Traditional toys come out on top says organisers of the Toy Fair
Despite UK toy sales declining in 2022 by three percent, traditional toy categories such as soft toys, building sets, action figures, and vehicles drove toy sales according to the British Toy & Hobby Association (BTHA), organisers of the Toy Fair, and The NPD Group.
The best performing category of 2022 was tradition plush (soft toys) which showed a significant 29% increase Year on Year, due to its popularity with a wide audience, and its collectability appeal.
The top toy properties for 2022 went to classics Star Wars, Marvel Universe, and Barbie, with the fastest growing going to Squishmallows and Jurassic World. Licensed toys grew for the fourth consecutive year, up by 5.5%, now accounting for 31% of the market making it the highest ever share.
As of 2022, industry insights show the average selling price of a toy is now at £10.54, showing that toys remain accessible all-year round purchases. Last year, consumers increasingly favoured toys in the region of £30 and £50 which suggest that they were making more considered purchases.
“The UK toy industry has continued to deliver toys and games for consumers at affordable prices during 2022 amidst high levels of inflation, and a cost-of-living crisis” commented Kerri Atherton, Head of Public Affairs at the BTHA. “Last year, new product innovations were vital to driving sales in the UK toy industry which led to growth in the plush toy category. With a strong line up of new releases for 2023, the UK toy industry has signs to be optimistic about the year ahead.”
Melissa Symonds, Executive Director, UK Toys, from The NPD Group added, “New licenced properties like Gabby’s Doll House and classics like Star Wars drove major sales throughout 2022. With Disney celebrating their 100th anniversary and movie releases such as Barbie, Transformers, and Super Mario, 2023 looks set to be another good year for licensed toys, an instrumental part of the UK toy industry.”
In store purchases also increased throughout the year with offline sales accounting for 51% of the UK toy market, an increase of 6% from 2021. Online sales are still ahead of where they were before the pandemic, when online sales accounted for just 35% percent of the market.
Melissa Symonds, Executive Director, UK Toys, from The NPD Group commented, “In 2022, we saw consumers returning to make more purchases in store during the year. Consumers are increasingly choosing to shop with specialist toy stores, which saw an uplift of 16% in sales, with consumers seeking out large product ranges offering choice and value.”