Toy orders surge and German fair demands more space

Feb 9, 2010, 15:22 GMT

Nuremberg, Germany - Commercial orders for toys grew significantly at this year's Nuremberg Toy Fair as the industry emerged from last year's downturn, the chief organizer of the six-day event, Ernst Kick, said Tuesday.

He called for the municipal owners of the city fairgrounds to build an additional pavilion, saying the site was no longer big enough to accommodate the world's number-one toy-industry congress.

'We had to refuse bookings by 250 companies because all space for this year's fair was booked out by last May,' he said. 'Besides, 10 per cent of our exhibitors are demanding bigger booths from us.'

Speaking on the last day of the annual toy fair, Kick said importers and retailers who use the fair to place orders were convinced good times were ahead and were very willing to buy.

The fair attracted 76,600 trade visitors, mainly buyers, a gain of 2 per cent from last year. The event is closed to the general public.

The 2,625 exhibitors showed off toys and games for all ages, including dolls, model cars and electronic toys. China manufactures an estimated 85 per cent of the world's toys, often under contract to toy inventors in the United States and Europe.

The toy fair company was set up over 50 years ago to organize the event at the sprawling exhibition centre in Nuremberg, the centre of German toymaking.