King'Dultes focuses on playful adults

By Sibylle Dorndorf

He says he rarely plays. He finds it almost embarrassing to admit. But he doesn't have to, because he clearly has fun with toys. "He" is King Jouet CEO Philippe Gueydon. Gueydon leads the family business King Jouet, founded in 1875, in its fifth generation and is driving the expansion into the adult market with the King'Dultes business model.

King Jouet stands for a contemporary store concept with large, interactive experience areas – King'Dultes, or KD for short, sets standards in assortment and interior design, has a distinctive character, and addresses playful people from age 12 onwards.

King'Dultes wants to grow, even beyond France's borders. Switzerland is initially the focus of international expansion. A franchise system is also planned. An exciting journey and insights from first-hand experience. Welcome to the KD universe!

Questions and answers

Monsieur Gueydon, King Jouet is one of the leading toy retail companies in France. With the King'Dultes concept, you recognized and embraced the trend of adult toy buyers early on...

Philippe Gueydon: I don't see us as pioneers here. There has been and continues to be quite a bit in this area – I'm thinking of Lego stores, shops that exclusively carry board games for adult buyers, trading card game shops, manga stores, and many more. What's special about our business model is that we bring together these assortments for kidults under one roof.

When did you decide to "join in" in this area?

Philippe Gueydon: We observed that sales in this segment were rising sharply, but there was a lack of stores that covered the full range of kidult-relevant products. And ultimately, we said to ourselves that as an all-around provider of games and toy assortments for children, we had an optimal starting point for this diversification.

You initially tested the KD concept with pop-up stores and are now driving the expansion of King'Dultes further. Currently, you operate KD stores in Marseille, Nantes, Bordeaux, and two in Paris. Which French metropolitan areas and which countries would you like to expand the King'Dultes concept to?

Philippe Gueydon: We're initially focusing on major French urban centers. By the end of the year, we'll open additional stores in Lille and Lyon in France. We're launching our international expansion in Switzerland with a KD opening in Geneva. Our strategy is to primarily target countries where we already have a presence with King Jouet.

What timeframe will you pursue this expansion?

Philippe Gueydon: We're staying modest – everything is still very fresh – the first KD store only opened a year ago. The pace of expansion will depend heavily on our ability to further refine our concept and on how the already-opened KD stores develop. But we're currently very optimistic and expect to accelerate the pace from 2027 onwards.

You've set up a separate online sales channel for King'Dultes: KingDultes.com. Could you also imagine a standalone franchise concept for King'Dultes?

Philippe Gueydon: We've been on the market with KingDultes.com since July 2025. We want to offer a separate channel to playful adults who still perceive us as a pure kids brand. And yes, franchising is a business model we're seriously considering; there are already numerous expressions of interest, and we're open to master franchise models in countries where we don't yet have a presence.

What share of your total sales does the adult toy category currently represent?

Philippe Gueydon: Circana reports for 2025 that the kidult sector generates approximately 28 percent of global toy sales, with the French market already at 32 percent – also thanks to our multi-specialist FNAC (Fédération Nationale d'Achats des Cadres) or Lego stores. This represents an increase of 33 percent compared to the previous year, while the market overall grew by 17 percent.

Is this trend rising, and which segment is growing most strongly?

Philippe Gueydon: The trend is absolutely rising; the current drivers are primarily trading card games as well as building sets and kits.

What is the average sales area of KD stores, and are there special store concepts for them?

Philippe Gueydon: The average sales area is approximately 250 square meters. The stores are located in shopping centers and city center locations on the ground floor of buildings. King'Dultes has its own corporate design and a distinctive store concept with numerous display cases for high-quality product presentation.

How do you put together the assortment for King'Dultes?

Philippe Gueydon: The foundation of our assortment is based on what we offer in our King Jouet stores, which by the way all have a King'Dultes corner. We continuously expand the assortment, test new suppliers, and also rely on Circana data to determine the potential of certain products or assortments.

How do you proceed specifically?

Philippe Gueydon: Our KD assortment composition works essentially like King Jouet: A category manager works on the relevant product category, researches, meets with suppliers, visits trade shows, and gathers information about the target group's wishes and expectations.

How many items do you carry in the kidult area?

Philippe Gueydon: Approximately 2,500 SKUs (Stock Keeping Units).

In a kidult store, it's rather difficult to work with classical sales staff. Who drives sales in the King'Dultes stores?

Philippe Gueydon: You're right about that. Our sales staff in KD stores consists of recognized experts in board games and trading card games, collectors, enthusiasts, manga fans...

When we talk about kidults, we're not just talking about geeks and nerds. How do you engage adult customers who have a playful hobby?

Philippe Gueydon: Customer loyalty is created by our store teams, who speak the same language as our target group.

Do you offer targeted events and activities?

Philippe Gueydon: We regularly organize after-work workshops where people can play and discover new products and assortments.

People always say that adult men are more inclined to play than adult women. Is this stereotype true?

Philippe Gueydon: That may have been the case once. In our current customer surveys, we find that both genders are now almost equally represented. Women in particular in categories like Kawai.

In the past, adults with childish hobbies were looked down upon. Hardly anyone dared to admit that they collected toys, enjoyed role-playing games, or built Lego models. What has changed here?

Philippe Gueydon: This view no longer exists; on the contrary: playing is now seen in society as something valuable – culturally as well – as a counterbalance, digital detox, and a wonderful way to relax alone or together. For example, at game afternoons and evenings with family or friends.

Do you sense the fresh wind of younger generations, a new self-confidence, and greater appreciation in society for the importance of play?

Philippe Gueydon: Yes, there's a generational effect, particularly with board games. Among 20- to 30-year-olds, it's now very trendy to pull out a game on many occasions – whether on the go, at an aperitif, or a cozy evening...

The most fascinating shops for pop culture and collectibles can be found in Japan and South Korea. A huge fan community has established itself around designer toys, collectible figures, and nostalgia. Do you also travel to see such concepts?

Philippe Gueydon: Yes, last summer my daughter Coralie and I were at the trade show in Tokyo, and of course we also visited the relevant shops on that occasion. This year my son-in-law Noam is traveling there with our "Catman." What we saw was very inspiring regarding kidult potential – in Japan, this area already accounts for 50 percent of the toy market. Brick-and-mortar retail dominates here, which is remarkable for this technologically leading country.

Let's talk about succession planning. You lead the company in the 5th generation. Your daughter Coralie has been Directrice générale adjointe, or deputy CEO, since the end of 2025. She is responsible for major strategic areas. Your daughter Pauline's husband, Noam Bouyakoub-Menut, is also deputy CEO. Together with Coralie, he is to take over the operational management of the company. How are responsibilities currently divided?

Philippe Gueydon: Coralie and Noam share responsibilities, with Coralie focusing more on back-office areas and Noam on sales. Each also heads a cross-functional department. Coralie heads the Customer/Marketing department and Noam heads Human Resources. On central strategic issues – for example, the company's medium-term vision and strategy – they make decisions together.

In your opinion, what qualities must one have to successfully position oneself as an entrepreneur in retail today?

Philippe Gueydon: In my view, you must first have the qualities of an athlete: persistence, endurance, and teamwork. You must constantly be able to adapt to new circumstances and challenges. And above all, you must have the ability to keep both the small details and the "big picture" in view. And – very importantly: you must be able to put yourself in the customer's shoes.

Monsieur Gueydon, thank you very much for these inspiring insights.