Hasbro Inc. is struggling after getting harder hit by the bankruptcy and eventually closure of toy retail giant Toys R Us.
Toys R Us was the third largest customer to Hasbro in the United States while in Europe and Asia it was even at a rank up as second largest customer, but after its bankruptcy which ended with its disappearance from the market led not only the Hasbro but also its rival toy maker Mattel to quickly look for new retail locations where they can shelve their products. But for Hasbro those efforts become multiplied as it largely relies on toys based on movie franchises.
For success in the market, Hasbro mostly rely on entertainment business and on its licenses for Disney’s Star Wars, Marvel and Frozen, which also does not going to sell in non-movie or non-entertainment years, said Jackie Breyer, editorial director at trade magazine the Toy Book.
In past holiday season, despite expansion of toy sections by several retailers including Walmart, Target and even drugstores, the year 2018 still saw decline in toy shelves as compared to previous years. And that loss of shelf space was also the main cause of Hasbro’s declined sales especially during the holiday season as its revenue for the fourth-quarter fell by 13 percent to $1.39 billion which was $1.6 billion in a year ago quarter.
The bankruptcy and liquidation of Toys R Us had not only disrupted the year 2018 globally but also shifted the retail and consumer market rapidly, Hasbro’s CEO Brian Goldner said in a statement last week.
After the Toys R Us removal, Hasbro stepped up its efforts and remained introducing new strategies to set off the impacts on its sales and outside of brick and mortar stores, is also exploring alternate ways of shopping, which led the company to enter into industry’s trends like product lines of toys based on popular game Fortnite.