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 Demand for Star Wars merchandise is set to propel toy sales
growth to a 17 year-high, according to industry research firm
The NPD Group.
Toy sales rose 7.5 percent in the first half of 2016, pointing
to the fastest growth since 1999, the NPD said.
Star Wars toys, the majority of which are produced by Hasbro
Inc, was the biggest contributor to the sales growth, with
dollar sales for Star Wars toys nearly tripling through June.
"Star Wars is already at $300 million for the year," U.S. toys
industry analyst Juli Lennett wrote in the report.
Toy sales typically shoot up in the year-end holiday season.
This year's sales have been fueled by collectibles, inspired by
the rebooted classic Star Wars franchise and a slew of Marvel's
superhero films.
Content is increasingly helping drive toy growth as kids get
immersed in their favorite characters from the numerous sources
such as movies, Netflix or YouTube, Lennett said.
Star Wars sales could be bigger than last year when it totaled
$700 million, she added.
Hasbro said in July that Star Wars and Disney's Frozen were the
fastest-growing businesses in the quarter ended June 26. The
company expects Star Wars merchandise sales of about $500
million this year, roughly the same as last year, helped by
"Rogue One: A Star Wars Story" scheduled to release in December.
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The company said it would begin shipping "Rogue One" merchandise in
the current quarter.
"Toys with movie tie-ins will continue to contribute to the
increase, stemming from those released both in 2015 and 2016,"
Lennett said.
Sales of toys based on new movies such as "Teenage Mutant Ninja
Turtles: Out of the Shadows," "The Secret Life of Pets" and "Trolls"
are expected to boost the toymakers' sales in the second half of the
year.
Another big contributor to sales this year was the dolls category,
which rose 14 percent in the first half of the year, the NPD said.
The largest U.S. toymaker Mattel Inc said last week that sales in
the Barbie business jumped 23 percent, its biggest quarterly
increase since at least 2009.
Mattel revenue is expected to decline to $5.56 billion this year,
while Hasbro is likely to report a record $4.79 billion, according
to StarMine.
(Reporting by Subrat Patnaik in Bengaluru; Editing by Don Sebastian)
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