Toy shop builds on success of move from clicks to bricks with business growth support
An online toy retailer’s switch from clicks to bricks has been so successful it has been able to double the size of its first real world store just months after moving in.
After getting fully funded support from Business Growth West Midlands (BGWM), Erdington-based Booghe Toys secured the investment needed to add a second floor to its ‘experiential’ shop at The Fort shopping centre in Birmingham
The funding is part of a wider package of business support set out in mayor Richard Parker’s Growth Plan. The retail sector is one of the biggest employers in the region’s everyday economy with around 70,000 jobs.
Booghe Toys, run by Krishna Yadlapall, has 22 in-store staff with plans to continue its rapid growth on the high street by opening three more shops across Birmingham over the next few years.
The store is known as the UK’s first Experiential Toy Scape and offers an immersive destination for families offering not just toys, but also a Virtual Reality gaming room and a café.
The business is one of 1,300 businesses to be boosted by the Investment Readiness programme – one of 17 support programmes run by BGWM, which is part of the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA). The programme helps small and medium sized businesses (SMEs) demystify the world of business finance so they can win external investment to start-up, grow and scale up.
Krishna said: “We have built something special at Booghe Toys with the fantastic team who make the store such a welcoming place for families.
“The support we have received from BGWM has been invaluable, giving us the confidence to invest and grow. We are ambitious about the future, with plans to open three more stores in Birmingham over the coming years.
“These will operate in larger spaces to meet growing demand and will bring our core offerings of toys, games, collectibles, and stationery, alongside immersive Virtual Reality experiences and our popular Dragon Fly Café, creating unique family destinations and new community opportunities.”
Richard Parker, mayor of the West Midlands, said: “The success of our vibrant business community is essential to making the West Midlands a great place to live, work, and do business.
“By investing in businesses such as Booghe Toys, especially in their early stages, we can support them to grow and flourish, creating new jobs and opportunities for local people.
“It’s why my Growth Plan includes a focus on giving businesses the funding and support they need to expand and help drive our economy forward.”
Vernon Hogg, finance specialist at Oxford Innovation Advice worked with Krishna on behalf of the Investment Readiness programme.
He said: “Krishna from Booghe Toys attended our Founders Collective Cohort as an already successful business owner, who had built his business from the ground up without any external investment.
“With future business growth in mind, he needed to develop a business case, a pitch deck, financial plans and go-to market strategy so he could seek out investors. Krishna is a trailblazer and visionary of entrepreneurship and fully took onboard our programme support and raised funding in a short time frame.
“Our Founders Collective programme has been a huge success with 230 attendees and continues to deliver on supporting investment in the region.”
BGWM was set up by the WMCA to provide SMEs across the region with tailored packages to help them grow, adopt digital technologies, find new markets, and access funding.
Since launching, a team of front-line advisors based in the region’s seven local authorities has already supported thousands of businesses, helping to create almost 2,000 jobs and last year delivered more than £10m in one-off grants or match funding.
BGWM is also a key part of the Growth Plan which sets out a blueprint to deliver the mayor’s key priorities – growth for everyone, jobs for everyone, homes for everyone and journeys for everyone.
The 10-year plan is set to reboot the region’s economy, by unlocking tens of thousands of new jobs, building a bigger and more skilled workforce, and raising living standards for local people.