Sambro is proudly celebrating 25 years in the toy business having gone from strength to strength in terms of products, brands and financial performance.
The business which grew its turnover by 38% in 2021 to £52m is confident it will achieve similar growth targets in its silver anniversary year. This is attributed to continued transformation – a focus on customer relationships, product development and partnerships. Specifically, the business has benefitted from a more balanced approach to own brand development alongside the development of quality licensed products.
Starting out as a clearance house, trading company across multiple categories selling to UK retailers, the business has evolved into a product development focused toy company, developing innovative products in Soft Toys, Creative Play, Novelties and Outdoor Fun. An innovator in character brands, while growing the evolution of Sambro owned, in house properties. Sambro is also a respected licensed toy supplier and an influential partner for brands seeking access to the UK retail sector.
Paul Blackaby, Sambro CEO, comments: “We’re incredibly proud to be celebrating our 25th anniversary. Our business has evolved to become a key player within the toy industry trading in over 30 countries worldwide. There’s never been a more exciting time to work with Sambro, whether as a brand or a retailer with our team delivering fantastic results. We’re excited to be at Toy Fair this year to see so many people face to face again as well as introduce our new sales and commercial team.”Sambro works with over 10 brands who trust the toy developer with their IP. These brands include Disney, Nickelodeon, Mattel, Hasbro, Viacom, Bull Dog and Cosatto. The range of products under these brands is far reaching and includes Barbie, Paw Patrol, Peppa Pig, Disney Princess and Care Bears. The innovative products are within Soft Toys, Creative Play, Novelties and Outdoor fun. In 2022, Sambro will distribute over 8m units of character plush toys.
What’s more, the talented team has also developed its own portfolio of brands with its in house design and innovation team. These include Puzzle Palz – fun, character erasers which have sold over 35m units worldwide since their launch in 2019. They offer innovation for retailers in the stationery and novelty/ impulse toy aisle.
In further news, Sambro has expanded its European 3PL warehouse model to support sales growth in the EU. The supply chain model has been streamlined to best manage the challenges of supplying globally. Sambro and has unrivalled, long-term relationships with some of the world’s largest FMCG retailers, toy specialists, grocers and distributors. These include ASDA, The Entertainer, Pepco, Home Bargains, Smyths and Action.
In addition to new products and licenses, visitors to the stand will be able to meet the new UK sales and commercial team. Headed by Sara Greenhalgh as UK Commercial Director, she is joined by Alex Ratchford and Paul Mabbs as Senior National Accounts Managers. Head of Ecommerce, Jon Hartley is the fourth member of this dynamic team.
