The Entertainer

It’s incredibly exciting to see our Addo Play team bring new life to the iconic Meccano brand, helping younger generations to build, create and innovate with a timeless toy that's been loved for over 125 years.

Today, we’ve announced the appointment of former John Lewis Partnership Group Supply Chain Director, Mark Robinson, as our new Chief Operating Officer, taking over the responsibilities for Supply Chain, IT and Transformation currently held by Deputy Chief Executive, Jeremy Cobbold, who has decided to pursue new career challenges later this year. Mark will join the business in March, from his current role as Managing Director of Wincanton TechCo.    Andrew Murphy OBE, Group Chief Executive Officer, TEAL Group Holdings, said: “Mark is a hugely accomplished supply chain professional who also brings significant experience of leading technology focussed teams and large, complex projects. I'm delighted we've been able to secure him as part of the top-team leading the business through this exciting period of growth.”   Mark Robinson said: “'I’ve admired TEAL, both as a customer and a retailer, for many years and I'm hugely excited to be joining the team in a few weeks time to help deliver the next phase of growth'   Jeremy will continue in his current role until the early summer, ensuring a smooth transfer of responsibilities while leading delivery of a number of strategic priorities.   Andrew Murphy said: “I'd like to personally thank Jeremy for his huge contribution to the business throughout the last five years, in which time he has been pivotal to navigating The Entertainer's course through the pandemic and its evolution from high street toy shop to a multi-faceted, international toy business. Jeremy is an outstanding leader and has been a fabulous colleague to all of us at The Entertainer and TEAL Group. He’ll be very much missed by the Grant family, his Board colleagues and his team alike and leaves with our very best wishes as he seeks his next challenge.”   Jeremy Cobbold said “It’s been a privilege to work with the fantastic team at The Entertainer and to be able to play a part in the continued development of this remarkable business over the last five years. My personal thanks to the Grant family for affording the opportunity, Andrew Murphy for his leadership over the last 15 months and my team and colleagues around the business for their tireless commitment. I wish them all the best as the business continues its exciting journey.”

I witnessed an an absolute masterclass for upselling at The Entertainer this weekend which I could easily apply to Shopify stores... When you've reached the checkout the cashier will ask if you'd like some well-designed and desirable gift bags from a selection of popular brands kids will love ... Yes, please ... Next question... Have you got all the batteries you need for this product? or would you like some just in case you can't find any at home? Wow... now I'm questioning if I'm stocked up with batteries at home and better pickup a pack just in case... Yes, please ... Now here's the kicker ... Because you've spent over £15 in store you're welcome to take another product from the table behind you for just £5 ... Guess I'll take one of them as an added bonus ... yes, please That's THREE upsells in every sale! leading me to spend £12 more than expected without being bullied into additional sales all by asking suggestive questions and I left delighted with my purchase. Shopify merchants should ask more questions throughout the sales process and I'll be working on this suggestive basis with a few clients moving forward! Now what would that mean for a merchant ... a small profit uplift for every sale, a larger number of products sold everyday and the ability to negotiate better deals from suppliers to pass on more savings to customers. impressive impact with just 3 questions! #sales #shopify #retail

We're excited to see many of our top toys put to the test in The Sun as Christmas draws closer and our store, online and warehouse teams help everyone get ready for the big day! 🎅 🎁 🌲 #BritainsToyShop https://lnkd.in/eRANT3MM

We’d like to thank the team at Retail Week for shortlisting us in their Speciality Retailer of the Year category for the @Retail Week Awards 2025. #RWAwards25   The Entertainer has seen huge transformation in the last year. Demonstrating the incredible versatility of our brands, our operating model and our fantastic team. We’ve cemented our status as 'Britain’s Toy Shop' through an unprecedented expansion of both our physical and digital channels.       In the last year, we’ve: ☑️rolled-out 850 concessions in Tesco stores across the UK and Republic of Ireland ☑️become the exclusive toy partner of Moonpig.com ☑️grown our range offering in both Matalan and Marks and Spencer ☑️opened two budget-smashing stores in Exeter and Milton Keynes (MK going straight into our Top 10!) ☑️ seen our private label brands Early Learning Centre and Addo Play Ltd. grow by 85% and account for a record 25% of annual group retail sales ☑️begun trading in Beirut (yes, really) ☑️enjoyed double digit LfL sales growth in Azerbaijan and Pakistan The Entertainer Azerbaijan The Entertainer Pakistan ☑️had a record-breaking year for Dropship ☑️had a record-breaking year for sales through Amazon ☑️been ranked by Best Companies as one of the UK’s best retailers to work for ☑️maintained the highest Trustpilot score for any UK retailer of toys ☑️been the fastest-growing UK retailer, having added almost 750 points of presence in 2024 ☑️launched our biggest-ever brand ATL campaign, the first step in our new marketing strategy. #BritainsToyShop   We’ve also laid the groundwork for a major international expansion, through The Toy Box, delivering B2B toy category solutions for multi-category retailers across the world. This will take us well beyond our current 200 international retail locations during 2025 – watch this space for announcements coming soon!   Group CEO Andrew Murphy said: “Despite the obvious challenges faced by UK retailers as we face into 2025, I’m exceptionally proud of what The Entertainer & Addo Play Ltd. teams have delivered this year. They’ve worked incredibly hard to deliver so much that positions us well for the future as we enter an exciting new era for our business and our loved and trusted brands.”

With Christmas fast approaching, The Entertainer have just a handful of locations still recruiting for Seasonal Sales Assistant roles, including our stores in Manchester Arndale, London Westfield White City and Birmingham Bullring & Grand Centrals. But if you know someone who may be interested, they better be quick or Ray will give all the jobs to his friends! #WeLoveRay #ChristmasJobs #ToyShop #RetailRecruitment APPLY HERE: https://lnkd.in/eQ8_PaYv

📣 Introducing... Ray! We are incredibly excited to go live on YouTube today with our 2024 Christmas advert! 🎄 📺 The TV premiere will be tomorrow night at 8.30pm on ITV1 during The Chase: Celebrity Special.  With his luscious, colourful fur and one-of-a-kind look, Ray charms everyone he meets. He’s the kind of toy you can’t help but love... but there is so much more to Ray than his colourful appearance. He’s got a story, and it’s one that might just tug at your heartstrings. We hope you love our new ad as much as we do! 🩷 🩵 🧡 💻 Visit our website to discover more about Ray: https://lnkd.in/eseu_Bds  #LoveRay #BritainsToyShop #RayAtTheEntertainer https://lnkd.in/eP_jXkN4

🎉 We've been ranked as the eleventh best retailer to work for in the UK on the Best Companies list for 2024! We also ranked in seven different regional categories in the annual survey lists.   Big shout out, also, to our sister company Addo Play Ltd., for being ranked as the sixth best manufacturing company in the UK.   We are continually striving to make The Entertainer the best workplace possible for all of our colleagues, by listening to and acting on the feedback they all share with us. We wouldn't achieve as much as we do without the dedication and hard work of all of our people!   P.S. Next year, we want to be in the Top 10! #2024BigReveal

The Entertainer is a leading retail company, known for our commitment to delivering high-quality products and an exceptional shopping experience to our customers. We’re looking for an organized and detail-oriented Branch Merchandising Administrator to join our team and support our merchandising operations across branches.  If you’re enthusiastic about retail and possess strong analytical skills, this role could be a great fit for you! Why Join Us? Competitive salary and benefits package A supportive and collaborative work environment Opportunities for professional growth and career development Discounts on products and access to company events If you’re excited to contribute to a dynamic merchandising team and help shape our retail experience, we’d love to hear from you! The Entertainer is an equal opportunity employer, committed to diversity and inclusion.

We have successfully completed a major roll-out of more than 850 brand-new toy shops within Tesco stores as part of our new partnership - increasing our retail presence in the UK and Republic of Ireland and creating 1200 jobs.     Our significant expansion across 861 large Tesco stores in the UK and Republic of Ireland was achieved in just eight months, with an average of 100 new concessions opening each month. The speed and impact of this growth is a testament to our team’s agility, attention to detail and understanding of customer needs.   Our partnership with Tesco is the biggest step we’ve taken in expanding our unique ‘Toy Box – Total Retail Solution’ which offers a range of bespoke services to multi-category retailers. Now, millions of Tesco customers can access our great range of toys alongside their weekly shop.