Australia’s toy industry is at a crossroads.
A new report by the Australian Toy Industry Association (ATIA) found the toy industry has been hit hard by the global economic crisis, with more than $20 billion wiped out from the economy.
The industry is still struggling to recover from the financial crisis, but there are signs the sector is taking a more proactive approach to protecting its brands and its customers.
The ATIA said some of the companies that were hit hard include Mattel, Mattel UK, Hasbro, Lego, and others.
The report also revealed some of Australia’s most popular toys, including Barbie, Muppets, Power Rangers, and Star Wars, have been taken by thieves.
Many of the toys have been bought by parents, who have been left in the dark about what was happening to the toys.
“We know that in some cases the theft of toys from children has become quite common, particularly at holiday and holiday-related events,” the ATIA’s chief executive, David Patey, said.
“But, as you know, in some of these cases the toys are being sold at the retail level, at where children are not particularly interested.”ATIA said in 2016, a total of 736,726 stolen toys were reported to the ATMA, with the most recent report on January 25 showing there had been a record amount of thefts.
Some of the most notable thefts include the Power Rangers and Star Trek: The Next Generation figures, which were stolen in 2015.
But there has been an increase in the number of reported thefts in recent years, with data showing thefts at toy stores have risen by around 15 per cent in 2017.
“There are a number of factors that are contributing to the increase in thefts, particularly in relation to thefts in the holiday season,” Mr Pateyn said.
But, he added that many of the thefts did not involve children.
“Some of these thefts may be the result of young children having an interest in the item in question, or may be motivated by the person doing the stealing.”
In some cases, these are quite isolated incidents, and the items have been returned to the retailers or used in other activities.”ATIA’s report also highlighted a new trend of retailers removing some of their most popular items from their stores.”
These are the products that were most popular amongst consumers, and it is not a matter of if these will be returned to their stores, but when,” Mr Plow said.
Mr Pateys office said it was the responsibility of retailers to make sure their shelves and stores are safe and secure.”
Retailers need to understand that their customers expect to be safe at all times,” Mr Flinders said.
He said it would be wrong to “expect to find every piece of stolen toy in your shopping cart”, and he urged retailers to work with the ATIAS to secure toys in their stores before they are sold.”
To do this, retailers need to do a better job of securing their shelves, ensuring their staff and customers are safe, and ensuring they have the information they need to ensure they are safe,” he said.
The National Toy Industry Council said some retailers are starting to take a more active role in protecting their stores and keeping their customers safe.”
Our advice is to continue to monitor your store, and to keep an eye on your stores and ensure your store has the right safeguards in place,” it said.
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