PARENTS are set to spend almost £2 million a day on Star Wars toys for their children in the run-up to Christmas.
The Force Awakens one of the most hotly anticipated releases in years will hit cinemas across the country on December 17.
Shops are reporting massive demand and some must-have items have already sold out after a two-minute trailer online sparked a wave of excitement.
Experts believe much of the early demand has been created by savvy collectors keen to beat a stampede of parents who will converge on the shops after their children have seen the film.
Gary Grant, who is managing director of The Entertainer toy shops, said: “There’s a tremendous amount of hype.
“But behind the scenes I think you’ll find the people who are most on the ball when it comes to Star Wars are the collectors.
“The children haven’t seen the film so it’s not in high demand on their list but I can tell you, it definitely will be.”
https://youtube.com/watch?v=sGbxmsDFVnEStar
Wars: The Force Awakens TrailerNumerous retailers have reported Star Wars toys are out of stock, including John Lewis which had sold out of Lego Clone Commander kits, Asda which was out of Bladebuilders Jedi Master Lightsabers and Tesco which no longer has the Kylo Ren Extendable Lightsaber.
Just a small amount of The Force Awakens merchandise has been released, so as not to give away any plot secrets before the film is out.
But that means the new items available will be the hottest stocking fillers on the market this Christmas.
An unprecedented three Star Wars toys have been included in the 12 Dream Toys a list of items experts believe will be most popular this Christmas.
Hasbro’s Bladebuilders Jedi Master Lightsaber, a Lego set to make Kylo Ren’s Command Shuttle and a model of the Millennium Falcon are predicted to top the festive sales lists.
Kylo Ren in Star Wars,The Force Awakens
But Mr Grant, who is also chairman of the Dream Toys committee, believes the Lightsaber could steal the show.
“Up until now the Lightsaber has been single bladed but the brand new Lightsaber from the film is three-pronged, so there’s three lights coming off the same handle,” he said.
“You can change the Lightsaber to lots of different positions you can make different combinations.
“It’s the most comprehensive Lightsaber I’ve sold in 35 years.”
Analysts at the NPD Group believe Star Wars toys alone will be worth £90m this Christmas equivalent to £1.8m spent every day between now and Christmas.To read more about Christmas, click hereBut despite there being 47 shopping days to go, some parents have already struggled to land coveted Star Wars gifts.
Kara Harrison, 36, from South Queensferry near Edinburgh, hit the streets looking for toys for her four-year-old son Ewan.
She said: “I thought I’d get it early but I had to try four different shops before I found the Kylo Ren Extendable Lightsaber.”
The Entertainer Toy Shops : http://www.thetoyshop.com/
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