Toymaster, the largest buying group for independent toy retailers in the UK and Ireland, has announced the addition of a new member, effective immediately.
Phillips Hobbies, based at Thorby Avenue in the Cambridgeshire town of March, specialises in die-cast collectables, model railways, plastic kits, and jigsaw puzzles.
Toymaster said: “We would like to welcome Phillips Hobbies to the Toymaster family, and we extend our best wishes to owner George Phillips for every success.”
“We would like to welcome Phillips Hobbies to the Toymaster family, and we extend our best wishes to owner George Phillips for every success”
Phillips Hobbies’ story began in 2016 when George turned his passion for diecast collectables and his dream of running a model shop into an online business. Things started slowly, and George, just a teenager at the time, wondered if Phillips Hobbies would ever take off. But he persevered, learning as he went and gradually building a reputation for outstanding service.
In 2021, business entrepreneur and Dragon’s Den star Theo Paphitis recognised Phillips Hobbies with his Small Business Sunday Award — a moment George says he will always remember.
The following year, the business was named one of the UK’s most impressive small firms by the Small Business Saturday campaign.
Fast forward to 2024, George was shortlisted for eBay’s Above and Beyond Award, reaching the final three.
And all these exciting moments led to the big one: in September 2024, George opened the doors to the first Phillips Hobbies physical store. After years of hard work and dedication, his dream finally became a reality.
Now, a year later, George is looking forward to attending his first Toymaster Members Meeting. He told Toys n Playthings: “I’m looking forward to meeting other members and suppliers in Coventry later this month. The date almost coincides with my first anniversary of trading as a bricks-and-mortar store on September 28, so the timing couldn’t be better!”
