// Toy retailer Hawkin’s Bazaar brought to market
// Sale includes all 23 of its stores as well as its pop-ups and online retail platform
// Specialist business property adviser Christie & Co is handling the sale
Hawkins Bazaar is seeking a new owner after the toy retailer was put up for sale by its parent company.
Currently operating alongside wholesale businesses within the Tobar International group, the Hawkin’s Bazaar store portfolio, pop-ups and online platform have been brought to the market as Tobar looks to withdraw from direct retailing to focus on the wholesale sector.
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The business is available as a whole, although consideration will be given to offers for the constituent parts.
A specific price tag for suitors looking to acquire Hawkin’s Bazaar is not yet clear, but the retailer recorded an annual turnover of £15.28 million in 2018.
Its online sales accounted for 12.3 per cent of turnover.
The toy and gift retailer, which began life as a mail order sales business in the 1970s, has grown over the years to include an online retail platform and national portfolio of 23 stores.
Over the peak Christmas and New Year trading period, Hawkin’s Bazaar trades from an additional pop-up portfolio of up to 15 stores.
“Hawkin’s Bazaar is a very strong retail brand with tremendous heritage both on the high street and online,” Tobar chief executive David Mordecai said.
“There is a great opportunity to take the business to the next level through development of the omnichannel approach.”
Specialist business property adviser Christie & Co, which is handling the sale, said opportunity exists for adding value to Hawkin’s Bazaar by repositioning its store portfolio in more dominant retail centres.
The firm also said there was opportunity for expansion of the pop-up store portfolio and further development of its ecommerce division via Hawkin.com and Stocking-fillers.co.uk.
It added that Hawkin’s Bazaar’s stores were on relatively short leases, offering scope to optimise the store portfolio in the short term.
“The sale of Hawkin’s Bazaar is an exciting opportunity for new or existing retailers to acquire a flexible store portfolio and to further develop an on-line presence with highly recognisable branding,” Christie & Co associate director Nick Bywater said.
He added: “We expect to see strong interest in the brand and the online sales platform.”
Hawkin’s Bazaar’s notable store locations include Bluewater in Kent, The Galleries in Bristol and Touchwood Shopping Centre in Solihull.
Its pop-up stores have previously appeared in Liverpool Onew, Exeter City Centre, Trafford Centre, Lakeside and Milton Keynes.
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