Q&A: Boss of Hamleys new owner Ludendo

What attracted you to the Hamleys brand?

It’s the nicest toy shop in the world. It’s an iconic brand with that magical English spirit.

I look at them with French eyes, I’ve admired how Hamleys has been able to build product. Regent Street has magnificent spirit and astonishing products.

Hamleys was on our radar for many many years. I visited the Dubai franchise in 2009 and Regent Street in 2008. Our chairman first went when he was 10 years old. We’ve taken a lot of ideas from Hamleys.

We’ve wanted to buy it for three years. We jumped at the opportunity. It’s a new time for us and a new adventure. It’s quite unbelievable. We have such a wonderful brand in Hamleys. We’re very proud of it. It’s a new era for us.

Which countries will you target for Hamleys stores?

We don’t want to say too many things at this stage but I can tell you Hamelys already has a strong team developing franchises. We’ll look at Asia and other parts of the world, such as South America. We’ll look at many countries and certainly capital cities. We’ll be able to develop it all over the world but we have to find the right partners first.

I don’t think Hamleys could have more than 8 or 10 stores in England. But it could have more in other countries. Hamleys could be in each capital in Europe.

How will Hamleys benefit from Ludendo’s ownership?

Hamleys will become fully part of Ludendo. We have the capability to explore new markets and worldwide development.

We’ll use Ludendo’s know-how to develop products. We’re younger but bigger.  We have our own company in Hong Kong, so we can bring them product at very good prices. Hamleys will profit from Ludendo in commercial negotiations. 

It’s a win-win.

Will you keep on the existing management?

Yes of course. They are key to the deal. They’ve done a very very good job in the past few years. And they’re very supportive of this transaction.

Before now they were just reporting to a bank’s board. Now they’ve got the support of a toys group.

What level of investment will you be making in Hamleys?

We’re not talking about that at this stage. We need a couple of months to make the figures.

Will you bring other Ludendo brands to the UK?

It could be possible. But I can’t tell you at the moment because I don’t know.