The Mena region’s appetite for scientific/educational toys was worth as much as $69.2 million in 2011, up nearly 50 per cent from 2006, said the organisers of an upcoming trade event in Dubai for toys, games and children’s lifestyle products.

This increase can be partly attributed to the Back to School retail surge seen at the start of each school term, said Ahmed Pauwels, chief executive officer of Epoc Messe Frankfurt, organisers of Playworld Middle East.

Playworld Middle East is a trade platform for toys, games and children’s lifestyle products and is co-located with Paperworld Middle East, a leading trade fair for paper, office supplies and stationery products, running from March 5 to 7 at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre.

“The Back to School period is always a busy time for retailers,” said Pauwels. “There is a traditional high-spending on children’s products here making it an attractive market for international toy and stationery manufacturers. Retailers in the malls and supermarkets make great efforts to attract families to their stores during this time with special promotions.”

“The value of education cannot be measured and parents are anxious to send their children to school with all the necessary supplies and equipment they require in the classroom,” he added.

Many of the Back to School products available in the regional market were first introduced through Paperworld, a trade fair for stationery and office supplies, and Playworld Middle East earlier this year.

Having a wide range of products and merchandise which is new and unique to the market helps retailers attract additional custom, Pauwels said.

Dubai based distributor First Kid has launched a range of Ben 10 and Lamborghini branded merchandise including school bags, stationery, canteen items, water bottles and paper products, all of which are expected to be in demand amongst young school boys.

For the girls, newly released in the region is the KISS! Hello Kitty merchandise which has recently been taking the world by storm. Additionally, the old favourite Strawberry Short Cake school bags are making a comeback and have been re-introduced to the market by Turkish distributor Hakan Canta.

The next edition of Playworld Middle East is expected to once again attract a broad mixture of professional visitors from distributors and suppliers to merchandisers, manufacturers and key decision makers. – TradeArabia News Service