The firm is now forecasting sales in excess of $1m for 2015/16 and reports strong response to its magic sets from children and parents alike.
Marvin’s Magic has conjured an international following, with reports of annual sales for 2014 reaching $1m in Australia.
With an expanding Australian customer base, the magic play-set specialists have secured partnerships with big name Australian store groups, including Australian Geographic, David Jones, Myer and Kidstuff.
The firm is now forecasting sales in excess of $1m for 2015 and 2016.
The Hertfordshire-based firm, founded by Marvin Berglas, a magician and entrepreneur, embarked on its Australian adventure in 2012 when it contacted UKTI for advice on finding the best route in to the market.
“From our own online research, we knew there was a buoyant market for our products in Australia and that the spend-per-child there was high,” said Marvin’s Magic’s international sales manager, Rakesh Kakaya.
“However, as Australia is so far away and an unkown territory for us, we felt we needed advice from UKTI on how to target the country effectively in order to minimize the risk.”
The firm was put in touch with UKTI’s Export Marketing Research Scheme, an initiative designed to offer companies both commercial and financial support when approaching a new overseas market.
“Through EMRS, we received 40 per cent of funding for our first trip out to Australia to carry out market research,” continued Kakaya.
“If we hadn’t received this funding, we may well have decided that it wasn’t worth exploring a potentially risky venture such as this.”
The firm now sells directly to Australian retailers, and reports that its collection of magic tricks and sets has been very well received by children and parents alike.
“In Australia, magic is seen as educational, the perception being that it increases confidence in children,” said Kakaya. “Parents were therefore very receptive to our products.
“There are many companies in Australia that we could potentially work with, but there’s potential growth for us in all different directions and not just Australia,” he concluded.
