Beautiful Virgin Islands

Tuesday, Jun 24, 2025

Toys could be in short supply this Christmas, so get buying now, industry warns

Toys could be in short supply this Christmas, so get buying now, industry warns

Container shortages and shipping costs may result in a scramble for must-have gifts

It may be August, but the nation’s toy shops have already issued an alarming plea to parents desperately trying to enjoy a summer break. If you know what your child wants for Christmas – and you want to avoid the most frenetic scramble for presents in years – buy it now and hide it in a cupboard.

Seasoned figures in the toy industry have told the Observer that consumers will face higher prices and greater scarcity on the shelves this Christmas as a result of a “perfect storm” of economic pressures that have disrupted their plans. Despite their best efforts, they warned it was already too late to resolve the bottlenecks in time for this year.

“I don’t want to be alarmist,” said Gary Grant, founder of The Entertainer chain of toy shops, “but I can say that there’ll be more hunting around for things at Christmas than there has been for a good number of years. My advice would be, as soon as parents know either what they want to buy their children or what their children are already asking for, if you see it, buy it. Buy it and hide it to avoid disappointment.”

Some bigger chains have already been trying to hoard stock to head off supply problems, but there is a limit to the warehouse space they have available. “Our warehouses are bulging,” said Grant. “But half of the whole year’s turnover in the toy trade is made in the last quarter. We don’t have warehouses big enough to hold our full demand of stock.” While a series of pressures have combined to cause the potential Christmas crisis, the extraordinarily high costs and limited availability of the shipping containers needed to bring stock from manufacturing bases in Asia are the main issues.

Industry figures said the costs of securing a container had risen by between 10 and 15 times over the last year. Grant said that shipping a 40-foot container from China historically cost about $1,500 (£1,000), but today costs ten times that.

While rising prices have led some toy importers to delay their orders, even those willing to pay are often not able to secure a container.

“Some people have paid an excess of $30,000 just to get a container on to the ship,” said Alan Simpson, chairman of the Toy Retailers Association. “But even if you agree to pay, that doesn’t mean you’re going to get a container to actually put your goods on to the ship. It’s a double whammy. Not only are there going to be price rises, there are going to be shortages because there just aren’t enough containers out there.”

A musical bedtime JJ Doll from the popular Cocomel brand.


Grant confirmed: “We as a company probably have 200 containers-worth of made stock in China, but we can’t get the containers to transport them. I’m only moving half the number of containers a week at this time of the year than I would expect to move. In the UK, it will mean that there will be more stock shortages this Christmas than we’ve had for many, many years. Toys are one of the commodities that will be affected by this.”

As a result of the pandemic, shipping containers have piled up in the wrong places, either waiting to be unpacked or sitting empty. Production of containers themselves also slumped last year.

In addition to the shipping difficulties, toy retailers are facing a shortage of lorry drivers when goods arrive in the UK. Higher demand during lockdowns, a typhoon in China in July and the reintroduction of Covid restrictions in some Chinese manufacturing bases have all exacerbated the problems. “It’s just a total perfect storm,” said Simpson. “Everything that can possibly go wrong has gone against us this year.”

While many importers and retailers face these problems, the seasonal nature of the toy trade has meant that supply issues cannot be resolved by the time children have set their hearts on their Christmas gift of choice.

“In a normal year, a toy company would be able to start to see how the sales were going,” said Natasha Crookes from the British Toy and Hobby Association. “They might be able to up manufacture and do a really quick shipment to backfill where things are selling through. It’s going to be near impossible for people to do that this year.

“There will be stock, but it’s not one of those years where you can just leave it until the last minute and think it will still be there. Get it when you see it.”

Retailers said it was too soon to tell what the most in-demand toys would be this Christmas, but said demand for Paw Patrol figures, fidget popper stress relievers and the preschool Cocomelon brand were all high.

Unwelcome as it may seem, drawing up a Christmas shopping list while on the beach this summer may be the answer.

“There will never be a toy shop without toys at Christmas, but that isn’t the point,” said Grant. “Children don’t want any toy. They want the toy that they want. Therefore, it will be much more challenging this Christmas to ensure the full availability of all toys.

“The issues that we’re facing are not just a current blip. We can’t solve it fast enough for this Christmas. These transport issues have another year to play out.”

Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
“You Have 12 Hours to Flee”: Israeli Threat Campaign Targets Surviving Iranian Officials
Macron and Merz: Europe must arm itself in an unstable world
Germany and Italy Under Pressure to Repatriate $245bn of Gold from US Vaults
Airlines Evaluate Flight Cancellations Amid Escalating US-Iran Tensions
Starmer Invites Innovators to Join Government Talent Scheme
UK Economy’s Strong Opening Quarter Shows Signs of Cooling
Harrods Seeks Court Order to Secure Al Fayed Estate for Victims
BA and Singapore Airlines Cancel Dubai Flights Amid Middle East Tensions
Trump Faces Backlash from MAGA Base Over Iran Strikes
Meta Bets $14 B on Alexandr Wang to Drive AI Ambitions
WATCH: Israeli forces show the aftermath of a massive airstrike at Iran's Isfahan nuclear site
FedEx Founder Fred Smith, ‘Heart and Soul’ of the Company, Dies at 80
Chinese Factories Shift Away from U.S. Amid Trump‑Era Tariffs
Pimco Seizes Opportunity in Japan’s Dislocated Bond Market
Labubu Doll Drives Pop Mart to Status as China’s Most Valuable Toy Maker
Global Coal Demand Defies Paris Accord Goals
We have new information and breaking details to share about what is shaping up to be a historic air campaign tonight
Six Massive Bombs Dropped on Fordow; Trump: 'A Historic Moment for the U.S., Israel, and the World'
Fordow: Deeply Buried Iranian Enrichment Site in U.S.–Israel Crosshairs
United States Conducts Precision Strikes on Iran’s Nuclear Sites
US strikes Iran nuclear sites, Trump says
Pakistan to nominate Trump for Nobel Peace Prize.
BBC Demands Perplexity AI Immediately Stop Using Its Content
Telegram Founder: I Will Leave My Fortune to Over 100 of My Children
Political Turmoil Resurfaces in Belgium Amid Economic Concerns
Fed policymakers divided on timing of interest rate cuts
Trump signals imminent agreement with Harvard University
Inheritance tax referendum alarms Swiss billionaire community
Japan cancels bilateral security meeting amid US defence demands
AI skeptic Emily Bender warns that ‘the emperor has no clothes’
Israel Confirms Assassination of Quds Force Commander in Tehran
16 Billion Login Credentials Leaked in Unprecedented Cybersecurity Breach
Senate hearing on who was 'really running' Biden White House kicks off
Iranian Military Officers Reportedly Seek Contact with Reza Pahlavi, Signal Intent to Defect
FBI and Senate Investigate Allegations of Chinese Plot to Influence the 2020 Election in Biden’s Favor Using Fake U.S. Driver’s Licenses
Vietnam Emerges as Luxury Yacht Destination for Ultra‑Rich
Plans to Sell Dutch Embassy in Bangkok Face Local Opposition
China's Iranian Oil Imports Face Disruption Amid Escalating Middle East Tensions
Trump's $5 Million 'Trump Card' Visa Program Draws Nearly 70,000 Applicants
DGCA Finds No Major Safety Concerns in Air India's Boeing 787 Fleet
Airlines Reroute Flights Amid Expanding Middle East Conflict Zones
Elon Musk's xAI Seeks $9.3 Billion in Funding Amid AI Expansion
Trump Demands Iran's Unconditional Surrender Amid Escalating Conflict
Israeli Airstrike Targets Iranian State TV in Central Tehran
President Trump is leaving the G7 summit early and has ordered the National Security Council to the Situation Room
Taiwan Imposes Export Ban on Chips to Huawei and SMIC
Israel has just announced plans to strike Tehran again, and in response, Trump has urged people to evacuate
Netanyahu Signals Potential Regime Change in Iran
Juncker Criticizes EU Inaction on Trump Tariffs
EU Proposes Ban on New Russian Gas Contracts
×