Imperial Distributors

Commentary From Our President

Getting Serious about Greener & Safer Toys

Michael D. Sleeper, President/CEO, Imperial Distributors, Inc.

When it comes to toys, it’s not a kidding matter. When lead paint was found in a number of imports last year, parents, manufacturers and retailers took it seriously. Now greener and safer toys are beginning to replace a number of old SKU’s.

Recently, several of our customers asked us to include safe green toys in their storewide expansion of green products. Sourcing green toys is not as easy as it sounds. But the 105th Toy Fair, held at the Javits Center in New York last month gave us an opportunity to jump start the category. The Javits Center was jam-packed with distributors and retailers. Single store independents and giant chains were pleasantly surprised to see a number of green and earth-friendly exhibitors. Some 35,000 people attended the show, with opening day buyer attendance topping 9,000 this year, compared to 7,000 last year.

Not surprisingly, it seemed the first question out of every buyer’s mouth was: “Where is this product made?” And as expected, there was noticeably less foot traffic in areas designated exclusively to Chinese toy factories.

Now that awareness has peaked, “green and safe” toys represent new and exciting growth opportunities for non-foods.

When 71% of consumers surveyed said that it is important to purchase eco friendly products, there’s little doubt that green is going to be a long term sustainable trend. Consumers want and are buying environmentally-friendly toys made of wood taken from bamboo and fallen branches from rubber trees.

Eco-friendly terrariums, environmental biodegradable building blocks, wooden race cars and trucks, wooden board games with Nickelodeon, Sponge Bob, Dora and Diego licenses are all organic products seen at the Toy Fair. Many made in USA, environmentally friendly and non toxic toys are now options.

Looking forward, we expect to see toy manufacturers to expand their offerings of green products with safe and thoughtful toys for kids. Last year’s Toy Fair had relatively few eco friendly toys. This year, green toys may not have been dominant, but clearly had a bigger presence. It’s a safe bet that next year’s Toy Fair will show even more booths with bigger and better eco-friendly toys.

This is a time for supermarkets to get serious about greener and safer toys. It’s not easy being green in non-foods…but it’s an important focus whose time has come.

For comments or questions, contact us by phone at 508-756-5156, or e-mail: msleeper@imperialdistributors.com

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