EsSales of toys related to the “Star Wars” franchise fell in the nine week holiday period vs. a year earlier, NPD figures reported by Bloomberg show. While it was the number one category in the holiday season it fell to number two for the year as a whole. That shouldn’t be a big surprise. Panjiva data shows U.S. seaborne imports of Star Wars related merchandise fell 46.8% in the seven months to December 31 vs. the prior year (covering the “Rogue One” film) and by 56.0% vs. the Episode 7 release in 2016.
The situation for 2018 will be different. The next installment – “Solo – A Star Wars Story” is due for release in May rather than December. That will involve a retooling of supply chains for manufacturers including Hasbro with two waves of supplies in both May and ahead of the holidays.
Source: Panjiva
