Revenue increases in very first half

While other toy business deal with an inflation-fueled sales downturn, Lego is developing favorable outcomes brick by brick.

The independently held Danish toymaker saw profits increase 1% throughout the very first 6 months of this year, reaching 27.4 billion Danish krone, or about $4 billion.

Meanwhile, openly traded competitors such as Mattel, Hasbro, Funko and Jakks Pacific have actually all reported double-digit profits and sales decreases up until now this year.

“I think what makes me very satisfied is this fact that we continue to outgrow the industry,” CEO Niels Christiansen informed CNBC. “The good thing for us is that every year over the last four or five years, we’ve been outgrowing the market by 10 percentage points … that means we’ve been taking market share consistently and that has continued, that’s super important.”

Toy business throughout the market saw enormous gains throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, as moms and dads tried to find methods to keep their kids inhabited throughout lockdowns. Adults, too, went back to the toy aisle to ward off monotony.

Lego developed on pandemic-era development, improved by a varied slate of items that deal with kids and grownups alike, while exceeding the market and zapping up market share.

Of course, the business has actually not been unsusceptible to macroeconomic pressures, especially greater expenses for product, shipping and energy.

Net earnings for the very first half of the year reached 5.1 billion Danish krone, or about $742 million, down 17% from the very same duration in 2022.

Raw product expenses were a significant cost for the business throughout the very first half of the year, however Christiansen stated he anticipates that to reduce moving forward as rates boil down.

Lego has actually balanced out a few of the greater shipping expenses by putting factory near crucial markets. For example, the U.S. gets its Lego items from a factory inMexico That supply chain will reduce in the next 2 years as the business opens a brand-new plant in Virginia.

Additionally, Christiansen stated strong need for Lego’s diverse choice of structure sets has actually assisted narrow the space. Consumer sales grew 3% throughout the very first half of the year.

Christiansen indicated the strength of Lego’s brand name and its varied line of product that strikes on a range of “passion points” for its strong efficiency up until now in2023 These items vary from themed sets of Star Wars to buildable muscle vehicles and cityscapes.

The business is growing its portfolio to around 750 items this year. About 48% of that portfolio will be brand-new, Christiansen stated. That’s on par with previous years and becomes part of the business’s method for having fresh and pertinent sets for all customers.

The business likewise has actually been profiting of opening shops in brand-new markets, especially inChina So far in 2023, the business opened 89 stores worldwide, with 54 of those inChina The area is recently exposed to the renowned structure bricks and physical areas have actually assisted reveal grownups and kids how to have fun with Lego.

“We believe we will end the year at a single-digit growth rate,” Christiansen stated. “I believe we can continue to outpace the market.”