Turnover with toys in Germany in 2021 up by four percent
In 2021, the turnover for toys in Germany rose by four percent to 3.8 billion euros. This was announced by the German Toy Industry Association (DVSI). The turnover growth of eleven percent in 2020 was thus exceeded once again.
This article is all about the turnover for toys in 2021. For information on the previous year, see the article Turnover for toys in Germany rose by nine percent in 2020. The nine percent increase mentioned in the text is based on preliminary figures. According to final figures, the turnover for toys in 2020 rose by eleven percent.
“The pandemic is turning us into players. Despite the lockdown in the first half of the year, consumers spent even more money on toys. People couldn’t travel or go out, so they continued to invest in board games, puzzles and craft materials,” says Steffen Kahnt, Managing Director of the German Toy Retailers Association (BVS).
Shift within distribution channels
In 2021, the big winners once again included Building Sets, Games & Puzzle and the Infant/Toddler/Preschool segment. Licensed toys had also seen strong growth. Together, these three segments accounted for over 60 percent of the industry’s growth. According to initial calculations, the share of licensed toys in the overall market was 23 percent. In the licensed sector, timeless classics like Star Wars and Harry Potter had performed particularly well, closely followed by Disney’s Frozen and the PreSchool licence Paw Patrol. Super Mario was being strongly pushed by Lego and Carrera.
It came as little surprise that there was a shift within the distribution channels: the internet and non-industry “touchpoints” had benefited from the lockdown during the pandemic. Specialist brick-and-mortar retailers had to accept losses in turnover. Turnover for “Toys Generalists & Specialists” had fallen by four percent. Consumer markets had matched the previous year’s level. The “Other” distribution channel had grown by eleven percent. This includes, among others, bookshops, coffee roasters, clothing stores and DIY stores.
Turnover increase of 46 percent in twelve years
With the turnover increase of four percent in the past year, the German toy market is approaching the four-billion-euro mark. For comparison: in 2010, turnover was 2.6 billion euros, and in 2020 it was 3.7 billion euros. This represents an increase of around 46 percent over the past twelve years.
“Even though toys have benefited from the pandemic as a meaningful activity, the industry’s positive development is not solely due to corona. The importance of toys and games, as well as the strong product range from manufacturers, have significantly contributed to this positive development,” says DVSI Managing Director Ulrich Brobeil. “At present, it is still too early for a final assessment of how the manufacturers organised in the DVSI have performed. But given the initial economic data available to us, there is justified hope that many members have managed to increase their turnover.”
Weak Christmas business
The industry still had to swallow a bitter pill. The high expectations for the Christmas business, as reflected in the DVSI index, had not been met as hoped. “We can only speculate about the reasons. But the galloping inflation rate is likely to have played a part,” says Brobeil. There is currently no end in sight to the price trend, as energy prices are likely to continue putting pressure on the markets. For the current year, DVSI members expect turnover at the level of 2021 or a slight increase.
German Toy Industry Association
The German Toy Industry Association (DVSI) has been representing the interests of around 220 companies in the German toy industry for 30 years since its foundation, vis-à-vis politics, authorities, other economic sectors, science, society and the media. According to the DVSI, its member companies represent more than 80 percent of the toys in Germany with their businesses and brands. DVSI association policy is shaped by a voluntary board and the management. The current Managing Director is Ulrich Brobeil.
Among others, the following game publishers are DVSI members: Abacus, Amigo, Asmodee, Games Workshop, Goliath, Haba, Hasbro, Huch!, Jumbo, Kosmos, Mattel, moses, Piatnik, Ravensburger, Schmidt, Simba Dickie Group (including Noris and Zoch), Spin Master and Weible. The game producer Ludo Fact and the specialist trade organisation Vedes are also members.