Sales of £44 million at retail in 12 months to May 2019, according to new NPD data.
The latest analysis from The NPD Group has found that one Harry Potter toy is sold every five minutes in the UK – a stat which makes it second only to Star Wars in terms of value sales.
In addition, one quarter (24%) of those sales are to people aged 18+.
The brand reached sales of £44m at retail in the 12 months to May 2019. The top selling toy during the period was the Harry Potter Hogwarts Great Hall from The LEGO Group. In total, the company has six toys in the bestsellers listing.
Hype is now building for the imminent launch of the Wizards Unite app game. A marketing campaign has been calling all wizards to “ready their wands” to save the wizarding community from exposure to the muggle community. Similar to Pokémon GO, wizards will need to seek out magic items or ‘foundables’ while defeating enemies and overcoming obstacles.
Excitement and gameplay looks set to sweep the UK and beyond – and boost toy and merchandise sales – as would-be wizards cast spells, brew potions and fight dementors and werewolves in towns and cities up and down Britain and globally.
In the 12 months ending April 2019, the markets most bewitched by Harry Potter toys were the US and UK. Harry Potter toys sales across the 13 markets tracked by The NPD Group reached $340 million.
“Nostalgia is a huge part of the appeal of Harry Potter toys,” said Frederique Tutt, global industry analyst for toys at NPD. “With the 22nd anniversary of the publication of The Philosopher’s Stone on June 26 this year, it’s not only the original Harry Potter generation reliving the excitement and love of the franchise through the wide range of themed toys available.
“Quite simply, Harry Potter has achieved what only a handful of characters in the toy sector have done before – ensure enduring appeal across the generations. There’s no question this is a great British brand and a great British success – and one that is going to continue casting its spell as new generations of wizards enter the magical world of Harry Potter.”
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