A luxury toy maker has struck a “game-changing” deal with Selfridges to stock its products in the run up for Christmas.
The family behind Plaay are also selling their children’s gifts through high-end London retailer Dragons of Walton Street, which specialises in interior design for children’s bedrooms and playrooms.
Plaay was launched last year by Ben Sharman and his family who wanted to redefine the luxury kids gift market with wooden toys that could be given for special events such as christenings and births.
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Ben said: “It’s snowballing at the moment and we’ve just done the deal with Selfridges to be in their stores and online before Christmas.
“They are taking the full range, and we are just talking to them about volumes.
“It gives us the exposure of one of the world’s biggest store brands. I had to pinch myself when I got the call, and we are also in talks with someone else who is just as big.”
Ben, from Narborough, in Leicestershire, worked with his brother and parents to design the toys.
They came up seven different animal designs, each with a modern twist and made from FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) approved oak.
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The gifts are already for sale on the goplaay.com website, retailing from around £46 to £85.
They are currently made overseas, but the plan is to have them made in England.
Ben said they heard back from Dragons of Walton – which works with outlets and associate designers in Moscow, Abu Dhabi, Qatar, as well as cities in Europe and the US – a few weeks ago.
He said: “They are a fantastic addition to what we were doing and a family-run business, just like us.
“They specialise in the interior design of children’s bedrooms and playrooms, for clients all over the world. Their artists, carpenters and interior designers work seamlessly to transform a favourite story, passing idea or vibrant colour into a beautiful and functional interior.
“One of Dragons’ unique features is their 40-year-old portfolio of artwork, and they hold three exclusive hand painting licenses for Beatrix Potter, Flower Fairies and Paddington Bear.
The seven toys in the plaay? range are:
THE BEAR
Designed with Ben’s youngest child Parker, this posh bear “loves to travel, and is often seen in and around London sightseeing at Big Ben and the Tower of London and really enjoys London double decker bus trips”.
THE GIRAFFE
Designed with Ben’s eldest daughter Willow, this one is “often seen grazing in Africa enjoying nice green leaves and hot sunshine, making friends with new animals and loving a good joke”.
THE ELEPHANT
Designed with youngest daughter Autumn, this one is “big, strong and beautiful and is often seen having a long drink with friends”.
THE HIPPO
Designed with Ben’s brother Frank, the hippo is “relaxed and stress-free and loves a roll in the mud”.
THE UNICORN
This one was designed with Ben’s wife Emma. He said: “We believe in unicorns, often seen jumping over the moon and stars if you look carefully enough”.
THE SNOWMAN
Designed with his dad John, this is a “festive favourite who loves a cold snowy evening. A great gift for Christmas”.
THE CAR
Designed by Ben, this is the “iconic two stripe racing car that loves to race, often seen racing down the M1, within the speed limit I may add”.
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“It’s exactly where we see our brand’s position. They will be stocking our products in-store and online.
“At the moment we are selling through our own website and getting a lot of interest through Instagram and Facebook and now feel that we can scale things up.
“We’ve got additional stock coming in for November.”
He said a £7,000 Kickstarter appeal in 2019 had allowed them to invest in product and tooling and as interest grows they will continue to be selective about who they work with.
He said: “We’ve got enough working capital to spend money on new stock and now it’s about chasing down retailers, getting buyers interested and building the exposure.”