Tata Group’s Landmark chain of stores is moving beyond books and eyeing > toys as the next big growth category. It has decided to bring the Germany-based environment-friendly Hape Toys to India , by engaging in an exclusive distribution arrangement to expand its toys portfolio.

“Eco-friendly toys have been missing in the Indian market and there are hardly any wooden toys for pre-school kids. Hape toys are manufactured and designed for zero environmental impact. It is one of the world’s largest producers of toys made from sustainable materials,’’ said Peter Newbould, Deputy COO, Landmark.

Hape toys are distributed in over 50 countries. In India, the price range for Hape eco toys is from Rs 109 to Rs 1,031.

With a decline in book readership, Landmark, a subsidiary of Trent, has been steadily increasing its offerings in other categories. It would rather describe itself as a ‘leisure and entertainment store’ rather than a typical book store. “Landmark is a multi-category store and toys is the second largest category after books,’’ added Newbould.

Landmark’s revenues from the non-books segment have been steadily increasing over the years. “Growth in the books segment has been flat while categories like toys have been growing faster. Today, books would be contributing about 27 per cent of Landmark’s total revenues,’’ said Newbould.

He added, “There is a lot more space for toys at the Landmark stores. The contribution to the total revenues of the company has also increased from 12 per cent to almost 20 per cent today. We feel the toy market is growing exponentially and hence the need to bring down Hape eco toys to India,” added Newbould.

purvita@thehindu.co.in

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