Match Attax supplier Fanatics’ newly launched flasgship store in London, showcases ways independent convenience stores can maximise their sales of stickers and trading cards, according to the firm’s head of retail Simon Rosenburg.

At a press preview of the store on 22 April, Rosenberg told Better Retailing: “What we’ve done here is create the best in class interpretation of what we believe a hobby store should all be about: fun, immersiveness, community, education, fandom and absolute surprise and delight for everybody who walks into this store.”

Asked what much smaller independent stores can learn from the giant 8,647 sq ft site on Regent Street, he said that the key features of staff training, curating a space for collectables, and creating hype around the category could all be replicated in a store of any size.

The store’s staff are trained on the different types of collectables and how to recognise all the rare or valuable items fans might find when opening a pack. The strategy is to encourage shoppers to open the packs they buy right there in store, which can further bolster sales.

The head of retail explained that getting shoppers more engaged with the product and atmosphere of the store makes shoppers more likely to buy. He explained: “If stores want to grow [their sticker and trading card sales], there’s no way they can’t create trading tables to encourage people to open packs in-store.”

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Giving advice on how independent shops can train their staff to provide the same level of expertise to shoppers, Rosenburg pointed to ripped.topps.com, and reminded store owners to make sure that they are reading the sale sheets of every collectable they stock.

The London store’s trading tables come with built-in phone charging stations and bins for discarded packaging, as well as several photo backdrops to encourage shoppers to share their finds on social media. There is also a take-one-leave-one wall, where people can trade the cards they have for ones they are missing, which Rosenberg claimed is a key ways shops can build a community of loyal sticker and trading card customers.

“If you’ve got a store that’s over 1,500 square feet or so, you’ve definitely got the space to create an area that’s just about trading,” he said, adding that even smaller stores can make themselves a destination as long as they study the market, follow best practises, and invest in collectables. “It’s up to them to create that immersive, engaging, best in class environment. It’s up to them to be able to push their social channels.”

Rosenberg told RN that retailers who succeed with stickers and trading cards should can contact suppliers to add other collectables not available from news wholesalers to their range. He said: “There’s a whole world of trading card game product, and once you start bringing it together as we have in this store, you’ve got a compelling offering that will look great.”

In addition to adding the more upmarket hobby product and other collectables, Rosenberg suggested that retailers serious about collectables should consider selling supplies for dedicated collectors, such as protective screens and cases for rare cards. He said that stores interested in selling these can contact Topps or Fanatics to enquire about joining the Hobby Club and selling a broader range of products.  

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