Global toy manufacturer Playmobil has announced the record sale of 55 million toy sets worldwide in 2011. The figure also represents an 8 per cent increase over the previous year.
Playmobil’s sales in Malta grew by 9 per cent on 2010.
Addressing a press conference during the 63rd International Toy Fair in Nürnberg, Germany, the Brandstätter Group’s Managing Director Andrea Schauer stated that in 2011 the Group’s sales increased by just under one percent to €564 million.
On the other hand, Playmobil’s turnover worldwide declined marginally by 0.4 percent and at €505 million, global sales to retail for last year fell slightly short of the previous year’s.
Assessing the results for 2011, company owner Horst Brandstätter noted that: “for the Group of companies, 2011 was a positive and surprising year. We sold more Playmobil toy sets than ever although we did not quite reach the sales growth target that we had set for ourselves. In 2012 we want to change all that. With large investments and a convincing set of new products we are entering toy year 2012 with renewed energy.”
Indeed, with 130 new playtime ideas Playmobil’s creative team in Zirndorf, Germany, have laid the foundations for a successful year for the products launched at the Nürnberg fair, which include a mix of revised editions of successful classics, such as the Police, Western and Horse Farm sets, as well as innovative new products, including the first Playmobil Hotel and the Take Along Soccer Match. Playmobil Malta’s Sales and Marketing Manager Anna Agius is confident that Playmobil’s range of products will continue to capture the imagination of children and adults alike: “Each year that passes confirms Playmobil’s staying power as a unique means for children to experience life through play.”
The year 2011 was also significant for the company in terms of international recognition. In Germany, Playmobil won the Toy Award, Product of the Year award and featured in the Top Ten toy products list, while in the UK it received ToyFair’s Best New Toy awards in the Infant/Playschool and Boys’ Toys categories.
Playmobil Malta is the exclusive producer of Playmobil’s figures, which are found in almost every package sold worldwide by the company. Some 100 million figures were produced by the local plant in 2011. The state-of-the-art production facility in Malta is also responsible for the complete production of all products in the Playmobil 1.2.3 Range, which targets toddlers and therefore requires the highest degree of toy safety. An amazing 2.5 billion made-in-Malta Playmobil figures have been distributed to playrooms around the world since 1974.