Franchise could be even bigger this year than in 2015, says NPD.
The Star Wars franchise is the biggest contributor to the growth of the US toy sector so far this year, with NPD confident it could be even bigger this year than it was in 2015.
According to new data from NPD, the US toy industry grew 7.5% in the first half of 2016 (26 weeks ending July 2, 2016).
Estimates for the full year are now standing at 7%, meaning the industry would be worth $1.4 billion.
Dollar sales for Star Wars toys have increased nearly 200% through to June, said NPD, and the franchise is already at $300 million for the year, compared to $700 million for all of 2015.
Juli Lennett, senior vp, US toys industry analyst for The NPD Group, said: “With two-thirds of toy sales yet to come in 2016, Star Wars could be even bigger this year than last.
“I expect to see continued growth for the US toy industry for the remainder of 2016 and, if it reaches 7% for year-end, that would be the fastest growth of the US toy market since 1999.”
Meanwhile, Star Wars isn’t the only licence performing well in the toy space in the US.
Shopkins, Pokémon, Barbie, LEGO Star Wars, Frozen and Minecraft are all featured in the top ten US toy properties based on dollars for January to June 2016.
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