LeapPad, Leapster GS, TAG and My Pal Scout have all contributed strongly to LeapFrog’s recent run of success, with 2012 being another terrific year. Samantha Loveday chats to the man at the helm, CEO John Barbour, about how the firm is ensuring its good run will continue through 2013 and beyond
Firstly, how has 2012 been in general for LeapFrog? 2012 has been a terrific year for LeapFrog. Through Q3 our US net sales were up 36 per cent and International net sales grew 41 per cent. Our sales performance has been driven by high consumer demand for our award- winning learning tablets and engaging content, which are experiencing strong double-digit growth in the US and many international markets. We also made substantial
progress in our strategic transition from an educational toy company into a developer and distributor of educational entertainment.
With the launch of our
competition, all of the content that LeapFrog offers has been either developed or selected by our in-house team of child development experts. This year we will more than quadruple our content library from approximately 100 titles to more than 400. All in all, a very busy year.
What has been your highlight of the year? Has there been a lowlight? The highlight of the year for me is the dozens of emails and letters we have received from parents, grandparents and teachers telling us about the life- changing impact our products have had on their children. All of us at
This year we will more than quadruple
our content library from approximately 100 titles to more than 400. John Barbour
LeapPad1 in 2011, we pioneered the children’s educational tablet market and quickly became the market leader. In 2012, we built on that success with the launch of the LeapPad2. NPD recently announced that the LeapPad2 has become the number one pre-school tablet and number one toy in the UK. We also introduced a major upgrade to our Leapster Explorer, the market leading handheld learning gaming system, with the launch of the Leapster GS. While hardware is an important part of the equation, it’s the content that the child experiences on our platforms that truly changes his or her life. Unlike the bulk of our
LeapFrog have a deep passion for helping children achieve their potential and there’s nothing quite like customer feedback to show that we are making great progress. Research shows that
achievement at pre-school and primary school directly relates to later academic success. Yet, almost half of children start school underprepared. As parents, we need to help every child get the best start in life.
You've just announced that LeapFrog has raised its sales expectations for 2012 – what is this mainly attributable too? In Q3 we have seen strong growth across our tablet hardware and content offerings. LeapPad2,