2014: Best performance for four years for the British toy market Black Friday week sales up 10%, the biggest week of the year

Transcription

1 2014: Best performance for four years for the British toy market Black Friday week sales up 10%, the biggest week of the year London, 20th January 2015: On the first morning of the Toy Fair in London, the British Toy and Hobby Association (BTHA), in partnership with the NPD Group, has announced that the British toy market has increased by 4.4% in 2014, its best result since 2010 (+8%), to reach 3 billion at retail, an increase of 130 million. According to the global information provider, The NPD Group, 2014 was boosted by a comeback of collectable brands where unit sales rose by over 12% to 416 million toys, as sales under 5 increased by 9%. This comes after a flat performance was recorded for This is a tremendous result for the British toy industry during a year of challenging trading conditions. The industry continually evolves to remain relevant to the demands from children and their families and this innovation combined with many consumers desire to prioritise their children s playtime has undoubtedly had a positive effect on the year, commented Roland Earl, Director General of the BTHA. For the first time ever, toy sales during Black Friday week increased by 10% as consumers snapped up higher priced main presents and electronic toys, resulting in Black Friday sales exceeding those of the week prior to Christmas, traditionally the largest selling week in the toy market. Overall, the Christmas season was strong with an overall increase of 3% year- on- year for December. In 2014, sales of newly launched products increased by 16% compared to 2013 s range of new toys. These accounted for 37% of annual sales. Each year, tens of thousands of new toys are launched at Toy Fair, and those are usually in high demand in the UK for consumers who want to make sure they get the best new toys under the Christmas tree and for occasion throughout the year for their little ones. said Frédérique Tutt, Toys Global Industry Analyst for The NPD Group.

2 Top 10 best- selling new toys, Sterling Sales Great Britain Item manufacturer 2014 Fifa World Cup Brazil Official Album Stickers Panini STAR WARS Great Vehicles 2014 Frozen Snow Glow Elsa JAKKS Pacific (Corp) Mini Figures The Simpsons Series STAR WARS MF set 2014 Disney Frozen Ice Skating Assortment Mattel (Corp) Transformers Age Of Extinction Flip N Change Asst Hasbro (Corp) Cra-Z-Loom Bracelet Maker Character Options Kidizoom Smart Watch Vtech (Corp) STAR WARS Great Vehicles 2014 PP1 Source: The NPD Group/Retail Tracking Service Amongst the new toys, several creative products such as looms and four separate LEGO items were extremely popular and brought kids back to making things was also particularly strong for licenses, eight of the top 10 new products were linked to a movie or a cartoon and Disney s Frozen became the largest toy- selling movie in the U.K., beating the previous record held by Toy Story 3 (2010), and the largest license in toy sales for the year, despite stock shortages of some popular items. On the opening day of Toy Fair in London, the NPD Group s analysts are anticipating another good year for 2015, based on the 2014 figures and the products slated for 2015, as Frédérique Tutt concludes: 2014 was the strongest year for the British toy industry since From spring to Christmas, sales were up fuelled by exciting new products, licenses and collectables. In 2015, we won t be able to rely on looms nor the World Cup, but thanks to product innovation and a strong line- up of movies including the next installment of Jurassic World and the latest Star Wars there will be plenty of excitement for kids big and small throughout the year and we expect the market to increase by 3%. With over 260 exhibitors at Toy Fair, launching the next wave of brand new products, these three days provide the perfect opportunity for buyers and media to assess the new products for 2015 and determine which lines will be the key market drivers for the year ahead, concluded Roland Earl from the BTHA. - Ends- For more information, please contact: Frederique Tutt, Global Toy Industry Analyst The NPD Group T: +33 (0) frederique.tutt@npd.com

3 Stuart Ridsdale T: + 44 (0) stuart@greenfieldscommunications.com Lucy Green T: lucy@greenfieldscommunications.com Roland Earl, General Secretary, British Toy and Hobby Association T: + 44 (0) Roland@btha.co.uk Dean Barrett Bastion T: +44 (0) dean@bastion.co.uk Ravi Vijh Bastion T: 44 (0) ravi@bastion.co.uk Notes to Editors About the BTHA The British Toy & Hobby Association was established in 1944 to represent the interests of British toy manufacturers and to raise standards of practice in the industry. Today it has around 140 members ranging from international toy giants to small family- run businesses that together account for over 90% of the UK toy market. Membership of the British Toy & Hobby Association shows the member s commitment to adhere to the BTHA Code of Practice under the umbrella of the Lion Mark which includes rules covering ethical and safe manufacture of toys, toy safety, a ban on counterfeit goods, an assurance to market responsibly, a commitment to improving sustainability and a desire to promote the value of all play through support of the Make Time 2 Play campaign. Our members are manufacturers committed to making good quality toys in a responsible way. The BTHA also administers the Toy Trust - the industry s charity. About Toy Fair Toy Fair is the only dedicated toy, game and hobby exhibition in the UK. Toy Fair is 62 years old in 2015 with more than 260 exhibiting companies - ranging from the large internationals to the new start- up companies - showcasing thousands of brand new toys, games and hobbies to the UK s largest gathering of toy industry professionals. Toy Fair provides visitors with a real insight into a fun, innovative and exciting industry, as well as a great opportunity to touch, feel and experiment with the products of the future. The exhibition is a showcase, a networking opportunity and an ideal event to do great business in an exciting environment. Press day: Toy Fair press day takes place today - Tuesday 20 January To register for a visitor or press pass, please visit About The NPD Group, Inc. The NPD Group provides global information and advisory services to drive better business decisions. By combining unique data assets with unmatched industry expertise, we help our clients track their

4 markets, understand consumers, and drive profitable growth. Sectors covered include automotive, beauty, consumer electronics, entertainment, fashion, food / foodservice, home, luxury, mobile, office supplies, sports, technology, toys, and video games. npdgroupblog.com Follow us on

5 Quick Look: The British Toy Market Great Britain is the largest European toy market Toy sales increased by +4.4% in Disney Frozen Market Size: (gain in one year 130 million) 3 LICENCE #1 licence for the year2 Units: 416 billion Licensed sales drove toy market growth, up 11% to represent 28% of total toy sales in 2014 million toy s (increase of 46 million since 2013) 38% Online Sales3 Up 11% in the last 12 months +11% of toy sales December sales 26% represent no less than 26% of annual sales2 Toy Spend per child 3 (children up to age 11) Up 3.7% versus 2013, whilst Black Friday week increased by 10% versus 2013 There were more than 70,000 new toys launched in per annum toys received 850 million at retail 1 Source: The NPD Group/Consumer and Retail Tracking Services Source: The NPD Group/Retail Tracking Service Source: The NPD Group/Consumer Tracking Service, 12 months ending Sept For more information about our toy industry solutions, contact Toys Global Industry Analyst Frédérique Tutt at or frederique.tutt@npd.com. npd.com representing more than 37% of British toy sales or more than 850 million at retail