Stickers and building sets help drive toy sales ahead of Christmas rush

Traditional games and stickers are helping to drive a bumper year for toy sales, figures show. The data comes ahead of the crucial Christmas run-in for retailers, which peaks at 23 toys sold every second in the UK. The number of toys sold up to October was 17% higher than the same period last year and growth is at a 10-year high, according to research company Circana. The increase comes despite consumers' cost-of-living pressures, and there are signs that some of the biggest growth in sales is for toys priced between £5 and £10. Despite relatively low sales in recent years, the toy sector has been buoyed by sales to kidults.