Outdoor Toy retailers have been waking up positive and happy since mid-March. Amazing weather throughout April, and a continued warm spell right through May has meant bumper sales of Outdoor Toys this spring.
Shannon McDonald of Big Game Hunters said ‘When the spring is poor, we se a late start to the season, sales never really recover. So, with this great start to the season we want to see if the opposite is true and sales can stay high for the whole season’.
Best selling lines this Spring have been:
Playhouses – especially Wooden Playhouses. there are some new lines out this year, with wobbly walls and all pre-painted, so wooden playhouses have a new energy and excitement to the ranges.
Above Ground Pools – of course the key factor here is the weather. When its over 25 degrees at any time of year, AGP’s just fly out.
Croquet Sets – No-one in the industry has a rational explanation for an increase in the sales of Croquet Sets, except that the recession may have restricted sales and they are now bouncing back.
Sandpits – Low cost, and huge fun, sand pits are making a return, buoyed up by new styles such as sandpits in the shape of Pirate Ships. Great sand play fun.
The sectors in the Outdoor Toy market that are not doing quite so well despite the good weather are 12ft Trampolines and 14ft Trampolines. For some reason the larger trampolines that sold so well 5 years ago are now being outperformed by the smaller trampolines. Isn’t the world a strange place?
Trampoline spares though are doing quite well, and we plan to do an update on the market for spares in the next few weeks.
Any one else out there in Outdoor Play World with updates on what products are selling?
