FOR THE third month in a row, the traditional toy market saw steady growth. In July, sales were up two per cent in terms of value, while volume sales increased three per cent. This led the average price paid for a toy to fall to £5.99 from £6.02 in the same month last year. One of the major drivers of growth in July was the London 2012 Olympics licence. The Olympics was the number one property in July, with over three per cent share of total toys. Leading the way was the Team GB Mini Figures from Lego. The licence also helped revitalise the plush market, which saw growth of eight per cent due to the popularity of the official Olympic mascot plush figures – Wenlock was particularly popular. The 20cm Plush Wenlock remained in the gold spot, while in silver was the 25cm Union Jack Plush Wenlock. The big film release of the summer was The Amazing Spider- Man, and toys saw a definite uplift from the licence in July. Spider-Man was the third largest property for the month, with just under two per cent share of the total toy market. With two thirds of all Spider-Man sales in action figures, it was the number one action figure property for the month, accounting for 20 per cent of all value in the category in July. However, Batman has also seen an increase in July and reached the number six property in action
Thanks in no small part to The Dark Knight Rises, the superhero brand moved up from number 51 to number 18 in July…
Aside from the film licences,
it’s great to see the enthusiasm for the Olympic Games registering in our toy market.
figures, with The Dark Knight Rises released at cinemas towards the end of the month. “With the performance of
Avengers earlier in the year and now the success of Spider-Man and Batman, 2012 has been a strong
year for superhero properties within toys,” said Jez Fraser-Hook, director of NPD Group’s toy business in the UK. “However, there is difficulty in sustaining sales after the film has dropped from cinema screens, though DVD releases may bring a small uplift to the property once again. “With a wide range of characters and situations to mine, superheroes are proving to be a staple of the toy market – and one that can be re- imagined for each generation. Aside from the film licences, it’s great to see the enthusiasm for the Olympics registering in our toy market. I’m sure there aren’t too many households with kids that haven’t got some sort of Olympics merchandise.”
Average toy price July ‘11: £6.02
Best item progression July 2012
Amazing Spider-Man Shot Web Blaster
Figure (Hasbro) It was a strong month for many items, but Hasbro’s Amazing Spider-Man figures came out on top, rising a staggering 256 places to number 15…