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Influential ASTRA
Prepares for a
Solid Show
Exhibiting manufacturers will fill 100 more booth spaces than they did last year for a total of 300 booths at ASTRA’s annual Marketplace & Academy. This year’s event is scheduled for June 22 through 25 at the MGM Grand Foxwoods Resort and Casino in Mashantucket, Connecticut.
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Show Me the Money
How to Make Your Toy Store More Profitable
In a slow economy, everyone’s trying to figure out how to keep their businesses profitable. Al Bates has some advice. As founder of the Profit Planning Group, Bates works in the area of financial planning, giving seminars on profitability and doing profitability research for over 50 trade associations, including the American Specialty Toy Retailing Association (ASTRA). Read More |
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Jumpin’ Ahead of
the Competition
When the toy market in Dawsonville, Georgia, became overcrowded with Target, Costco, Sam’s Club, Toys “R” Us and finally Wal-Mart, the owners of independent Lollipop Toy Store, didn’t scream, “Okay, we give up!” Instead, they reinvented their business with a bonus. Already specialists in children’s play equipment (Lollipop is the largest retailer of Step2 molded plastic play equipment in the southeast) Sandy and Kim Haynes created Jumpin’ Safari, a 2,800-square-foot party and play facility. Read More |
Specialty Toy Retailers Take
Time to Train Staff
When you operate a small independently owned store, who has time to train store staff? Specialty toy retailers do. According to the results of our latest survey, 100 percent of them agreed that their employees’ knowledge about the products they sell helps to differentiate their stores from the competition. Over half of the respondents report conducting formal training weekly, and spring is the busiest time for training, as new products come flowing in from the first-quarter trade shows. Here are the details.
“Training Season” |
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