Toymaster is a British
buying group association of independently owned toy stores, founded in 1977.
Whilst some members brand themselves as Toymaster, others choose to retain their own branding to promote their independence.
Toymaster is famous for its mascot of an orange puppy wearing a yellow T-shirt and trousers. In 2012, the puppy was named Toby. As of June 2021, the association has members spanning the
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
and
Ireland
Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...
, as well as outlets in
Jersey
Jersey ( ; ), officially the Bailiwick of Jersey, is an autonomous and self-governing island territory of the British Islands. Although as a British Crown Dependency it is not a sovereign state, it has its own distinguishing civil and gov ...
,
Guernsey
Guernsey ( ; Guernésiais: ''Guernési''; ) is the second-largest island in the Channel Islands, located west of the Cotentin Peninsula, Normandy. It is the largest island in the Bailiwick of Guernsey, which includes five other inhabited isl ...
and a store in
Malta
Malta, officially the Republic of Malta, is an island country in Southern Europe located in the Mediterranean Sea, between Sicily and North Africa. It consists of an archipelago south of Italy, east of Tunisia, and north of Libya. The two ...
.
Background
The member stores comprise a variety of different outlets, including toy stores, garden centres, department stores, post offices and others. Its head office provides central support to its member retailers, mainly finance and marketing, including a year-round window display program to help independent retailers promote key toy brands within their stores. The central office also provides information and support to its member stores to help them trade more profitably.
In 2012, Toby the mascot was given his own
Apple iPhone
The iPhone is a line of smartphone, smartphones developed and marketed by Apple Inc., Apple that run iOS, the company's own mobile operating system. The iPhone (1st generation), first-generation iPhone was announced by then–Apple CEO and ...
app.
See also
*
Smyths
Smyths is an Irish multinational chain provider of children's toys, games and entertainment products with over 297 shops throughout western and central Europe. The business is owned by the Smyth family.
The company is headquartered in Galway, w ...
*
The Entertainer (retailer)
The Entertainer (Amersham) Limited is a British toy retailer, founded in 1981 by Catherine and Gary Grant. It is based in Amersham, the town of its first location.
As of November 2024, the retailer has 166 stores across the United Kingdom, Je ...
*
Hamleys
Hamleys of London Limited, trading as Hamleys, is a British multinational toy retailer, owned by Reliance Retail. Listed in the ''Guinness Book of Records'' as the world's oldest toy store, it was founded by William Hamley as "Noah's Ark" in H ...
References
External links
*
Retail companies of the United Kingdom
Retail companies established in 1977
Companies based in Northampton
Toy retailers of the United Kingdom
{{UK-retail-company-stub