While U.S. toy industry sales were essentially flat last year, some big winners are emerging.
Schleich, the German manufacturer of detailed character figures and playsets, revealed a 13% sales spike in North America for 2022. The numbers mark the company’s eighth consecutive year of growth and contributed to an overall global sales gain of 8% last year.
“Strategic investments in our marketing and partnerships with retailers continue to improve our brand awareness, and in effect, our growth trajectory,” says David Albert, Managing Director of Schleich North America. “Our success in 2022, despite the downturn in the global toy industry overall, proves we are making the right connections with consumers and sharing the right stories about who we are as a brand.”
The company says that its grown by more than double over the past eight years and now sells more than 40 million toys each year. Its North American growth has been fueled by new product offerings and partnerships, including the expansion of its flagship program. Last year, the program expanded into Canada for the first time in 2022 with six retailer locations and at the Calgary Zoo. There are currently 41 flagships in the US, and Schleich products are also sold at The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis, the largest such museum in the U.S.
In recent months, the company has also made strides in its path toward a sustainable future and recently struck a deal with Warner Bros. Discovery Consumer Products to create toys inspired by the Wizarding World of Harry Potter.
