Apr 7, 2015

ASTRA Marketplace & Academy to feature 89 toy manufacturers

The American Specialty Toy Retailing Association (ASTRA) announced Monday, April 6, that 89 toy manufacturers will participate for the first time at its record-breaking exhibit hall at ASTRA’s upcoming Marketplace & Academy. The exhibit hall — ASTRA’s largest ever — is sold out and includes 15 percent more exhibitors than in 2014. Many will be showing products are not available yet on the Internet.

“Specialty toy retailers need innovative products with high play value that consumers cannot find elsewhere, and ASTRA’s Marketplace is where store owners can go to discover them,” said Kathleen McHugh, President of ASTRA. “Innovative new products help retailers position themselves as a hands-on shopping experience that is more creative and more fun than what they can find at big box stores.”

ASTRA’s Marketplace & Academy is scheduled for the Charlotte Convention Center in Charlotte, North Carolina, from June 7-10, 2015. Admission is free to specialty toy retailers. Visit www.astramarketplace.org to register.