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Edna Tse

It’s all about the girls’ toys when it comes to Santa’s Christmas gift list this year.
They are selling out fast, according to Toys ‘R’ Us Greater China and Southeast Asia chief commercial officer Jo Hall.
Hall joked that she was afraid she might be mugged as she stood in the retailer’s Tsim Sha Tsui store holding its very last and highly coveted LOL Surprise!, a collection of 50 collectable dolls.
“It’s girls’ collectibles this year, the girls have it over the boys. It’s LOL – we have completely sold out and that’s been the hottest toy,” she said. “Star Wars is still strong with the new movie, but the girls are beating the boys.”

Christmas is an important period for sales, Hall said, but the Lunar New Year is also a key time, along with Children’s Day in mainland China on June 1 and the summer school holidays.

“While everyone enjoys Christmas with toys, we also see very strong business at other times because of those different calendar events across Asia,” she said.
Toys ‘R’ Us has 15 outlets in Hong Kong along with six pop-up stores. Despite offering online shopping for customers, many still prefer to visit the stores, Hall said.
“Families love to come shopping for toys together with their children, and we know they enjoy time here because it’s quality family time together. When the children are happy, the parents are happy.”
She said Toys ‘R’ Us had made its stores interactive and accessible as its philosophy was that interacting with toys and digital technology should form part of quality family leisure time.
Changing lives for good: Operation Santa Claus launches 30th instalment
This is the fourth year Toys ‘R’ Us has supported Operation Santa Claus, the annual charity campaign jointly organised by the South China Morning Post and RTHK.
“We started out with our OSC campaign as early as summer this year so we could gain momentum ahead of Christmas,” Hall said. “We ran a campaign which enabled us to give toys to needy children in the summer, as well as our Christmas gift-wrapping service, which we operate at this time of year as part of the Christmas campaign.”

Customers are given the option to have gift wrapped the toys they have bought at stores in return for a donation to Operation Santa Claus.

Shopper Talia Kagan, who was carrying two bags full of Christmas presents in the Tsim Sha Tsui store, supported the donation scheme.
“I think it’s a very good idea. It’s very interesting to give money for a good cause. We buy gifts for children and then can help other children,” Kagan said.
Another shopper who said she supported it was Tess Healy.
“It made me get my presents wrapped. I wouldn’t have done it if they hadn’t said the money went to charity,” Healy said. “It also saves people buying lots of rolls of wrapping paper and only using a quarter and binning the rest.”
Hall said the gift-wrapping service, which started in 2014, had raised more than HK$1 million so far. That figure does not include this year’s proceeds.
“I think gift-wrapped presents under the Christmas tree are an integral part of family time, and that epitomises Christmas and the surprise for children on Christmas morning as they unwrap a gift, which is precious,” Hall said. “We’re very, very happy to continue our gift wrapping.”


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Operation Santa Claus

Doll set LOL Surprise! is hottest item this Christmas, Toys ‘R’ Us chief says, as girls’ toys fly off shelves

Toys ‘R’ Us Greater China and Southeast Asia chief commercial officer Jo Hall holds aloft the winning item. Photo: Xiaomei Chen

OSC Tree 19DEC17 On-line.

Toys R Us Chief Commercial Officer for Greater China & Southeast Asia, Jo Hall poses for a photograph during an OpSanta event at Toys R Us at Ocean Terminal in Tsim Sha Tsui. 14DEC17 SCMP / Xiaomei Chen

Photo of Toys' R' Us store at Harbour City in Tsim Sha Tsui. 19SEP17 SCMP / Sam Tsang

Santa helpbox

                  Operation Santa Claus raises record HK$21.3 million for Hong Kong, mainland Chinese charities

(L-R). Chief Operating Officer of Morgan Stanley's Technology & Data Division Jeanette Chu; RTHK Director of Broadcasting Leung Ka-wing; Convenor of the Executive Council Lam Woon-kwong; US Consul General Clifford Hart; CEO of SCMP Group Robin Hu; SVP Head of Corporate Services in Asia Pacific, Bank of America Merrill Lynch; Country Head of UBS Amy Lo and MD Agenda Consulting, our hosts, Alex Gibbs; at the Operation Santa Claus 2015 Closing Ceremony at the AIA Carnival in Central Harbourfront Event Space in Central. 19JAN16 SMCP/ Sam Tsang

Dignitaries clap the record takings for Operation Santa Claus. Among those on stage are RTHK Director of Broadcasting Leung Ka-wing (second from left), Executive Council convenor Lam Woon-kwong (third from left) and SCMP Group CEO Robin Hu (fourth from right). Photo: Sam Tsang

Doctors serve up Christmas cheer in cooking challenge for Operation Santa Claus

Hospital staff take time off their busy schedules for some Christmas culinary cheer for charity: (from left) Manbo Man Bo-lin, director of nursing services; John Chang So-min, director, refractive surgery; Walton Li Wai-tat, medical superintendent; Tsao Yen-chow, deputy medical superintendent; and Annie Chan On-on, director, gastroenterology and hepatology centre. Photo: Edward Wong

Hong Kong Sanatorium & Hospital Christmas Party (Operation Santa Claus) at Hong Kong Sanatorium & Hospital, Happy Valley. 19DEC16 SCMP/Edward Wong

Joseph Chan Woon-tong, Deputy Medical Superintendent of HKSH and Chairman of HKSH Village Volunteers at Hong Kong Sanatorium & Hospital Christmas Party (Operation Santa Claus) at Hong Kong Sanatorium & Hospital, Happy Valley. 19DEC16 SCMP/Edward Wong

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Chief commercial officer Jo Hall also says store’s charity gift-wrapping service has raised HK$1 million for Operation Santa Claus
