HMV and The Works have both recorded increase in footfall and sales as more young people seek out physical stores to find products and share interests with other fans. The retailer has said its core music business is also benefiting as the popularity of K-pop CDs, trading cards and squishy toys push more children back into physical stores. The arts, crafts and stationery retailer, The Works, has also said the collectible squishy toy trend has improved sales, reporting selling thousands of the toys each week since demand accelerated in May.