What are the best gifts for retailers to stock this Christmas? This year has given us some important clues.
With a rise in stay-at-home hobbies during Covid-19 lockdowns, some of the most popular gifts this festive season (and into 2022) will be art and craft projects, board games and models/miniatures. Just take a look at some of the recent numbers:
🔺 Hobbycraft reported ‘exceptional levels of customer demand’ and a 200% boom in sales since the start of the pandemic. [1]
🔺 Model railway maker Hornby has reported sales up 28% on the year before. [2]
🔺 Games Workshop Group PLC, manufacturers of Warhammer, turned over £353.2 million globally for the financial year up to 30 May 2021 – an £83.5 million increase on the 2019-2020 period.
The popularity of creative hobbies shows no signs of slowing either. Retailers everywhere are waking up to the value of serving a growing hobbyist market that offers opportunities for year-round sales and additional revenue streams. For Games Workshop, sales to our network of independent stockists grew by 31% in 2020-2021, generating over £200 million in revenue. There are a number of reasons why.
1. Models and miniatures have a broad appeal
There was a time when modelling, painting and tabletop games were considered niche activities. Now, science fiction and fantasy miniatures are a huge business and fictional universes – like Warhammer: Age of Sigmar and Warhammer 40,000 – have large and loyal audiences. They represent an immersive world where there are endless stories to be told.
The Warhammer hobby, in particular, has a magic to it that appeals to young and old alike. The games are set in richly imagined settings and played using beautifully designed figures and vehicles that hobbyists can build and paint themselves. It’s a tactile and interactive pastime where there’s always something fun to do, whether fans are carefully painting a new dragon or playing Age of Sigmar with their friends.
2. As a hobby, modelling can be therapeutic
In an increasingly digital entertainment world, modelling provides a calm retreat from social media updates, streaming TV and online gaming. Warhammer has a nostalgic appeal to anyone who grew up as a modeller or tabletop gamer. Yet it remains fresh and relevant today. And while its fictional worlds can be explosive and action-packed, the process of building and painting miniatures is absorbing and relaxing, with many fans even calling it therapeutic!
▲ Painting Warhammer models is a big part of the hobby and it gets more rewarding with time.
Warhammer offers different benefits to different people. Not only do fans collect a variety of models, they build and paint them, investing in the associated paints, brushes and tools. In Warhammer’s case, there’s a social element too – a tabletop game is something you can play in person with family or friends. Video games may be able to connect you with people on the other side of the world, but Warhammer helps you bond with those around you. Now, more than ever, that feels important.
3. It’s easy to get started (and difficult to stop)
One of the big draws of a creative hobby is that the barriers to entry are often low. Want to start making your own jewellery? Fancy building a model? People can usually pick up a small kit and get a taste for it. But this is just the start. That first Warhammer purchase is often a gateway to buying extra sets, then bigger sets, plus the paints and tools to go along with them.
Warhammer, in particular, is very accessible. Games Workshop manufactures right here in the UK and our best-selling ranges are sold in a variety of physical shops from book/comic stores to newsagents and corner shops. Our Nottingham warehouse delivers all year-round, ensuring consistent supply and delivery of new ranges. Our Retailer Network partners also benefit from regular physical and digital support, including guidance, promotional packs, images and logos. We help them every step of the way.
4. Not just for Christmas…
Fans of the Warhammer hobby are collectors and regularly want to add new models or sets to their collections. On top of that, they will often want to purchase new paints, tools and books to go with them. We release new products all year-round. This means that there’s always something for fans to look forward to and a steady flow of products (at a variety of price points) for shops to stock.
As a manufacturer, we know that the best businesses to help us reach our fans are independent shops, run by owners who know their customers and can provide a personal service. It’s why we work with a growing number of physical stores in our successful Retailer Network to supply the growing demand from our fans and customers.
Thousands of retailers are already seeing the value in selling models and miniatures, and are already benefiting from stocking Warhammer. You could be one of them. If you have a retail store or are planning to open one, talk to us about how Games Workshop can help you attract new customers and add extra value to your business. Click the link below to get started.