Spielwarenmesse 2025: I was there!
"Buyer for Kids Bikes and Features” is how the British woman describes her position, which she only took up in 2024. It’s a job that fills her with great joy. In the UK, Halfords is the market leader for vehicle accessories and repairs for cars and bikes of all kinds. It has numerous stores (350 according to Meg) and an online platform. She is responsible for the Children’s division and gets to test the vehicles herself at the Spielwarenmesse in Nuremberg – as one can see. Of course, she also has “a shedload of appointments and meetings”.
Kamill Skupien
Managing Director of reBricker GmbH in Simbach, Germany
"We collect and sort Lego bricks,” is how Kamill Skupien describes the company’s purpose. “There are 70 billion Lego bricks throughout the world – in attics, cellars, and, of course, children’s rooms.” The software producer has developed the hardware and software (sorting machine) for Lego himself. It’s his third visit to the Spielwarenmesse and he’s on the lookout for alternatives and always checking out other toy brick manufacturers besides the market leader from Billund in Denmark.
Interview with Kamill Skupien at Spielwarenmesse 2025
Muffadal Kagalwa
CEO of BrandHub FZC from Hamriyah Free Zone, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates
Muffadal Kagalwa is the owner of BrandHub FZC, specialising in the distribution of baby products and children’s toys to resellers in Arabic-speaking countries. “The toys we distribute are scarcely any different from those that are in demand in other regions of the world. OK, when it comes to plush toys, dogs and pigs are less in demand, but that’s just down to cultural differences. Otherwise, though, teddies, dolls, toy cars – all the same.”
Sylvia Kunstmann
Owner of the Balloon Factory, Erlangen, Germany
"The best balloons come from Italy. Grabo, the market leader, has earned its position thanks to its consistently good standard of quality,” says Sylvia Kunstmann. She’s been attending the trade for 40 years and has spent her whole working life at funfairs, country fairs, annual fairs and village fairs. All the children know her: with the huge balloons of all shapes and colours grasped in her hand, she draws children to her wherever she sets up her stand.
Hanshi Li
Whales Entertainment, San Marino, California, USA
Whales Entertainment is a fairly young board games design company with roots in China and an office in San Marino in Greater Los Angelese, California. Its owner is called Hanshi Li and his business card states that his first name means “Hans” in German. The founder is responsible for design and game invention and his wife Yve Ming for the management side of things. They’ve already been to the Spiel Essen fair and are now casting an eye over the board game scene here. “We design games ourselves, as well as having designs made in China” he says, explaining how his company works.
