"Thank you very much! I'm happy to be able to optimally bring in my passion for responsibility for expert topics, new sources of momentum, and optimising existing processes in this important key position. My positive view of Legler has been absolutely confirmed during the intensive initial training, and I'm looking forward to the collaborative work to come!"
Interview for the new year with Pascal Adam, Commercial Director of Legler OHG small foot company
1. Mr. Adam, after serving as Commercial Director, you're now in charge of the direction of the company! Congratulations – How's it been going since then?
2. Other than that, there's sure to be a lot more that has happened in the last year. How did Legler fare throughout 2021?
2021 has been another year dominated by COVID-19. It has clearly left its mark on the global economy: there have been severe disruptions to the global supply chain which is one of the largest challenges that have confronted companies, and not just in the toy industry. As a consequence, some products were quickly sold out and their availability was decreased. Despite these unprecedented circumstances, we're proud that we've been able to achieve so much in 2021!
In the summer, we gave our Online Shop a new start. The goal was to make it faster, more modern, and more customer-friendly with even more service functions. We were able to do the new launch without any major obstacles and we're happy with the consistently positive feedback from our customers. We've got an assortment consultant function which provides personal product recommendations, our product data is now more comprehensive, and new search filters help you find desired products markedly faster. Our tip: it's always worth it to take a look at the offers page!
Over the course of the year, a whole new range of Category Champions were added to the small foot assortment. The successes that these products strive for with their special developmental process are huge. The question as to why these Champions are so popular is easy to answer: they bring together everything that end customers, particularly the young ones, are looking for. They've got carefully selected functions that light up kids' eyes and calm, modern designs that don't overwhelm them. They're finely manufactured and are particularly durable; brand values like these are also important cornerstone goals in our company's sustainability campaign.
Of course, I also have to mention that small foot's brand awareness has increased in 2021. Our reach across social media and with our strong e-commerce partners is constantly growing. small foot products are on lots of wish lists this year, too. We're happy about that.
3. 2022 is right around the corner. What are you looking forward to? Are there company milestones that you'd like to reach?
One milestone you may have noticed is our new small foot packaging. We're already delivering the first products with the newly overhauled and optimised packaging, and many more will follow in 2022! This is a very clear milestone for us, because there's no second chance for a first impression: and in line with this motto, we've developed our coloured packaging with this in mind and we've brought the designs into harmony with the products. small foot packaging now has higher recognition value, it's sturdier, and it's a really cool eye-catcher at the point of sale.
Due to the continuing outbreak of the pandemic and its effect on production facilities and freight transport, we unfortunately had several instances of delayed deliveries. Even though we only have a relatively small amount of impact on these overriding factors, we're working on implementing targeted measures to ensure our products' availability in the future.
4. The next question is exciting every year: In your opinion, which trends and themes will play an important role in the toy industry in 2022 and beyond?
For this question I'll unfortunately have to go back to what I said earlier: the COVID pandemic still has a vice grip on the world – with that in mind, the goal continues to be keeping kids sensibly busy with toys that are also fun at home. Playing helps even the youngest children deal with the current crisis, and toys that are available to children for a longer period of time impart a sense of safety and stability.
The musical instruments of the new Groovy Beats product line will really bring joy to the nursery! These Category Champions in child-friendly designs with especially realistic sound will come out in the spring – start getting excited!
Many new products that we've launched with the new Main Legler Catalogue in September of 2021 are now available and seize the themes of the times wonderfully: The Adventure line brings you all kinds of indoor exercise fun at various difficulty levels and for multiple age groups. The 4 Friends now adorn richly detailed board games that even the youngest kids can play, and with the Gold Edition, older kids and adults will have their share of the gaming fun, too.
We're well-prepared for whatever comes, and we're looking forward to being at our business partners' side in 2022 with an awesome mix of products!