TLG delivers double-digit growth during 1H 2020

[Lego David]

TLG just released the financial report for the first half of 2020:

https://brickset.com/article/53604/the-lego-group-delivers-double-digit-growth-during-1h-2020#.X090cnRNRiI.twitter

Surprisingly enough, it seems like they've grown a lot this year, despite the COVID-19 pandemic, which really confuses me. The top selling themes were Technic, Speed Champions, Classic, Star Wars, Harry Potter, and Disney Princess. 

What are your thoughts?

[TeriXeri]

City had one of it's weakest 1st half year imo, and going to 5+ dumbed down some sets, also repeated characters do get a bit boring, due to that  "TV show".

Creator 3-in-1 was a bit weaker as well, with 1 stand out strong set being the Toy Shop.

Second Half Year sets looking better for those themes, but overall Summer sets have supply issues in parts of the world so again might affect the sale statistics.

 

Classic being up there is a surprise, but the 2019 and 2020 sets were pretty good, also the white baseplate is under Classic. 

11717 is basicly a re-release of the 2018  10717 with added 16x16 plates but must have been popular so they extend the shelf life that way.

 

I do hope LEGO has some surprises in terms of in-house themes for 2021.

Edited September 2, 2020 by TeriXeri

[MAB]

I'm surprised both City and Friends have dropped out of the top selling themes. Not surprised that 4 out of 6 are licensed though, with technic also relying quite heavily on licenses as well. I expect that will continue with Mario and more Harry Potter this next half year.

[Robert8]

Good for them, but I'm afraid the pandemic consequences will show in the second half though

City not being here is very telling. They really need to stop with those dumb city characters like the Corn Cob Suit Mayor

Ninjago is also missing surprisingly

[JintaiZ]

13 minutes ago, Robert8 said:

Ninjago is also missing surprisingly

Not really, all the cool Ninjago sets retired last year (70618,70620,70657)

46 minutes ago, Lego David said:

Surprisingly enough, it seems like they've grown a lot this year, despite the COVID-19 pandemic, which really confuses me.

Building sets is probably the only thing to do during a pandemic.

[MAB]

24 minutes ago, JintaiZ said:

Not really, all the cool Ninjago sets retired last year (70618,70620,70657)

Plus I imagine Monkie Kid is taking some of Ninjago's market share.

[JintaiZ]

4 minutes ago, MAB said:

Plus I imagine Monkie Kid is taking some of Ninjago's market share.

And Chinese New Year.

Also, for some reason, the new NINJAGO sets aren't as well received as Destiny's Bounty/Ninjago City. I guess that's how things works

[MAB]

3 minutes ago, JintaiZ said:

And Chinese New Year.

Also, for some reason, the new NINJAGO sets aren't as well received as Destiny's Bounty/Ninjago City. I guess that's how things works

I don't really know what the overlap between the markets for the Chinese Festivities type sets and Ninjago is so cannot really tell there. The action theme based overlap between Ninjago and MK seems quite strong though.

Personally, I think Ninjago has had its time now. There have been some good (for AFOLs) buildings, temples, ships, etc but now is starting to become a bit repetitive. And what it does do, MK seems to do better (for a higher price, of course).

 

[Lego David]

50 minutes ago, JintaiZ said:

Building sets is probably the only thing to do during a pandemic.

I mean, yeah, but how many people actually went to the store and bought sets during the quarantine lockdown period? That's what confuses me. 

 

[JintaiZ]

8 minutes ago, Lego David said:

I mean, yeah, but how many people actually went to the store and bought sets during the quarantine lockdown period? That's what confuses me. 

You can buy sets online.

[Lego David]

9 minutes ago, JintaiZ said:

You can buy sets online.

An average parent looking to buy sets for their child would usually go to a local retailer, though. 

Edited September 2, 2020 by Lego David

[MAB]

21 minutes ago, Lego David said:

An average parent looking to buy sets for their child would usually go to a local retailer, though. 

Not during a lock-down. Amazon and similar retailers have employed many, many more people now due to the increase in online shopping / deliveries.

[JintaiZ]

43 minutes ago, MAB said:

Not during a lock-down. Amazon and similar retailers have employed many, many more people now due to the increase in online shopping / deliveries.

I know I would love to go to the LEGO Store though...

[Robert8]

1 hour ago, MAB said:

I don't really know what the overlap between the markets for the Chinese Festivities type sets and Ninjago is so cannot really tell there. The action theme based overlap between Ninjago and MK seems quite strong though.

Personally, I think Ninjago has had its time now. There have been some good (for AFOLs) buildings, temples, ships, etc but now is starting to become a bit repetitive. And what it does do, MK seems to do better (for a higher price, of course).

 

Agree

I know this is not the Ninjago thread, but at this point it really feels like the theme needs a revamp

Like Ninjago The New 52 or something

[JintaiZ]

3 minutes ago, Robert8 said:

Agree

I know this is not the Ninjago thread, but at this point it really feels like the theme needs a revamp

Like Ninjago The New 52 or something

Good news: HUGE Ninjago City Gardens set may be arriving.

According to promobricks: https://www.promobricks.de/lego-71741-ninjago-city-gardens-2021/106965/

[koalayummies]

Online classes for kids, parents at home with their kids all day, kids not really allowed to go out and socialize, buy em a toy.

A theory on City: there are ~46 "sets" for 2020 City, 30% of those (or 14 sets) are Police themed. Current events probably having an impact there.

[MAB]

24 minutes ago, JintaiZ said:

I know I would love to go to the LEGO Store though...

For me, the best bits of the LEGO store are still closed - the PAB wall and the BAM parts. For regular sets I don't care if they are delivered or from a shelf, although I only buy exclusives direct from LEGO anyway. Actually I think I prefer delivery as I don't have to carry it. Other stores provide better value for run of the mill sets. The only other good bit about in-store for me is when offers stack, when online they might not.

16 minutes ago, JintaiZ said:

Good news: HUGE Ninjago City Gardens set may be arriving.

According to promobricks: https://www.promobricks.de/lego-71741-ninjago-city-gardens-2021/106965/

Yes, good for adults, probably not so good for the the smaller sets of the theme though. Ninjago City and Docks were fantastic but I don't think they will save the theme if the same small sets keep getting pumped out. I think they should give it a break while Monkie Kid is out, then maybe revive it every so often.

 

[JintaiZ]

4 minutes ago, koalayummies said:

Online classes for kids, parents at home with their kids all day, kids not really allowed to go out and socialize, buy em a toy.

A theory on City: there are ~46 "sets" for 2020 City, 30% of those (or 14 sets) are Police themed. Current events probably having an impact there.

Sad but true

2 hours ago, MAB said:

I don't really know what the overlap between the markets for the Chinese Festivities type sets and Ninjago is so cannot really tell there. The action theme based overlap between Ninjago and MK seems quite strong though.

Personally, I think Ninjago has had its time now. There have been some good (for AFOLs) buildings, temples, ships, etc but now is starting to become a bit repetitive. And what it does do, MK seems to do better (for a higher price, of course).

 

Over the last 5 years, there has been so many amazing products: Ninjago City, Ninjago City Docks, Destiny's Bounty. These excellent sets were excellent and even non-NINJAGO fans were extremely impressed. When I walked in the LEGO store and saw Ninjago City displayed, I was very impressed by its amazing level of detail and its pleasing color scheme!

The value is great too, while $299 may seem like a lot of money, the price per part is as low as $0.06 per piece, lower than many other LEGO sets. Most importantly, it comes with a whopping 19 minifigures! It definitely deserves the Best set of the Millennium Award!

Destiny's Bounty, on the other hand, is a beautiful display piece and one of the best ships ever produced. I just couldn't stop looking at it after it was built!

Unfortunately, the new version of Destiny's Bounty doesn't feel as attractive as the 2017 version. I don't see anything wrong with it, but it just fails to appeal to me.

To conclude, we need to make NINJAGO great again! 2017-2019 was a Golden Era for NINJAGO but now its over ?, so the only thing we can do is deal with it. Find other interesting themes.

11 minutes ago, MAB said:

For me, the best bits of the LEGO store are still closed - the PAB wall and the BAM parts. For regular sets I don't care if they are delivered or from a shelf, although I only buy exclusives direct from LEGO anyway. Actually I think I prefer delivery as I don't have to carry it. Other stores provide better value for run of the mill sets. The only other good bit about in-store for me is when offers stack, when online they might not.

In the United States, almost all stores are open.

13 minutes ago, MAB said:

Yes, good for adults, probably not so good for the the smaller sets of the theme though. Ninjago City and Docks were fantastic but I don't think they will save the theme if the same small sets keep getting pumped out. I think they should give it a break while Monkie Kid is out, then maybe revive it every so often.

However, kids will have a blast with Ninjago City and I'm sure it'll be the same for Ninjago City Gardens. Let's just hope that the rumor is true...

[MAB]

2 hours ago, JintaiZ said:

In the United States, almost all stores are open.

Sure, but are the BAM and PAB walls?

2 hours ago, JintaiZ said:

However, kids will have a blast with Ninjago City and I'm sure it'll be the same for Ninjago City Gardens. Let's just hope that the rumor is true...

Yes, for kids in families that can afford it. However, one set does not make a theme successful or a top selling theme. Unless the smaller sets in the theme that are much more accessible to many, many more kids are attractive enough compared to other themes then the theme will not be a top seller again. Most successful themes (including Ninjago of old) have very good high end sets for the relatively few that can purchase them, but strong sales of the smaller sets too.

Edited September 2, 2020 by MAB

[JintaiZ]

4 minutes ago, MAB said:

Sure, but are the BAM and PAB walls?

Yes, for kids in families that can afford it. However, one set does not make a theme successful or a top selling theme. Unless the smaller sets in the theme that are much more accessible to many, many more kids are attractive enough compared to other themes then the theme will not be a top seller again. Most successful themes (including Ninjago of old) have very good high end sets for the relatively few that can purchase them, but strong sales of the smaller sets too.

The NINJAGO theme could sell soooooo much better if they re-release Ninjago City...

Edited September 2, 2020 by JintaiZ

[MAB]

1 minute ago, JintaiZ said:

The NINJAGO theme could sell soooooo much better if they re-release Ninjago City...

I don't think it would. Many people that want it have already got it. They would need to find many new customers that did not buy it last time to make it a successful seller. Whereas if they released a similar size and detail but different set, they will sell to both new customers and the ones that already have Ninjago City. It is a similar argument with Modulars, with some people wanting re-releases of old sets. Better to have something similar but new that sells to both old and new collectors than something that is only appealing to new customers.

[JintaiZ]

2 minutes ago, MAB said:

I don't think it would. Many people that want it have already got it. They would need to find many new customers that did not buy it last time to make it a successful seller. Whereas if they released a similar size and detail but different set, they will sell to both new customers and the ones that already have Ninjago City. It is a similar argument with Modulars, with some people wanting re-releases of old sets. Better to have something similar but new that sells to both old and new collectors than something that is only appealing to new customers.

Very true. However, I think a re-release for Temple of Airjitzu could be likely.

[Mylenium]

16 hours ago, Lego David said:

Surprisingly enough, it seems like they've grown a lot this year, despite the COVID-19 pandemic, which really confuses me.

Nothing to be confused about. People still have money and are staying home. Things will look totally different next year when moratoriums on evictions, bankruptcy and other things run out and a ton of people get unemployed. Also one mustn't forget that LEGO have fired out a ton of super-expensive sets across the board this year (and still do), most of which are even directly distributed by LEGO, so they can cash in fully on them. That's sure going to show up on your tabulation. So for all intents and purposes we may be seeing a lot of limited one-off effects. The real acid test will be next year.

Mylenium

10 hours ago, JintaiZ said:

The NINJAGO theme could sell soooooo much better if they re-release Ninjago City...

Not really. I concur with @MAB here. It was actually on the market for rather long already. I'mm sure they could eek out a few more sales if they re-released it, but not as many as people generally seem to think. It was also a rather costly set at 329 Euro, so re-releasing it would only add to the pile of frustration for people who just don't have the money and/ or are also already backlogged on other expensive sets.

Mylenium

10 hours ago, JintaiZ said:

a re-release for Temple of Airjitzu

I'm all for that.

Mylenium

16 hours ago, MAB said:

I'm surprised both City and Friends have dropped out of the top selling themes.

Not really, given how poor a good chunk of the currently available sets are.

Mylenium

[howitzer]

I'm not surprised either. In the spring when the pandemic was at its strongest in many countries, building Lego was something that is both safe and enjoyable for almost anyone. Later the pandemic's impact on general economy will probably be seen in TLG's profits too, but it's hard to say how big that impact will be. Lego will still be enjoyable activity with all the social distancing going on, but as others have pointed out, the ripple effect from layoffs and bankruptcies will affect TLG too. Sadly, there's probably not much that TLG can do about it, in the end Lego is a luxury product which will be cut out from family spending when the finances go south. Still, I'm betting that TLG will emerge from the pandemic among the less affected corporations.

[MAB]

1 hour ago, Mylenium said:

 

Not really, given how poor a good chunk of the currently available sets are.

From an adult view, yes. But that has been true for a few years and City has still been a top seller. I wonder if the balance is changing and now more parents don't care to much if their kids play with licensed rather than unlicensed toys.