Insight
To monitor what’s happening in the ever-changing toy market, Circana 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.circana.com.
How are UK toy sales comparing to other territories? Although the total UK Toy market performance remains aligned with other countries thanks to global economic challenges, there are some notable differences in areas such as licences and collectibles, as Melissa explains
T
he UK Toy market has declined -4% in value YTD September 2023 as the cost of living continues to impact disposable income spending for consumers, while poor summer weather affected sales in Q3. However, this is in-line with the rest of the European performance, which is also down -4%. In addition, Europe is significantly ahead of North America, which is down -8%. The Global toy market, worth $107b in 2022, had been growing since 2019, but is now adjusting as consumers find less money in their pockets due to inflation and a changing social media landscape; consumers now tend to discover new products in different ways. Out of the 13 countries where Circana tracks toy sales, only three are in growth in 2023 – Mexico, Netherlands and Italy.
Collectibles also have a higher share in UK compared to the rest of Europe, with 16.4% value share and growing +9%. This is still behind the US, where Collectibles has 18.7% share, but ahead of EU5 average of 11.5%. Pokémon is the top Collectible property for UK and Europe, with the Trading Cards driving sales. Squishmallows has been key to the growth of the collectible market across Europe this year, with double the share of collectibles in UK compared to the rest of Europe. Similarly, L.O.L. Surprise! and 5 Surprise also have a higher share in the UK versus the rest of Europe. While growing double-digits in the UK, the overall share within Collectibles for both Disney Doorables and Yu-Gi-Oh is still behind their share in the US, showing remaining potential for both properties.
Melissa Symonds
Director UK Toys, EuroToys Circana
in the UK toy market, as it breaks into mass retailers and raises consumer awareness. One of the other strongest themes in toys is Superheroes, which has a higher share in the UK vs rest Europe, with Spider-Man growing four times faster in the UK this year and Ninja Turtles having a higher share of the market. Star Wars’ strong share of the UK toy market means Space has a higher share in the UK versus Europe, but the UK has also seen strong growth of the NASA licence, up +34% so far this year. Dog Animals and Characters also have a higher share in the UK, with pre-school properties such as Bluey and Hey Duggee showing a strong performance.
Overall, the total UK Toy market performance remains Yu-Gi-Oh! and Anime/Manga themed toys are aligned with other countries as the current economic In the UK, certain elements of the toy market are showing strong growth in the UK market, up +34% YTD challenges are global. That said, even in challenging performing better than the rest of Europe. Licences September as properties such as Dragon Ball Z, Naurto, times, the toy market has opportunities to grow with continues to enjoy a very strong presence, growing My Hero Academia and One Piece are driving growth. themes like Manga and Transportation, while retaining +4% in the UK Toy market vs. +1% in EU5 (UK, France, Despite this healthy performance, the Anime share in the strength that licences and collectibles are currently Germany, Italy & Spain). Licences have a higher share the UK, at 4.9%, is behind the European share of 5.5% ,so bringing to the market. of the UK toy market compared to other European there is still plenty of potential for expansion for this area countries: they currently have a 31.5% share of UK value sales, similar to the 31% share in US, but much higher than the 24.3% licensed share in France, which has the ;FQZJ f – >9) &ZLZXY [X lowest share in Europe. Licences *: :0 are outperforming non-licensed toy sales across all countries. Known IPs Toy Themes Share of Total Toys: UK vs EU5 and entertainment properties such ;FQZJ f – >9) &ZLZXY [X *: :0 as Barbie, Paw Patrol, Marvel and Star Wars are key drivers of sales, especially during movie releases. Some licences have a higher share in the UK compared to other countries, although Star Wars is the No.1 licence in both the UK and Europe (interestingly, it has a higher share of UK market than the US, 2.9% 9WFSXUTWYFYNTS 2FSLF &SNRJ *RJWLJSH^ 8UFHJ 8ZUJWMJWT )NSTXFZW <NYHMJX 5WNSHJXX )TLX :SNHTWS 9WFSXUTWYFYNTS 2FSLF &SNRJ *RJWLJSH^ 8UFHJ 8ZUJWMJWT 8JW[NHJX )NSTXFZW <NYHMJX 5WNSHJXX<N_FWIX )TLX :SNHTWS compared to 1.9%). Harry Potter, 8JW[NHJX <N_FWIX although the No.2 licence in the UK toy market, actually has a higher share of toy sales in Italy.
Toy Themes Share of Total Toys: UK vs EU5
8TZWHJ 7JYFNQ 9WFHPNSL 8JW[NHJ a :0 a >9) &:L (NWHFSF .SH FSI (NWHFSF ,WTZU 1 5 a 5WTUWNJYFW^ FSI HTSKNIJSYNFQ
ŽĐƵŵĞŶƚ ĐůĂƐƐŝĨŝĐĂƚŝŽŶ͗ ůŝĞŶƚͬdŚŝƌĚ WĂƌƚLJ ŽŶĨŝĚĞŶƚŝĂů
ŽĐƵŵĞŶƚ ĐůĂƐƐŝĨŝĐĂƚŝŽŶ͗ ůŝĞŶƚͬdŚŝƌĚ WĂƌƚLJ ŽŶĨŝĚĞŶƚŝĂů
Toy World 28
8TZWHJ 7JYFNQ 9WFHPNSL 8JW[NHJ a :0 a >9) &:L (NWHFSF .SH FSI (NWHFSF ,WTZU 1 5 a 5WTUWNJYFW^ FSI HTSKNIJSYNFQ
