BY YANN FRESNEL
The French Toy market was down 0.7% in revenue and 1.2% in unit volume in 2024. The business has been mostly stable during a period when Germany and UK declined more, down 2.3% and 3.7% percent, respectively.
Overall, the French market remained stable stable during all the year, increasing one percent overall from January to September.
The main driver, the “Outdoor Toy” category, was impacted again by terrible weather in spring and, again, lousy weather in the West/North area in summer.
Holiday sales were weak in October and November, however, December sales jump 4.5%, which ultimately saved the year. This was true for the entire toy industry when the final five weeks of the year represented 31.5% of global sales (up from 30% in 2023), as the toy-buying season tuned out to be very late.
The average price of a toy in France is 18 Euros, up 0.5% over the previous year, and the French Toy market is now 4.3 billion Euros, making it the number one market in Europe, followed by Germany and the UK. eAverage price is 18 Euros (+0,5%).
EXPLANATIONS FOR TOY MARKET DECREASE
Inflation was down overall, rising only 2% during the period, as opposed to being up 4.9% in 2023 and 5.2% in 2022. Despite the slower growth in inflation, there were still many sales and promotions during the later Q4 shopping season.
Births are Declining. Live births in France overall declined 2.2%, to 663,000, after a drop of 6.7% in 2023. This is the lowest number since World War II, and we have lost 161,000 births in 15 years.
Second hand is really a trend in different sectors for a few years and in the toy sector as well. We saw toy chains opening special section for second hand and some specific second hand firms selling to Hypermarkets. Value is growing. It looks it’s now not far from 8% of global sales.
Outdoor Toy part as mentioned for permanent (key driver) was bad due to poor weather.
PERFORMING CATEGORIES
In France, five out of 11 categories have been growing in sales.
Building (+20%), trading cards (+27%), plush (+9%), and audio storyteller (+27%)
The Kidult segment continues to grow and is ( driving up the market (29% of global sales)
TOP PRODUCTS IN DECEMBER 24
In top 10, 2 Kidult games, 2 Pokémon trading cards and 2 LEGO Kidult Building.
TOY RETAIL 24 FACTS
Smyths Toys has rebranded all shops and opened 5 new ones (46 now in France)
Joue Club (300 shops with 220 owners) bought La Grande Récré in 2023 (137 shops), keeping two brands (Joue Club is more in the suburbs/family, and La Grande Récré is more in the center of town/children.
Joue Club owners are buying La Grande Récré shops (10 in 2024, +-30 in 2025)
Joue Club is growing by 2,3% and La Grande Récré by 13%.
King Jouet is growing by 4% in 2024 going to 13,1% market share.
DISTRIBUTION CHANNELS
Hypermarkets/Supermarkets toy sales are still decreasing (-7.6%). This is due to reduced emphasis and low priority on non-food categories. The price battles are mostly in the food aisles.
Leclerc is the top hypermarket (HM) chain in toy sales (33% of HM sales).
Specialty toy retailers are gaining market share and are now representing 42% of the market. Toy chains and multi specialists gained 6.3% due to Kidult focus.
Online was down 6% and still represents around 25% of global sales, with Amazon still the number one retailer in this space.
LICENSES
It has been quite a good year again with vigorous activity with movies (27% of global sales, up 6% YOY)
The top license is Pokémon with Lilo & Stitch delivering the strongest growth, now the number 9 license in2024.
TRENDS
Made in France” accounts for 16% of total sales (growing a bit). Buyers are giving these products more visibility with their Fairs, media coverage, and space in Christmas catalogs.
Kid-adult games are growing, representing 29% of total toy sales. The adults are buying regularly, and the average price is high. They have a unique space in Christmas cataloges (Games and puzzles, cards, collectibles, plush and building with kidult licenses). The sales growth is important for +18y old.
FACTS 2024
Some foreign online platforms are selling dangerous toys (>80%) and are not respecting EU Toy law. We need to find a solution for the future.
More than 2,500 toy suppliers are now participating REP program. (The law requires collecting old toys for recycling, an effort in France to create a circular economy where manufacturers are responsible for managing the end-of-life stage for products, including toys.) By the end of the year, the program had collected 30,000 tons of old toys through 6,000 different locations. It is progress every year.
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Yann Fresnel is a top toy executive in France with 30 years of experience selling Toy products to European retailers and e-retailers. He has worked for companies like Berchet (Smoby), Newell Brands, BERG Toys, and SmarTrike. This piece is based on his reporting on data from Circana, La Revue du Jouet, the French Toy Federation, and his observations and opinions.
Yann runs Toy Influence . The company represents Toy firms in EMEA market. He conducts direct sales and marketing with retailers / e-retailers, as well. If you are looking to invest in EMEA market and enter direct to retail, you can learn more about Yann on LinkedIn or by calling him at +33 6 48 94 02 05 or emailing him at yann@toyinfluence.com
