Following an EGM on 6th September 2006, members of the BTIA - British Toy Importers Association - voted in favour of changing the Association's name to Equitoy. The constitution of the Association and its remit in acting on behalf of its members will remain the same.

The Association has adopted a new logo and will upgrade all of its communications to its members. Equitoy will continue to provide legal and safety advice, to keep members abreast of matters which affect their businesses. However Equitoy will also become more pro-active within its membership, improving its marketing effort and further enhancing its core strength of encouraging companies to talk to each other and to openly share their experiences and concerns. In addition to its twice yearly meetings, Equitoy will encourage regional meetings throughout the UK and will be announcing some new national events over the next few months.

A further enhancement to the quality of membership has seen each member of the Association’s council being designated a ‘region’ of member companies for which they will act as ‘Council Contact’ as a first point of contact for members.

Equitoy will also be seeking closer ties with organisations such as local TSOs, the DTI and LACORS. Furthermore Equitoy will seek closer ties with other industry organisations on matters of interest to the whole trade and that can be dealt with one communal voice.

Chairman of Equitoy, Richard Keel, says: “This is a milestone for our Association. We have always had a strong bond with our membership and this change allows us to not only build on that, but also to make our own market position more relevant to today’s import-dominated market. The BTIA has been our name for many years and it was felt that it no longer reflected the modern industry landscape as it is fair to say that 99 per cent of companies import. At Equitoy, we are also proud to boast an eclectic mix of member companies; from toy and gift manufacturers and distributors to safety and legal representatives and most tellingly from retailers. All of our members share concerns over the legislative and due diligence processes, which must be overcome, and which are critical to their on-going business. Equitoy is an association which is ready to face these challenges into the future.”