The toy industry is headed for its second consecutive annual sales decline, but it's got one thing propping it up — Lego.
"When you look at toy sales, Lego has just been driving all the growth in the industry this year," said Eric Handler, managing director at Roth MKM., Lego has reshaped its business and diversified its customer base, helping it to elevate sales even in inflationary market conditions.Mark Zuckerberg went all in on Meta's AI strategy this year. The pressure builds in 2025
Zahn noted that Lego's ability to be"ahead of the curve" has allowed it to be more nimble during times of inflation, as consumers tighten their purse strings, and to navigate upheaval in the theatrical entertainment industry and even looming tariff increases. More recently, the company has launched kits such as the Sanderson sisters' house from"Hocus Pocus" and even a"Jaws" set featuring the iconic shark taking down Quint's boat.
Goldin said previous car products, including a McLaren Lego set, performed well at retail, giving Lego confidence to delve deeper into the auto racing space. The lack of kids movies, in particular, meant toy companies were not producing as many new action figures, roleplay items and other movie tie-ins.The company has launched several theatrical features of its own, partnered with streamers such as Disney+ to bring Marvel and Star Wars content to the small screen and even launched its own vertical within Epic Games' popular Fortnite game.