The Mall Group has witnessed a slight drop in the number of shoppers visiting its stores, resulting in a reduction of up to 5 per cent in revenue during recent months as political tension has risen.

Mall Group chief merchandising officer Saridpong Rattanapote said both Siam Paragon and other department stores under the group had suffered from a 1-2 per cent drop in the number of customers.

"We need to focus more on events to attract niche market groups, which we believe will be sufficient to draw interest at a time when [some normal] consumers are highly concerned about the political tension," he said.

Meanwhile, Siam Paragon, the Tourism Authority of Thailand, Kantana, and 50 leading toy-makers are getting together to stage the Bangkok International Toys Show 2006, and they hope the 11-day event, starting on March 31, will achieve sales of Bt30 million.

Saridpong said yesterday it was the first time the organisers - led by Siam Paragon Department Store, the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) and the Kantana Group - have worked together.

The Bangkok International Toys Show will be held at Royal Paragon Hall, on the fifth floor of Siam Paragon, from March 31 to April 10. It marks the debut of what is planned to be an annual event, bringing together newly released children's toys and the year's biggest exhibition of educational aids.

TAT's deputy governor for domestic marketing, Juthaporn Rerngronasa, said the event's objectives underlined and strengthened Thailand's toy industries, as well as developing a learning stage for Thai children.

Moreover, Siam Paragon is known as a world-class shopping destination and has a reputation for supporting tourist activities, said Juthaporn. Therefore, the agency is pleased to support the toy show by working to attract both local and international visitors, as well as making the event part of its annual tourist activity calendar.

Kantana Group managing director Sasikorn Chansate said Kantana had operated in the entertainment business for 55 years with the objective to creating valuable works dedicated to Thai society. This year the group is happy to return benefits to Thai children by taking part in the International Toys Show.

Kantana will present special activities and performances at the show, including appearances by characters from the cartoon "Ma-Kan-Kluay", which will have its premiere in May.

The Bangkok International Toys Show 2006 will be spread over 10,000 square metres in Royal Paragon Hall.

Organisers claim it will have the highest value of any retail toy market in Asia, and will strengthen Thailand's domestic toy industry.