Looking Back to Get Ahead

What industry leaders in toy manufacturing, retailing and licensing have to say about the year ahead

Tina Benitez

January, 2008 — In a year chock full of concerns over toy safety and quality, most industry professionals were happy to see 2007 come to an end. This year, Playthings spoke with industry leaders in the manufacturing, retail and licensing fields to get their reflections on last year and some predictions for the new one ahead. Most agree: it's sayonara to '07, and hello to a 2008 of promise and new beginnings for the toy business.

What lessons have you learned from 2007 that you're carrying into 2008?

"We saw the impact that a challenged economy can have on the toy industry, especially in the form of a very compressed holiday selling season. We will certainly be building a thoughtful flexibility into our plans for 2008 in order to be able to insure success even if there is extended weakness in the economy."

—Eric Levin, executive vice president, Techno Source, New York