'I have to sell ten weeks of toys in 23 days'

Retailers get ready to reopen following a six-week lockdown

Daithí O'Connor of World of Wonder Toys in Killarney said 40% of his yearly toy sales are recorded in the last 10 weeks. File picture: Don MacMonagle

A Munster toy store owner said retailers are getting ready to squeeze ten weeks of shopping into 23 days once Level 5 restrictions are removed next week.

Daithí O’Connor, proprietor of World of Wonder, who has worked in the toy trade for almost 30 years highlighted the importance of shopping local this year because of the additional pressures on small businesses due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Daithí O'Connor, World of Wonder Toys Killarney pictured with some of the most popular toys on the market this Christmas. Picture: Don MacMonagle

World of Wonder has six stores in Munster including Blackrock in Cork and Killarney, Co Kerry. Underlining the importance of lifting the Level 5 restrictions, Mr O'Connor said 40% of his yearly toy sales are recorded in the last 10 weeks of the year.

“It looks like we will be able to open on December 2 which leaves 23 days of shopping for toy retailers,” he told the Irish Examiner.

“But unlike other non-essential retailers, such as fashion who will have the two weeks after Christmas to sell their goods in the sales, toy retailers won’t have that option.

“In many ways, the sales will be busier than the Christmas period for these retailers and those couple of weeks will help to make up for some of the losses endured this year.

“But a sale on St Stephen’s Day for toys wouldn’t see any purchases to be honest.” 

Eoin O’Sullivan, President Cork Business Association, says the mood among non-essential retailers is “happy to be reopening”.

“There is pent up demand at this stage and a lot of businesses had to resort to trading online over the last six weeks but those businesses are looking forward to getting back and serving the public in the city centres,” he said.

Shoppers queuing on Cork's Princes Street after the first lockdown was lifted. Similar scenes are expected from next week. Picture: Eddie O'Hare

“A lot of retailers didn’t have an online platform until very recently and they are only learning all about this in the last few weeks and months.

“So, it’s difficult for business owners to manage a new side of the business in these times.

“Local enterprise offices have provided a lot of support to businesses in relation to all of this but non-essential retail business what to get open again and that is the focus now.” 

Mr O’Sullivan also pointed to the “disappointment” being experienced in the hospitality sector over what he describes as, “not being given the green light by the Government” to reopen.

“We are getting information through leaks, there has been no clear communication on the matter from the Government and we still don’t know where we stand officially,” he continued.

“We are disappointed with the lines of communication coming from cabinet and we would like to see that improved.

“We would like to see hospitality reopening with indoor dining because that is all part of the shopping experience - when people are out shopping they go for a coffee, food or a drink.”

Details of the restrictions for December are expected to be fully unveiled this week but it is widely expected to see non-essential retail allowed to reopen from Tuesday.

Throughout the Covid crisis, the Government has been encouraging businesses to put in place or improve their online selling. However, businesses have pointed out the challenges in setting up and operating an effective online platform particularly in the face of major online competition from large retailers such as Amazon. 

This week, the businesses group ISME said it would be better if the week's Black Friday shopping event was pushed back to give smaller retailers a chance to reopen their stores and recoup sales before the event takes place. Amazon and other major retailers agreed to move back Black Friday buy a week in France bowing to pressure from the government and business groups.

Cork Business Association President Eoin O'Sullivan said the mood among non-essential retailers is “happy to be reopening”. Picture: Jim Coughlan

Mr O’Connor agreed that operating an online sales system gives retailers a chance. They set up their online store for his businesses last year and was forced to accelerate plans when Government restrictions ordered non-essential retail outlets to close in October.

“When Covid-19 hit we really had to up our game with the online side of the business otherwise we would have been left behind - all the demand went online and we had to meet that demand.

“People are buying toys online which is great but the reality is, that for us you can never make up for shop sales just online.

“It’s impossible to drive that amount of sales and purchases through an online store.

“The amount of product you would have online wouldn’t be anything like the amount of product you would have in your shop.

“You’d have the best sellers online - maybe 3,000 or 4,000 lines - whereas in the store you could have up to 15,000 lines available to customers.” He says that while the website “has helped” there is a lot more work involved for the retailer when it comes to that side of the business.

“There is massive handling of goods with online sales select, place, package and post whereas in-store, the customer selects the toys from the shelf, pays for them and takes them out of the store.

“So, it’s a lot easier to make a sale in a shop than it is online."