Toys And Games in Ireland
Euromonitor International's Toys And Games in Ireland report offers a comprehensive guide to the size and shape of the traditional toys and games and the video games market at a national level. It provides the latest retail sales data, allowing you to identify the sectors driving growth. It identifies the leading companies, the leading brands and offers strategic analysis of key factors influencing the market- be they new product developments, distribution or pricing issues. Forecasts illustrate how the market is set to change.
Tables: 18 | Publication date: Sep 2006
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Executive summary
Sharp decline for a mature sector
In Ireland, the market for toys and games declined by 2% in current value terms in 2005. Even though fertility rates remain high in Ireland, the economic situation was slow and did not have the necessary conditions for this mature market to improve in any way. Traditional toys, such as dolls/figurines and model vehicles are close to saturation and slowed this sector down substantially in 2005, while video games sales suffered as people await the new generations of games to be launched shortly.
Key players find it hard to sustain sales
As children are increasingly attracted by high-tech gadgets and are shifting their likes to video games at an earlier age; key players such as Hasbro, Mattel and Vivid Imagination are trying to revive demand for traditional toys and games by introducing technology in their products. However, these recent moves were not sufficient to sustain sales in the sector for traditional toys and games in 2005.
Parents choose variety and education first
Parents are becoming increasingly aware of the importance of early childhood development and the strong influence that video games have upon their children. In an effort to give their children the right start, parents are looking for more traditional games to compete with video games. As a result, construction/activity, outdoor and pre-school toys and games continued to enjoy healthy growth in 2005.
End of a cycle for video games
Games developers focused their efforts on creating games for the next generation of consoles, which will be launched by the end of 2006, or at the beginning of 2007 by Sony and Nintendo. As both retailers and consumers prefer to reserve their investment for the next generation of consoles, this sector saw a further fall in sales, although the situation is likely to improve in 2006 with the launch of Sony's portable games console (PSP).
Government funding does not match the fast improvement of software
Previously only used by a minority of Irish consumers, gaming became a form of mass entertainment. Video games acquired more of a film aspect, involving complex plotlines, photorealistic images and even famous actors, thus attracting a wider range of consumers. However, skilled labour in games development is insufficient in Ireland to satisfy the demand of game development companies. Video games software developers are accusing the government not to contribute and encourage enough the development of the video game industry in Ireland. This trend has further contributed to the drowning of the video games software subsector since 2004.
Table of contents
TOYS AND GAMES IN IRELAND : MARKET INSIGHT
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Sharp decline for a mature sector
Key players find it hard to sustain sales
Parents choose variety and education first
End of a cycle for video games
Government funding does not match the fast improvement of software
KEY TRENDS AND DEVELOPMENTS
Key players introduce more high tech toys
Video games development: lack of skills and infrastructure
Video games evolution: consumer trends and manufacturer focus
MARKET DATA
Table 1 Retail Sales of Toys and Games by Sector: Value 2001-2006
Table 2 Retail Sales of Toys and Games by Sector: % Value Growth 2001-2006
Table 3 Retail Sales of Toys and Games by Distribution Format: % Analysis 2001-2006
Table 4 Toys and Games Company Shares by Value 2002-2005
Table 5 Forecast Retail Sales of Toys and Games by Sector: Value 2006-2011
Table 6 Forecast Retail Sales of Toys and Games by Sector: % Value Growth 2006-2011
DEFINITIONS
Toys and games
TRADITIONAL TOYS AND GAMES IN IRELAND
HEADLINES
TRENDS
COMPETITIVE LANDSCAPE
PROSPECTS
SECTOR DATA
Table 7 Retail Sales of Traditional Toys and Games by Subsector: Value 2001-2006
Table 8 Retail Sales of Traditional Toys and Games by Subsector: % Value Growth 2001-2006
Table 9 Retail Sales of Traditional Toys and Games by Distribution Format: % Analysis 2001-2006
Table 10 Traditional Toys and Games Company Shares by Value 2002-2005
Table 11 Forecast Retail Sales of Traditional Toys and Games by Subsector: Value 2006-2011
Table 12 Forecast Retail Sales of Traditional Toys and Games by Subsector: % Value Growth 2006-2011
VIDEO GAMES IN IRELAND
HEADLINES
TRENDS
COMPETITIVE LANDSCAPE
PROSPECTS
SECTOR DATA
Table 13 Retail Sales of Video Games by Subsector: Value 2001-2006
Table 14 Retail Sales of Video Games by Subsector: % Value Growth 2001-2006
Table 15 Retail Sales of Video Games by Distribution Format: % Analysis 2001-2006
Table 16 Video Games Company Shares by Value 2002-2005
Table 17 Forecast Retail Sales of Video Games by Subsector: Value 2006-2011
Table 18 Forecast Retail Sales of Video Games by Subsector: % Value Growth 2006-2011