DESPITE it only being September, it was hard to not feel the magic of Christmas standing inside Hamleys’ Christmas Grotto.

I’d been invited down to get a sneak peek of all the toys the iconic children’s retailer expects to fly off the shelves this festive season, and walking into the showcase, I knew it would be magical.

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With the holidays less than 100 days away, families may already be overwhelmed trying to figure out what the little ones in their life hope to find under the tree.

But Victoria Kay, head of buying and merchandising Hamleys, reckons toys influenced by children’s films are going to be a big hit this year.

This will probably not come as a surprise to parents.

Last year, the success of the blockbuster Barbie movie sent demand for the plastic doll skyrocketing.

And this Christmas appears to be no different, with a singing Moana doll poised to a fan favourite amongst kids.

Disney will release the sequel to the smash hit film, which follows the journey of a Polynesian princess who sets off on a quest to save her people, at the end of November.

The new Moana doll comes with her own necklace that plays a rendition of Moana’s Disney classic ‘How Far I’ll Go’ every time they press it.

It is recommended for children aged three and up and if you buy it at Hamleys it will set you back £29.99.

If you are hunting for a bargain, Amazon is selling the same doll for £23.49, but you’ll have to factor in delivery costs.

On the same Disney theme, Hamleys also predicts a laughing Stich soft toy will be a success this Christmas.

The 11-inch-high interactive blue alien is activated by a simple shake which then prompts the character to giggle and wobble.

It comes as a new live-action Lilo and Stich is set to land in cinemas next year, over two decades on from the first movie.

Hamleys is charging £24.99 for the plush, which is about four quid cheaper than Amazon’s asking price.

You can also buy the toy from Argos for £25.

Christmas on a budget

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Money will still be tight for many families this Christmas, so I was happy to see that one of Hamleys top toys cost just under £10.

L.O.L Surprise Mermaid Tots are the latest take on the ever-popular L.OL Dolls.

Children can make each of them a tail which changes colour when it is dipped in water.

If the kids in your life enjoy surprise or mystery boxes then they could enjoy this, as you don’t know what the doll will look like until you open the box.

Hamleys is charging £9.99 for the product, which is on par with John Lewis and Very who are also stocking the toy.

The retailer is also selling a selection of large plush toys shaped like cupcakes or chips for £22.

If your children like Squishmallows, then this would be a big hit.

However, if you are looking for a bargain, Dunelm is also selling a selection of similar products for £10.

Keeping it classic

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Nothing screams Christmas like stepping on a piece of Lego, so I was pleased to see this classic find a spot on the list.

Hamleys reckons a £80 LEGO Transformer Bumblebee will also be a hit this year.

The item is considered a collectable item for lovers of the sci-fi series and is only suitable for those aged 18.

This is because it could be a challenge to stick together.

A Play-Doh Hulk Smash and Squish is also expected to be in high demand.

It comes with the heroic green bendy action figure, 360-degree pressing tool and three moulds to create tanks, trucks and other shapes.

This will cost £16.99 at Hamleys, which is the same price as Smyths Toys.

You can check out the other toys Hamleys expects to be a smash below.

Numberblocks Five Musical Superstar Stage

Cost: £49.95 

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An interactive musical playset allows children to join FIVE, the lead singer in the band to singalong to songs and sound effects.

Hamleys appears to be the only UK retailer currently stocking the toy.

The Bulldozer Stunt Bounce Car

Costs £45

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This is also only available to buy at Hamleys and is suitable for children aged eight and up.

The remote control vehicle has lights, three-gear acceleration and a 360-degree rotation and 180 -degree flip modes.

Paw Patrol Rescue Wheels Deluxe Vehicle

Costs: £44.99

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This toy truck comes with one of Paw Patrol’s most loved characters, Chase.

The toy features flashing lights and sounds, as well as a projectile launcher.

If you are on the hunt for a bargain, The Entertainer is currently selling the same product for £17.99.

The retailer has over 160 stores across the UK and is also available online.

Drop Trivia Game 

Costs £24.99

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This game is suitable for children aged six and above and asks players to answer questions quickly.

It is currently out of stock at other toy retailers such as Smyths and The Entertainer.

The Terror Fried Gross Bucket 

Costs £29.99

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This is a set of nine collectable figures from the TerrorFried franchise.

Other retailers such as Smyths, Very and Selfridges are also stocking this product for the same price as Hamleys.

Hamleys Arias Allessandra Fur White Bonnet Baby Doll

Costs £120

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This pricey doll has a soft-touch body and limbs and a lifelike weight so it feels like you are holding a real baby.

She comes with a romper and fleece, a dummy on a wooden chain, a family book and Certificate of Authenticity.

The product is only available to buy at Hamleys.

HAIRDRESSERS and waiters are set for a £200million bonus as new tipping rules come into force today.

Their bosses will have to pass on all tips, gratuities and service charges without deductions.

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Employers who try to snatch the cash could be slapped with fines or forced to pay compensation under the act.

And staff concerned their hard-earned tips are being taken will be able to take their boss to an employment tribunal.

 Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds said: “It’s completely unacceptable that £200million a year gets taken out of tip jars by company bigwigs.

“From today, 100 per cent of tips will be put back in the pockets of our brilliant workers. But this is just the start.

“We will make work pay for Sun readers — from the white van man to supermarket staff.”

Ben Thomas, CEO of cashless tipping platform TiPJAR, said: “Our hospitality and service industries are powered by an exceptionally talented workforce.

“For the first time, these millions of workers can trust tips employers collect on their behalf will always be passed to them.”

It comes ahead of Deputy PM Angela Rayner’s controversial Employment Rights Bill.

The legislation — set to be published next month — will strengthen union powers.

It will make changes to zero-hours contracts, probationary periods and guarantee employees rights from day one as well as default flexible working.

SHOPPERS are racing to their nearest bargain supermarket to scoop up Oreo cheesecakes scanning at the till for just 49p after its price was slashed from £2.49.

The savvy customer shared their find on Facebook, receiving hundreds of likes and comments from fellow Oreo fans eager to get their hands on the sweet treat.

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The post revealed that Farmfoods had slashed the price of its Oreo cheesecakes to just 49p.

Reacting to the post one user wrote: “And this is why I love Farmfoods.”

“I know where I’m going tomorrow,” commented another.

A third shopper tagged their friend and said: “Your gran would have sent us to Farmfoods lol.”

While a fourth user added: “We need a Farmfoods trip.”

Several others tagged friends, urging them to head to Farmfoods as soon as possible.

It is unclear which branch the shopper snapped up the bargain treat and discounts may vary from store to store.

Previously, the major supermarket chain sold another classic chocolate at a discounted price.

A bargain hunter revealed that she got an amazing deal on Kinder chocolate eggs which scanned for just 49p at the tills.

She said: “49P EACH FARMFOODS.”

The savvy shopper bought 15 of the pack of three kinder eggs treats. 

She said: “Yes I left some I have four kids and nieces and nephews.”

The post racked up nearly 1000 likes in just a few hours with over 500 comments. 

Many users said they would have completely cleared the shelves if they had spotted the deal in their local stores. 

One user said: “Hi if you find a find just take the cost of living means everyone has been affected. Well done you.”

Another said: “I cleared my Farmfoods shelf, not sorry but mine had the month of August on for anyone wondering.”

“Wouldn’t have left any,” claimed a third.

Unfortunately for some shoppers, news of the bargain chocolate spread quickly, leading to multiple stores running out of stock.

One user said: “Bummer didn’t see any in my local farm foods and can’t beat kinder chocolate.”

Another savvy shopper spotted the deal in her store after seeing the post online. 

She said: “49p in Farmfoods thanks for the person posting it and buying all of it.”

Some viewers were concerned about the quality of the treats asking if the low prices were due to them being out of date. 

They asked: “Are the dates good on them? These would be so good for trick-or-treaters!”

But those who had managed to get the deal assured they would be good for a few months. 

The shopper said: “Mine are September.”

It comes after Iceland fan rushed to their nearest store to buy a “fab” snack dupe scanning at tills for £1.20 less than the popular original.

And sweet-toothed Brits have been left delighted after spotting a new flavour of a popular treat sitting on Co-op shelves.

A FATHER nearly missed out on hundreds of thousands of pounds after skimming over an email from The National Lottery.

John McDowell, 53, from Bathgate, West Lothian, is hoping to take an early retirement after scooping more than £183,000 on the EuroMillions.

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The father-of-three won a whopping £183,257.40 on September 6 and knows exactly what he’ll be spending his money on.

After ordering his brother his first passport for their trip abroad, Mr McDowell is keen to help his daughters get on the property ladder, and get his mother a new kitchen.

He also wants to splash out on a new car.

Mr McDowell is caring for his father, and woke him up to tell him the news after seeing an email, describing the moment as “surreal”.

He booked a holiday for Egypt at Christmas to take his brother abroad for the first time, and has begun the process of getting him a passport.

Mr McDowell currently works as a school caretaker.

He said: “I absolutely love my job but winning this money will mean I get to retire that little bit earlier and put my feet up sooner.

“I can’t wait to treat my family – my brother has never been abroad before so the first thing I wanted to do was book a holiday somewhere hot and sunny for us both.

“I asked him whether he fancied spending Christmas in Egypt as it would be nice to spend some time swapping the cold Scottish weather for somewhere warm at that time of year.

“He agreed, so I told him to get a passport ordered. It will be a really special holiday.

“I have been wanting to get myself a new car for a while, but I’ve been putting it off, but I’ll definitely be shopping for one soon.

“I like to travel up north to get away from it all, so I’d love to get an SUV-style car – maybe a Kia Sportage – to help me explore.

“I would also like to help my daughters plan for their futures, so I’ll now also be able to help them to get on the property ladder when the time’s right.”

He described the feeling of winning as “surreal” after three years of buying lottery tickets.

He matched the five main numbers and one Lucky Star number in the EuroMillions draw on September 6.

The winning numbers from that draw were 12, 14, 34, 41, 47 and the Lucky Star numbers were 3 and 4.

Mr McDowell said: “On the night I won, I was just about to go to bed and had a quick look at my phone and saw an email from The National Lottery.

“I was going to ignore it as I thought it would be nothing, but curiosity got the better of me and I had a look and realised it said I had matched five main numbers and one Lucky Star.

“Everyone in the house was in bed so I made myself a cup of tea before telling anyone – I then woke my dad up to tell him and he didn’t understand at first – he thought I was joking.

“It’s so surreal, I still can’t believe it.”

AN ULTRA-rare war sketch on a £2 coin has caused its value to skyrocket to 25 times its original value.

These unique coins were issued by The Royal Mint to mark the centenary of the First World War.

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The back of the £2 collector’s item pays homage to the pilots of the war, showcasing a drawing of a First World War aircraft.

It is the fourth coin to be released in the series honouring the aviators.

Thousands of these coins are already in circulation, so be sure to check your wallets—you might have a small fortune waiting for you.

The rare £2 coins have fetched a hefty sum on eBay, with one selling for £49 – almost 25 times its original value.

Another user auctioned their World War-themed coin for an impressive £33, which is over 16 times its original value.

Meanwhile, two other sellers sold their coins for £18 and £19, respectively.

This is not the only rare £2 piece out there, however.

A set of £2 coins commissioned for the 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester frequently attracts sale prices of more than £50 online.

One sold for £57 on July 3 – which is 28 times more than its value.

The most valuable coin in the set is the Queen Elizabeth II £2: Commonwealth Games Northern Ireland.

The coin’s main feature is a sketch of a running woman accompanied by the flag of Northern Ireland.

How to spot rare coins and banknotes

Rare coins and notes hiding down the back of your sofa could sell for hundreds of pounds.

If you are lucky enough to find a rare £10 note you might be able to sell it for multiple times its face value.

You can spot rare notes by keeping an eye out for the serial numbers.

These numbers can be found on the side with the Monarch’s face, just under the value of £10 in the corner of the note.

Also if you have a serial number on your note that is quite quirky you could cash in thousands.

For example, one seller bagged £3,600 after spotting a specific serial number relating to the year Jane Austen was born on one of their notes.

You can check if your notes are worth anything on eBay, just tick “completed and sold items” and filter by the highest value.

It will give you an idea of what people are willing to pay for some notes.

But do bear in mind that yours is only worth what someone else is willing to pay for it.

This is also the case for coins, you can determine how rare your coin is by looking a the latest scarcity index.

The next step is to take a look at what has been recently sold on eBay.

Experts from Change Checker recommend looking at “sold listings” to be sure that the coin has sold for the specified amount rather than just been listed.

People can list things for any price they like, but it doesn’t mean it will sell for that amount.

We explain further how you can find out if you have a rare coin worth thousands sitting around the house.

How to sell a rare coin

If, after checking, you realise you’ve come across a rare coin, there are a number of ways you can sell it.

You can sell it on eBay, through Facebook, or in an auction.

But be wary of the risks.

For example, there are a number of scams targeting sellers on Facebook.

Crooks will say they’re planning to buy the item and ask for money upfront for a courier they’ll be sending around.

But it’s all a ruse to get you to send free cash to them – and they never have any intention of picking your item up.

It’s always best to meet in person when buying or selling on Facebook Marketplace.

Ensure it’s a public meeting spot that’s in a well-lit area.

Avoid payment links and log in directly through the payment method’s website.

Most sellers prefer to deal with cash directly when meeting to ensure it’s legitimate.

The safest way to sell a rare coin is more than likely at auction.

You can organise this with The Royal Mint’s Collectors Service. It has a team of experts who can help you authenticate and value your coin.

You can get in touch via email and a member of the valuation team will get back to you.

You will be charged for the service, though – the cost varies depending on the size of your collection.

Meanwhile, you can sell rare coins on eBay.

But take into account that if you manage to sell your item then eBay will charge you 10% of the money you made – this includes postage and packaging.

Always keep proof of postage to protect yourself from dodgy buyers who may claim they never received the item.

Send the parcel by tracked delivery if you can as this way they can’t claim it never arrived.

MULBERRY faces a handbagging from Mike Ashley after the tycoon launched an £83million offer and declared the luxury brand’s “status quo is an untenable position”.

Mr Ashley’s Frasers Group, which already owns a 37 per cent stake in Mulberry, launched its 130p-a-share bid after complaining it had been blindsided by Mulberry’s cash call on Friday night.

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Mulberry, which is best known for its £1,195 Alexa handbags, wants to tap investors for £10million after slumping sales knocked it to a loss.

Mulberry’s shares had started the day plunging by 12 per cent on the back of its cash call, but Mr Ashley’s takeover approach sent them rebounding 5.5 per cent higher.

Frasers had briefly considered a takeover in November 2020 when Mulberry was worth £124million.

Frasers said: “We believe the status quo to be an untenable position for Frasers and the other minority holders of Mulberry shares . . . we believe Frasers to be the best steward for returning Mulberry to profitability.”

Mr Ashley will now have to go head to head with Mulberry’s biggest investor, Challice, which owns 56 per cent and is controlled by the Singaporean entrepreneur Christina Ong.

Mulberry’s annual report, released on Friday night, revealed it could breach its banking covenants if its sales tumbled by a worst-case scenario of 14 per cent.

It is understood that Mulberry and the Ong family will reject Mr Ashley’s approach as a lowball attempt.

Sources highlighted Ms Ong had been a long term investor and supportive of the cashcall and Mulberry’s recent hiring of new chief exec Andrea Baldo from Ganni.

Saga opens old wound

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THE MULBERRY saga has been a painful reminder for Mike Ashley of his car crash at Debenhams.

His £180million stake was wiped out when the store hit the wall after repeatedly turning down his overtures. Even in administration it snubbed him.

Alongside its takeover approach, Frasers Group said yesterday as it made a play for Mulberry: “Frasers will not accept another Debenhams situation where a perfectly viable business is run into administration.”

At Debenhams, Mr Ashley offered the department store a loan lifeline, but only with hefty conditions.

It appears Mulberry is from the same playbook.

He may just want better terms for Mulberry bags in Flannels and House of Fraser shops.

eBay fee on sales ditched

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EBAY is scrapping fees for sellers on all items from today so users keep the cash they make from flogging their unwanted goods.

Typically selling an item for £20 would cost £3 in fees and charges per sale on eBay.

The online marketplace is reacting to competition from Facebook Marketplace, Vinted and Depop in a bid to boost revenues.

Research reveals Brits have about 294million unused items lying about their homes, which could generate £9billion.

Half of households have between £50 and £300 of unused items ready to sell, with the most common being clothes, DVDs and tech items.

Kirsty Keoghan, boss of ebay UK, said: “The average household is sitting on money from items they aren’t using.”

eBay has introduced AI tech to help sellers write product descriptions and remove messy backgrounds from product photos.

REA moving on

AUSTRALIA’S REA GROUP has dropped its pursuit of Rightmove after the UK property website rejected a fourth £6.2billion offer.

REA said that it was “disappointed” that Rightmove did not give it extra time ahead of a bid deadline of yesterday, which it said “impeded our ability to make a firm offer”.

Rightmove said REA’s offer was still “unattractive”.

Shares in Rightmove fell by 7.6 per cent to 617.40.

REA Group is majority-owned by News Corp, which also owns The Sun.

HOUSE prices have climbed at the fastest rate in two years.

They were 3.2 per cent higher last month compared with last year, said Nationwide.

Prices rose by 0.7 per cent on the previous month, taking the average property value to £266,094.