Toys And Games in France
Euromonitor International's Toys And Games in France 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: 34 | Publication date: Oct 2008
Why buy this report
- Get insight into trends in market performance
- Pinpoint growth sectors and identify factors driving change
- Identify market and brand leaders and understand the competitive environment
Executive summary
Healthy performance of the toys and games market in 2008
Despite a difficult market for the traditional toy industry at the start of the year (the market was affected by safety issues on toys made in China), the traditional market performed positively and was sustained by the popularity of licensed toys. The video games market experienced a peak in 2007 due to the release of new consoles; in 2008 the growth slowed down but was still very strong. Over the review period, 2003-2008, the toys and games market showed healthy growth rates, however this was entirely due to the video games market boosting sales; the traditional toys market has been growing at a stable but moderate growth.
Licenses are key sales drivers for the toys and games market
Toys derived from popular cartoons or films have become an important source of income for toy manufacturers. This has particularly been the case over the review period, it is estimated that licensed toys represent between 20% and 25% of the toys market in France. Although this trend is very important in the traditional toys market and has been the key driver for sales, it is also impacting the video games industry, which also releases games in connection with cinema blockbusters. Licensed toys and games have the advantage of boosting a market that is typically concentrated over the Christmas period. Blockbusters in 2008 have included Asterix at the Olympics, Indiana Jones, Iron Man and Narnia.
Video games are driving market sales
The video games market was the fastest growing segment and the key driver behind the overall growth of the toys and games industry. The video games market for both hardware and software was lead by the success of consoles releases. The three consoles manufacturers launched successive new hardware; the Microsoft Xbox 360 in 2006 and in 2007 Sony’s PlayStation 3 and the Nintendo Wii. Over the same period, video games such as Grand Theft Auto IV and Guitar Hero encountered a huge success and boosted market sales. Contrary to the toys market, which is limited to the children, video games have increasingly become an adult purchase with women progressively more interested in them.
Competition is leading to more concentration on the toys and games market
The toys and games market is increasingly competitive, manufacturers in both the traditional toys market and the video games market have to be innovative to offer new creative products and at the same time keep their costs down in order to be able to offer competitive prices to consumers. In this context weaker players have experienced trading difficulties and perhaps merged to create stronger forces in the market. In the traditional toys market; French manufacturer Smoby went into administration in 2007 and part of its business was acquired by the German manufacturer Simba Dickie in 2008. In the video games market, the games subsidiary of French entertainment giant Vivendi, merged with Activision, which published Guitar Hero and Tony Hawk to create a new entity Activision Blizzard, capable of competing with Electronic Arts, the leader in the software market.
The outlook for the toys and games market over 2008-2013 period is positive
The predicted growth for the period 2008-2013 is positive but is unlikely to be as strong as the review period. In the traditional toys market, higher manufacturing costs in China, such as energy and labour, will lead to higher retail prices in an environment where the French household will have a reduced purchasing power. In the video games market, the peak experienced by the industry will not be repeated as no major console launches are expected but the growth will remain healthy with new software releases maintaining sales levels and more households equipping themselves with new hardware. The video games market is therefore expected to continue to drive the toys and games market.
Table of contents
TOYS AND GAMES IN FRANCE : MARKET INSIGHT
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Healthy performance of the toys and games market in 2008
Licenses are key sales drivers for the toys and games market
Video games are driving market sales
Competition is leading to more concentration on the toys and games market
The outlook for the toys and games market over 2008-2013 period is positive
KEY TRENDS AND DEVELOPMENTS
Despite weak economics, demographics are driving sales
Manufacturers have to innovate to stay competitive
Toys and games manufacturers are threatened by increasing labour costs
Environmental considerations are also reaching the toy market
Retail of toys is changing, specialised toy shops and internet are growing channels
MARKET DATA
Table 1 Sales of Toys and Games by Sector: Value 2003-2008
Table 2 Sales of Toys and Games by Sector: % Value Growth 2003-2008
Table 3 Sales of Toys and Games by Distribution Format: % Analysis 2003-2008
Table 4 Toys and Games Company Shares by Value 2004-2007
Table 5 Forecast Sales of Toys and Games by Sector: Value 2008-2013
Table 6 Forecast Sales of Toys and Games by Sector: % Value Growth 2008-2013
DEFINITIONS
Summary 1 Research Sources
LOCAL COMPANY PROFILES - FRANCE
COROLLE SAS - TOYS AND GAMES - FRANCE
STRATEGIC DIRECTION
KEY FACTS
Summary 2 Corolle: Key Facts
Summary 3 Corolle: Operational Indicators
COMPANY BACKGROUND
PRODUCTION
COMPETITIVE POSITIONING
Summary 4 Corolle: Competitive Position 2007
HASBRO FRANCE SA - TOYS AND GAMES - FRANCE
STRATEGIC DIRECTION
KEY FACTS
Summary 5 Hasbro: Key Facts
Summary 6 Hasbro: Operational Indicators
COMPANY BACKGROUND
PRODUCTION
COMPETITIVE POSITIONING
Summary 7 Hasbro: Competitive Position 2007
JEMINI - TOYS AND GAMES - FRANCE
STRATEGIC DIRECTION
KEY FACTS
Summary 8 Jemini: Key Facts
Summary 9 Jemini: Operational Indicators
COMPANY BACKGROUND
PRODUCTION
COMPETITIVE POSITIONING
Summary 10 Jemini: Competitive Position 2007
SMOBY MAJORETTE GROUP, THE - TOYS AND GAMES - FRANCE
STRATEGIC DIRECTION
KEY FACTS
Summary 11 Smoby Toys: Key Facts
Summary 12 Smoby Toys/ Operational Indicators
COMPANY BACKGROUND
PRODUCTION
COMPETITIVE POSITIONING
Summary 13 Smoby Toys: Competitive Position 2007
UBISOFT ENTERTAINMENT SA - TOYS AND GAMES - FRANCE
STRATEGIC DIRECTION
KEY FACTS
Summary 14 Ubisoft Entertainment: Key Facts
Summary 15 Ubisoft Entertainment: Operational Indicators
COMPANY BACKGROUND
PRODUCTION
COMPETITIVE POSITIONING
Summary 16 Ubisoft Entertainment: Competitive Position 2007
TRADITIONAL TOYS AND GAMES IN FRANCE
HEADLINES
TRENDS
COMPETITIVE LANDSCAPE
PROSPECTS
SECTOR DATA
Table 7 Sales of Traditional Toys and Games by Subsector: Value 2003-2008
Table 8 Sales of Traditional Toys and Games by Subsector: % Value Growth 2003-2008
Table 9 Sales of Traditional Toys and Games by Distribution Format: % Analysis 2003-2008
Table 10 Traditional Toys and Games Company Shares by Value 2004-2007
Table 11 Forecast Sales of Traditional Toys and Games by Subsector: Value 2008-2013
Table 12 Forecast Sales of Traditional Toys and Games by Subsector: % Value Growth 2008-2013
VIDEO GAMES IN FRANCE
HEADLINES
TRENDS
COMPETITIVE LANDSCAPE
PROSPECTS
SECTOR DATA
Table 13 Sales of Video Games by Subsector: Value 2003-2008
Table 14 Sales of Video Games by Subsector: % Value Growth 2003-2008
Table 15 Sales of Video Games by Distribution Format: % Analysis 2003-2008
Table 16 Video Games Company Shares by Value 2004-2007
Table 17 Forecast Sales of Video Games by Subsector: Value 2008-2013
Table 18 Forecast Sales of Video Games by Subsector: % Value Growth 2008-2013