Hawkin's Bazaar plots expansion to 50 stores in five years

Hawkin’s Bazaar, the toys shop that rose from the ashes, is plotting an ambitious expansion that will almost double its number of stores.

The chain, founded in 1973, was among a string of high street names that fell into administration in 2011 amid a squeeze in consumer spending.

A slimmed down form of the company was later bought by management with private equity backing.

The company has since moved away from lower value items and reduced its dependency on the Christmas peak.

It has introduced brands such as Ty Beanies soft toys and Hornby model trains and beefed up its range with gadgets like drones and licensed products, including Star Wars toys.

Store turnover has risen from £8 million in 2012 to £14.1 million in 2015.

Boss David Mordecai estimates that the company can grow from its 30 current stores to around 50 in the next five years.

“The opportunity is potentially much greater, that’s being fairly conservative. But we don’t want to open 20 stores a year because that would make it quite unstable,” Mordecai said.

It will begin its expansion with 10 to 12 Christmas pop-ups, some of which could become permanent. It is looking in and around London for new sites.