INTERVIEW
Currently over 1000 SKUs are available under the major brands - Simba , Dickie , Majorette , Jada and Smoby in India . Simba Toys manufactured merchandise for the ICC World Cup 2011 including the mascot , Stumpy .
Simba has also acquired many licenses in India like Disney , Marvel , Minions , Paw Patrol , Peppa Pig , PJ Mask , Ferrari , FCB , Smiley , Dora , WWE , Batman , Superman , Justice league , Wonder Woman and many more to make products in the toys and back to school range .
Simba Toys Company was found in the year 1982 by Fritz Sieber along with his son Michael and 5 employees . Today , the Simba Dickie Group incorporates several successful independent companies that cover all areas of the toy market . The group has subsidiaries in 30 countries with a manpower of 4000 people worldwide and 8 production facilities in different countries .
Although an international corporation , the company still breathes the spirit of a family . The company has maintained its core family values “ children always come first ”. Passion for developing toys which are not only fun to play with but also take care of the children and play a significant role in their development became the key aspect of Simba ’ s ventures .
We interviewed Mr . Johnson Correya , Director - India , Simba Toys India Pvt . Ltd . in India to know about the mantra behind their success in India .
When did Simba toys come to India and what is the strategy behind their success in the Indian toy market ?
Simba India had started its operations in April 2009 . With customer satisfaction as the number one priority Simba has managed to get a good market share in India . Simba ’ s strategy for Simba India , Middle East and North Africa has been to create a strong customer network with a service driven sales and merchandising team , building brand awareness with consistent investments into Design , PoS and marketing . The global set ups and manufacturing networks , commitment to the highest international quality and safety standards such as ICTI , ILO , ISO and strong supply chain management and quality control teams has been the core strengths of the company .
Which products and brands are represented by Simba Toys in India and what are the distribution channels adopted by the company ?
Considering the commitment of Simba , many companies have become members of the group . Simba acquired Dickie toys for Boys range in 1993 , Smoby in 2008 for making kids furniture and playhouses , Majorette in 2010 for Die cast range and Jada in 2019 for die-cast , figurines and remote control cars . Also , various acquisitions done over the years for many other brands like Big , Nicotoy , Schipper , Solido , Schuco , Heros , Märklin and Simply kids .
The latest merger was the Dutch enterprise EXIT Toys with Simba Dickie Group as its majority share partner .
Many reputable key retailers such as Hamley ’ s , Toys “ R ” Us , Crossword and Landmark as well as e-commerce platforms including First Cry , Amazon and Flipkart sell Simba toys . Simba India also maintains a network of 42 distributors across the country .
What is the long term goal of the company ?
The long term goal of the company has been to become the primary seller of quality toys in India . Under the brand , Simba would like to offer Indian customers with high quality and affordable toys with an aim to provide safe and trustworthy products .
India did not have the ecosystem to support manufacturing in the past . However , with the new policy , the Government is taking initiative to support manufacturing units by providing PLI schemes and toy clusters in different parts of the country . With the new policy , companies are taking initiative to produce in India under BIS guidelines . Simba has also now started manufacturing a few products in India .
Johnson Correya
Director - India Simba Toys India Pvt . Ltd .
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Page 16 | Kids India Magazine - Dec 2021