NPD Insight
To monitor what’s happening in the ever-changing toy market, NPD collects point-of-sale information from all major toy retailers. This information, combined with our analysts’ industry perspectives, delivers a comprehensive view of what’s selling and where. We also field over 12m consumer surveys annually to help industry leaders understand why consumers shop where they shop and why they buy what they buy. For more information visit www.npd.com. Follow NPD on Twitter @npdgroup.
Looking good
for 2022
This month, Melissa looks at recent notable changes in the toy market, how 2021 ended up and how the market looks for 2022.
I
n the last two years the world has changed rapidly as Covid-19 has impacted how we live, work and play together. Since 2019, the UK toy market has also changed and is now worth £3.2b with 327m units sold. Overall, in 2021 the UK market was down -3% in value for the full year, but up +2% versus 2019. This means we kept 35% of the value gained in 2020 during multiple lockdowns with both adults and children turning to toys and play to occupy their time. So how else has the market changed?
Melissa Symonds
double-digits versus 2019. Explorative & Other Toys has also increased strongly, +10%, mostly driven by the category’s 2021 performance; Panini Euro Championship Stickers enjoyed strong sales the ago Only four Supercategories are down vs. over two years summer, while fidget toys/push poppers were popular supercategory accounting for 14% of all toy sales in Value Share % Growth 2021 vs. 19 % Change across the whole twelve months. the last year. Action Figures and Accessories enjoyed Infant/Toddler/Preschool Toys -12% 15.9% a better 2021, flat vs. 2020, but still down -8% vs. Recovering Building quickly 2020, Sets from the challenges of15.3% 19% 13.8%up +7% Vehicles and Plush Dolls are both above 2019 sales, -11% 2019, with Role Play & Dress Up declining. In Youth & Sports Toys 12.8% 8% the Robotic & Interactive Playmates Electronics, and +3%Outdoor respectively. In Vehicles, Hot Wheels and Games/Puzzles 12.2% 16% decline has driven the category down -15% over the last Monster Jam were the strongest drivers of growth. Explorative & Other Toys 6.8% 10% two years and is the smallest supercategory with just Action Figures Acc In addition, Arts & &Crafts retained 5.9%56% of gains in -8% & Crafts 2% of total 7% toy sales. 2020, finishingArts 2021 +5% above 5.2% 2019 with Play-Doh,
Supercategory Performance vs.19
Director UK Toys, EuroToys NPD
Looking back over the last two years shows an interesting picture, with seven out of eleven Plush 5.2% 3% Kinetic Sand andVehicles Crayola all improving on their 2019 supercategories having a higher value than in 2019. Over the last two years the licensed toy market has 4.8% 7% performance. Youth Electronics Building Sets has the strongest growth, up +19% and 2.1% increased in importance and grown +16% vs. 2019, -15% now accounting for 15% accounting for 28% of the Source: The NPD Group | Retail Tracking Service | UK | YTD Dec-21 of the toy market, up market – or more than £1 1 The NPD Group, Inc. | Proprietary and confidential from 13% share in 2019. in every £4 spent on toys This growth has been – matching the licensed driven by combination share highs we had in Only four Supercategories are down vs. two years ago of strong licences such as 2015, the year when Star Wars, Harry Potter Disney Frozen and Star Value Share % Growth 2021 vs. 19 % Change and Marvel Universe in Wars were the top two addition to appealing properties in the market. Infant/Toddler/Preschool Toys -12% 15.9% to Kidults (12+) through Returning to more Building Sets 15.3% 19% Creator Expert, Lego recent times, Q4 2021 Dolls 13.8% -11% Ideas and Lego Technic performance was not Outdoor & Sports Toys 12.8% 8% ranges. Games & Puzzles as strong as the first Games/Puzzles 12.2% is the second fastest 16% three quarters of the growing category in the Explorative & Other Toys 6.8% 10% year. However, the final last two years, up +16% Action Figures & Acc 5.9% -8% weeks prior to Christmas or an additional +£36m, Arts & Crafts 5.2% were stronger with 7% now representing 12% week 52 (finishing on Plush 5.2% 3% of sales. The category Christmas Day) up +35% Vehicles 4.8% 7% retained 85% of the 2020 in value - the strongest Youth Electronics 2.1% -15% gains in 2021, with the week 52 performance in increase particularly Europe. This growth has Source: The NPD Group | Retail Tracking Service | UK | YTD Dec-21 strong with Strategic continued into the first Trading Card games like Pokémon and Family Board However, not all categories have grown, with the couple of weeks of 2022, with the UK up +9% vs. 21 and Document classification: Client/Third Party Confidential 1 TheMonopoly. NPD Group, Inc. | Proprietary and confidential & Action Games like Pictionary and largest supercategory, Infant/Toddler and Pre-school up +20% vs. 2019. Seven out of eleven Supercategories In addition, Adult Puzzles, including those from Toys, down -12% vs. 2019. This has been driven by are up double-digits compared to 2021, which is a Ravensburger and Jumbo, are up compared with prethe Infant/Toddler segment, where we may be seeing strong start to the year. This bodes well for 2022, with Covid sales. the results of lower birth rates in the UK over the last numerous new launches and innovations planned
Supercategory Performance vs.19 Document classification: Client/Third Party Confidential
Outdoor & Sports Toys is up +8% vs. 2019 despite being heavily reliant on the ever-changing British weather, as many families turned to their gardens for entertainment. In particular, Playground Equipment, Pools, Sports Activities and Bubble Toys are all up
two years, as young couples decided to put off having families during the pandemic period. Dolls is also down -11% vs. 2019, driven by a decline in Playset Dolls, even as Fashion Dolls has grown +56% in the last two years. However, Dolls is now the third largest
Toy World 30
in addition to big movies such as Jurassic World 3, Minions 2 and multiple DC and Marvel superhero films, which all have the potential to drive market growth for the rest of the year.
