Despite the many changes within the Phoenix Centre, there is one thing which has remained constant -- a desire to provide quality goods at affordable prices. According to Tom Nelmes, manager of the Annex, the variety of toys in the store are testament to that. "Basically, our goal is to provide, at the end of the day, a unique shopping experience with respect to toys,'' he stressed. "In the past, the Phoenix has had a reputation of being an expensive place to shop. We're going out to get rid of that. We want customers to shop locally and we guarantee the best prices in town. If they find it at a cheaper price, we will give it to them at the price they've seen and also give them a free gift for their wasted time and effort.'' Many Bermudians who shop abroad for Christmas presents, said Mr. Nelmes, find themselves in a Toys `R' Us store or an environment similar to that. Because such franchises buy much more from wholesalers than the Phoenix Centre, which only services a population of 60,000, they receive toys at cheaper prices and sell them at a cost only marginally higher than the purchase price for the Bermuda General Agency (BGA). Because it is not a franchise however, the Annex is free to provide a wider variety of quality, brand names to its customers. "Bermudians are a discerning bunch of people,'' said Mr. Nelmes. "They're very quality-oriented and if last Christmas is anything to go by, they will go 100 miles to satisfy their children. Money is not an issue. But I would say a large majority shopping abroad find themselves in a Toys `R' Us environment.

What I want to offer them is something unique to Toys `R' Us. If they come into the store, they will see things that they can't find there. Six and twelve-volt electronically-powered cars for example. "Fisherprice, Little Tykes and Playskool are our three major brands, but we also have brands like Biro, Playmobile and Kenex. In Toys `R' Us, you might see Power Wheels by Fisherprice, but you won't see Prego. We firmly believe in quality toys and it's proven out. When a parent buys something, if it's cheap, it will be broken by the child in a heartbeat. With a quality purchase, at the end of the day, the toy will be handed down from one child to the next and be around a long time.'' A Bermudian, Mr. Nelmes lived in Australia for 20 years and worked for a major retailer on its Western Coast. He then came to Bermuda, working for the Supermart on Front Street for four years before joining BGA in its Food Service Division, where he managed perishable goods. He decided to return to the supermarket trade, taking on the post of accounts manager at the Market Place. He changed jobs again, returning to BGA's Magazine Distributors as buyer manager, until last Christmas when he took on his present post in the toy department. "The toy industry is male-dominated,'' he said. "When you enter stores, there is always a prevalence of male-oriented toys. Barbie is probably the biggest female toy out there so for Christmas this year, we've gone very big on Barbie. We will offer an extensive range. Anything from a Mercedes remote-controlled car to a pair of shoes for Barbie will be available to little girls. In September, we will start our lay-away programme for people for Christmas. So people interested in Power Wheels bikes and other popular items should come in early.'' Careful consideration is given so that a wide selection of toys is available for kids of all ages, he said, even adults.

"We provide educational toys also,'' he said. "It's a difficult market to find the products, but it's all coming together. We're bringing in, for children from newborns to three months old, a range of toys that stimulate the visual senses. At that age, they can only see in black and white tones so it's important to have a product that they can see. "For the older child, such as toddlers, we offer a large variety of toys by Little Tykes. These are bulky items and so really not something one should purchase abroad because the cost and the effort required to bring it back, just don't warrant it. We also Toys for all ages them at US prices and we take care of shipping etc. The company has had tremendous recognition by Parenting Magazine , a leading adult publication on childcare. Kids can start with a basic kit and can grow that set and extend it from toddler to pre-teen age. Parents pay anywhere between two and three thousand dollars, but over a ten year period, it's an investment and good value for money.'' Electronics have come to represent a huge area in the toy industry and the Annex offers many items, such as the Giga Pet, a virtual pet by Tiger, which are difficult to come by all over the world, he said. For the more mature group, he added, the store serves as a full-service hobby resource centre. Offering goods at close to US prices, customers can order and receive them within a week. "We like to think of ourselves as a specialty store.

We're here to provide quality service products that offer education and immeasurable entertainment to the children of Bermuda. We can even arrange theme parties for them, providing the plates, hats, party favours for party bags and all. We have a catalogue that parents can look through and, as long as we have a good two to three week notice, everything will be here on time.

We also wrap presents and have a great selection of paper.'' As part of the Phoenix Centre's week-long celebrations, the Annex is holding a colouring contest for children up to the age of 12. Crayons and application forms are available from the store. After judging, entries will be on display on the wall beside the escalator which leads down to the Annex. "On Saturday, (July 26), kids will be making a mural which will later be used as a backdrop by the escalator after the colouring contest entries are taken down. It will be a painted hand mural with their names and ages inside.'' An electric train by toymakers, Pegprego, will transport children around the store, while a magic display, face painting and lots of animated toys will add to the fun. PHOTO Toys, toys, toys! Annex staff from left: Supervisor, Olivette Spencer, Roche Woolfe and Geri-Lynn Goater Manager of the Annex, Tom Nelmes A wide selection of quality toys are available from the Annex PHOENIX BUSINESS BUC