“We anticipate a growth in turnover of up to 7% in the last year”

What assessment do you make of this Christmas campaign?

The campaign is developing in a similar way to last year. We have observed a lot of dynamism in recent weeksand both in turnover volume of our 275 stores and in online sales; We are growing compared to last year, which was a very good campaign. Already in the final stretch, we can advance growth close to 6.5%which would allow us to reach record numbers.

What news have you presented for this campaign?

The great novelty has been the relaunch of the Imaginarium brandincorporating more than 190 references to our catalog. This Aragonese brand, which closed its doors a little over a year ago, had connected with many consumers throughout its 30-year history and that connection was still very much alive. We have also renewed a large part of the assortment of our own brands to better meet the needs that our customers transmit to us in the stores.

How has the re-launch of Imaginarium been received among your clients? What assessment do you make of the incorporation of this historic brand?

The return of Imaginarium has had an excellent welcome. To the point that Kiconico, the stuffed animal that was its emblem for so many years, has crept into the top sales this Christmas. Its incorporation into the Juguettos catalog has contributed to improve our positioning among an audience that increasingly values ​​the educational, creative and sustainable approach of toys.

One of the drivers of the sector is, ironically, adults or ‘kidult’, who can account for up to a third of the turnover. Is this true in your case?

That’s how it is. The kidult segment and, especially items linked to collectibles, are registering an upward evolution. Juguettos was one of the first chains to bet on this trend and, in fact, we have specific areas within our establishments called “Fan Zone”. This determined commitment is one of the keys that has allowed us to distance ourselves from the general sluggishness of the sector in recent years and, currently, represents 20% of our sales.

The year we have just said goodbye to has been very special for you. You have turned half a century, how have you celebrated it?

​The 50th anniversary celebration began with a historic milestone: we had closed the previous year with record turnover and moving forward with one of the greatest projects in our history, which is return the Imaginarium brand to the market. In parallel, we wanted to do a very special Christmas campaign. For some time now, we have taken advantage of these dates to focus on our commitment as a brand. In recent years, we had taken action to stop the abandonment of dogs. But this year, we wanted to get involved firsthand. Juguettos is a cooperative integrated byr 37 cooperative members and their families. In these 50 years we have become true experts in play, but we have also learned that with the whirlwind of everyday life we ​​do not dedicate enough time to playing games with our children. Therefore, this Christmas we have temporarily become “JugueMos”. This is how our store signs appear and it is the message of our Christmas spot. Because children grow very quickly and these are moments that we will not be able to recover. It’s no use having a lot of toys if we don’t have time to play with them.

At Juguettos there is a strong presence of own brand on your shelves, what is the role of this type of items within your strategy?

We launch the first references of our own brand in the 90s with the aim of complementing the catalog, actively participating in the conceptualization and development of the toy and having a differentiating line as a retail chain. In addition, the own brand is also a way to build and reinforce our identity as a company and our positioning as gaming experts. All references are carefully studied and aligned with the values ​​that we consider the game should promote: socialization, creativity, personal development, pedagogy, intergenerational bond… In total we have 16 lines and more than 900 references which represent around 25% of our sales.

The other highlight is your shelves are the licenses, how are they working this year? What do these types of products contribute to Juguettos?

Articles linked to licenses are very important to us and, especially, in Christmas. In fact, the letters to Santa Claus and the Three Wise Men are full of these types of references. The licenses are, in many cases, linked to fashion and their claim capacity is enormous. The work we do in an integrative manner with our suppliers in selecting them supports a large part of our growth each year.

The Spanish Association of Toy Manufacturers (AEFJ) has forecast a growth of 2.5% in turnover for the year just concluded, reversing what happened in 2024. Do you share these good perspectives?

As I said previously, for us 2024 ended with excellent results, well above the general trend of the sector. Our forecast is to continue on this good path and achieve growth of around 6-7%.

Another concern of toy manufacturers and distributors is safety and, from the sector, third-party products that are marketed on well-known online platforms have been pointed out. Do you share this concern? What measures do they adopt in this matter?

Globalization and the rise of electronic commerce bring with them new rules of the game in which, unfortunately, players who do not comply with the law sneak in nor with quality and safety standards. At Juguettos we not only remain firm in terms of product quality and safety, but we have intensified control. For us, consumer confidence is key And let’s not forget that, in addition, our products are fundamentally aimed at minors, with whom extreme precautions must be taken.

There is also concern about copies. Do you think that the European and Spanish authorities can do more in this area? Is it a hyperregulation problem or more practical?

“Piracy” has been in place for many years and is a complex problem to deal with. The solution probably involves a comprehensive interventionwhich contemplates greater surveillance and legislative rigor and, at the same time, the awareness by consumers. Again, we have to think about whether it is worth putting the integrity of children at risk and supporting models that are outside of legality and taxation.