us seem to have reasonable stocks and there are quite a few online retailers, but PM never gets as much limelight as L*** (I will risk one letter). Of course they are very different toys backed by very different marketing strategies. But surely Christmas is a time when parents etc. may be thinking of spending a bit more and getting quality toys (which don't take forever to assemble and fall apart when you breathe on them)?

I guess companies like Tesco will sell PM if they get a good enough deal from PM(UK), allowing them to sell the toys with competitive pricing. But Playmobil is not -even now- such a well-known Toy brand in the UK as the likes of other brands, especially L**o!

[tahra]

Of course they are very different toys backed by very different marketing strategies.

Yes.. Lego (I risk the full name! ) likes money, AND knows how to get it!

[Marco_4124]

This shocks me, because back in the seventies Marx Toys was a pioneer in making accessoires for Playmobil as well. But nowadays not mention Playmobil at a Christmas sale is a real missed opportunity.

[Iclaudius]

Your comments are very interesting and thought-provoking.
 I am sure you are right about the companies who hold the reigns as far as pricing power goes. The weak pound slashes profit margins and smaller companies are less able to compete.
Norwich certainly is blessed with regional stores selling Playmobil but it is sad that children in other areas not so lucky will have less choice.
Quality and variety count for little in the face of overwhelming publicity and marketing and the children are the losers, very disappointing.

[GrahamB]

Marx Toys, Britain's, Meccano, Bayko, Sylvanian, etc. The list of British toy brands which have disappeared or been taken over by other companies with a different vision is ever growing, like the list of British manufacturers generally.

But for successful toy companies like Lego and Geobra (and Mattel, Tonka, etc) success seems to depend on that Black Art, Marketing (aka selling stuff to people who didn't know they wanted it). Children form a big potential market. Lego have practised Marketing on Children very successfully, exploiting the numerous opportunities for licensed products presented by film spin offs and the like.
Geobra are not as successful, perhaps because their Marketing Practices are less bullish, perhaps because Playmobil had not until recently dabbled in licensed movie tie-ins. And perhaps because they really don't see Making Money as their primary goal (They Don't Like Money, as Tahra puts it!), though I doubt that view will long survive the passing of HOB, if it ever existed!

[Iclaudius]

You are absolutely right Graham.
The free Playmobil dvds are attractive and entertaining and encourage additional purchases but my daughter says no-one watches dvds now.
 Pester power is racked up by TV viewing and the latest film tie ins, competition on a massive scale. Maybe the older children are attracted by that but the younger age range aren't catered for and therefore miss out. Watching the fun my grandson had re-creating the travelling circus which he recently attended from our 20 year old Playmobil Romani Circus proved to me that quality toys stand the test of time.
The simplicity of Playmobil helps children make sense of the world. Where will Star Wars be in 20 years time other than in a vague haze of muddled memory?

[Tiermann]

Actually I think Star Wars is an interesting thing to think about. The first movie came out in 1977, and it's still here and they are pumping out new movies these days at a rate of every year or so now that it's part of the Disney kingdom. I doubt very much it will be going away at any point. There will be different generations growing up on different aspects of the total property but I see no reason to believe it will fade and am willing to bet Disney will do everything in their power to keep it alive for a long time. Mickey Mouse is 88 years old and still out there bringing in revenue for Disney. Star Wars will be the same. If any property were a safe license deal I would think Star Wars would be.

I'm telling you man, a 40 year old movie is the wave of the future!

[Klickteryx]

The free Playmobil dvds are attractive and entertaining and encourage additional purchases but my daughter says no-one watches dvds now.
 

They should probably provide a website where the short films can be viewed, include a password with the receipt. Lego has some game which allows you to play as a minifig character. Many of the characters require you to find the actual minifig in a blind bag by buying it as the unlock code for the character is inside the bag.

Geobra have a long way to go.