Seasonal calendar for kiosks and toy shops: when to buy, what to display

Why ordering ahead pays off

Seasonal stock has a fixed expiry date, not on the pack but in the calendar. A Halloween item that arrives on 3 November will gather dust until next year. So for every occasion the rule is the same: goods must be on the shelf before demand starts.

In our experience it pays to order seasonal items three to six weeks ahead of the occasion, and earlier still for products tied to a fixed date, such as advent calendars. That leaves time to test a first quantity and reorder if needed.

At the same time, quantity should match the selling window. The shorter the season, the more cautious the first order. Our guide on buying trend products explains how to plan quantities for short-lived items.

January and February: fresh start and Valentine's Day

January is quieter after Christmas. Use the time to clear leftover holiday stock and tidy up the core range. Christmas designs move out of sight, neutral products move to the front.

For Valentine's Day on 14 February, teenagers in particular look for small gifts for friends and partners. Pink and red catch the eye: the Butter Squishy Pink 113 g, Pipapo Knax Milky Strawberry and Toppie Strawberry Gummy combine nicely into a small Valentine's corner by the till.

When to order: late January. Where to display: by the till from early February, then back into the normal range after the 14th.

March and April: Easter

Easter falls on a different date every year, usually between late March and late April, so check the calendar early. Alongside chocolate bunnies from your core range, parents and grandparents look for small extras for Easter baskets.

Squishies work well here because they are not sweets but still fit in a basket. Visually suitable are the Carrot Crunchy Squishy, the Apple Stress Squishy or colourful Mini Dumpling Squishies. Add fruit gums in small bags such as Toppie Jelly Fruits 40 g.

When to order: four to six weeks before Easter. Where to display: clearly visible two to three weeks before the holiday, ideally next to your other Easter products.

May to August: summer and holidays

In summer, business shifts to the fridge. Chilled drinks become the main earner, especially on hot days and near parks, swimming pools and playgrounds. Beyond the classics, Cantabile Ade, LOTTE Milkis, AMIGO in the small 200 ml size and Red Bull special editions add variety.

Check before summer whether your fridge capacity is enough. A second fridge pays for itself faster than you might think during a heatwave. Keep items containing chocolate cool in summer and out of the shop window.

During the summer holidays, which vary by region, your customers change: schoolchildren are away, day-trippers and tourists come in. When to order drinks: mid-May, then on a rolling basis.

August and September: back to school

When school starts again, the children come back, and so does their pocket money. In Germany, first-graders also receive a filled school cone, often with small toys and sweets.

Small, affordable items work well in these weeks: AMIGO 200 ml, Toppie Jelly Fruits 40 g, Pipapo Knax and squishies. The Spinner Ball and small squishies are popular as gift fillers. More toys for this age group are listed on our toy wholesale page.

When to order: two to three weeks before school starts in your region. Where to display: at children's eye level, lower than usual.

October: Halloween

Halloween has become a fixed date for kiosks and toy shops in many European countries. Customers want products with a spooky or dare factor.

The Crispy Butter Halloween squishy brings the theme to the counter. Spicy snacks like Takis Fuego or Samyang Buldak suit party dares. The Stranger Things snacks appeal to fans of the series and fit naturally into a Halloween corner.

When to order: early to mid-September. Where to display: from early October. On 1 November, clear the Halloween corner and make room for Christmas.

November and December: Christmas and New Year

The busiest time of the year starts with advent calendars. They need to be in the shop by mid-November at the latest, because their season ends on 1 December. MDH offers the Dumpling Advent Calendar in German and in English packaging.

Christmas squishies for Secret Santa and small gifts follow, along with drinks for the holidays and New Year's Eve. Our guide to Christmas sales in the kiosk covers these weeks in detail, and the matching products are on our Christmas squishies wholesale page.

When to order: advent calendars in October, Christmas items by mid-November, top-ups until mid-December.

The calendar at a glance

Late January: order for Valentine's Day. February to March: order for Easter. Mid-May: drinks for summer. July to August: order for back to school. September: order for Halloween. October to November: order for Christmas and New Year.

For the plan to work, you need an approved trade account before the first season comes round. Registering with proof of business takes about 3 minutes, and the check usually takes 1–2 working days. Within Germany we normally deliver in 24–48 hours, other EU countries with shipping agreed beforehand, and with no minimum order value you can still add single cases shortly before an occasion.