Britain’s toy shop, The Entertainer, is partnering with the UK’s largest family-run garden centre group, British Garden Centres, to open branded toy concessions in stores across the country.
The 6-month trial – a precursor to what is looking to be a national roll out – will offer British Garden Centres customers the chance to shop a wide selection of products from leading brands such as LEGO, Paw Patrol, Barbie, Disney and Squishmallows and The Entertainer’s exclusive range of great value Addo and Early Learning Centre toys.
As part of the all-new partnership, which is set to launch in October. The Entertainer will manage product range, pricing and merchandising across the trial stores, which are as follows:
1. Carr Gate
2. Crawley
3. Osterley
4. Northampton
5. Tring
6. Wolesley Bridge
The partnership is part of The Entertainer’s rapidly expanding ‘Toy Box Retail Solution’ – a one-of-a-kind B2B2C proposition giving retailers customised sourcing, ranging, wholesale and concession support, enabling them to provide compelling toy ranges to their customers with choice and flexibility over the retailer’s level of investment and operational involvement.
Andrew Murphy OBE, chief executive officer of The Entertainer, said: “We’re delighted and proud to add British Garden Centres to our growing community of ‘Toy Box’ retailers. Successful toy retailing is a specialist undertaking which requires a blend of commercial skill, industry expertise, financial discipline and scale.
As the UK’s largest toy retailer, we’re uniquely well-positioned to deliver the toy range for multi-category retailers of all types. By combining our strengths with British Garden Centres, we are confident this partnership will create driving growth for both brands, bringing an enhanced range of toys to families across the country.”
Founded in 1990, British Garden Centres has grown into the UK’s largest family-owned garden centre group, with 73 stores nationwide.
Charles Stubbs, chief executive officer of British Garden Centres, added: “We’re delighted to team up with The Entertainer, the UK’s biggest toy retailer. This partnership is a fantastic fit for us as we’re always looking to offer a wide range of products to our customers. By bringing The Entertainer’s amazing assortment of toys into a selection of our garden centres, we hope to make shopping even more fun for families.”
As part of recent expansion and the Amersham-based business’s ongoing commitment to establishing and growing successful retail partnerships, The Entertainer has more than three times as many UK and Ireland locations as any other toy retailer.
