No amount of money can buy the joy that a toy can bring to a child. This was the view expressed Thursday by the local distributor of Barbie dolls and other high-end toys who also said that the toy market in the country continues to flourish despite the hard times. Myrna Yao, Richwell Trading Corp. chief operating officer, said the P10-billion toy market in the country has not slowed down even with the economic difficulties.
“Parents are also happy when they buy toys for their kids even if this would empty their pockets,” Yao said in a roundtable with editors and reporters of The Manila Times.
She added that her company, Richwell, believes that every child deserves a happy childhood and that toys “give them happiness they cannot forget.”
Yao said that Richwell Trading started in 1980 as a trader of vehicle tires in Quezon City before becoming a leading distributor of toys and children’s apparel.
She added that her company began selling Barbie dolls in 1982, when most Filipinos thought they were expensive and impractical. They were confident that nothing could go wrong with the world’s most popular doll.
Then came orders from department stores as well as bookstores.
“And, as they say, the rest is history,” Yao said.
She pointed out that Barbie dolls and spin-off products such as school supplies, bags, shoes and clothes now account for about a fourth of total company sales.
Later on, Richwell Trading also became the exclusive distributor of Hot Wheels, Matchbox, VTech electronic toys, Pigeon baby products and other well-known brands. Besides toys, the company also licenses and distributes shoes and apparels of the brands they carry. It also operates Barbie, Chicco and Kids Depot outlets.
Its affiliate, Europlay Distributor Co. Inc., meanwhile distributes Chicco and Mega Bloks, among others.
“We have been constantly growing,” Yao said.
Four years ago, Richwell introduced a lower-priced brand, Star Kids, whose toys are priced just between P49 and P199.
Yao said Richwell Trading is committed to providing affordable, good quality and safe products that children, as well as adults, would enjoy. –BEN ARNOLD DE VERA REPORTER, Manila Times
July 2025
Nutrition Month
“Give us much more than P50 increase
for proper nutrition!”
Invoke Article 33 of the ILO Constitution
against the military junta in Myanmar
to carry out the 2021 ILO Commission of Inquiry recommendations
against serious violations of
Forced Labour and Freedom of Association protocols.
Accept National Unity Government (NUG)
of Myanmar. Reject Military!
#WearMask #WashHands #Distancing #TakePicturesVideosturesVideos
July
3 July – International Day of Cooperatives
3 July – International Plastic Bag Free Day
5 July – World Youth Skills Day
7 July – Global Forgiveness Day
11 July – World Population Day
17 July – World Day for International Justice
28 July – World Nature Conservation Day
30 July – World Day against Trafficking in Persons
Monthly Observances:
Schools Safety Month
Nutrition Month
National Disaster Consciousness Month
Weekly Observances:
Week 2: Cultural Communities Week
Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprise
Development Week
Week 3: National Science and
Technology Week
National Disability Prevention and
Rehabilitation Week
July 1-7:
National Culture Consciousness Week
July 13-19:
Philippines Business Week
Week ending last Saturday of July:
Arbor Week
Daily Observances:
First Saturday of July:
International Cooperative Day
in the Philippines
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