After the spectacular premiere of the movie Barbie, the market is waiting for the evolution of sales of the famous doll in the third quarter of the year.
The prospects did not look good at the beginning of the year. From January to June, the gross turnover of this toy registered a decrease of 23%, falling to 460 million dollars in an unfavorable macroeconomic context. And looking back even further, the Barbie brand's net income has been virtually flat for years now, except for a rebound in 2021 marked by the pandemic (see chart).
But in the wake of the blockbuster, Mattel is confident that its sales will regain the vigor of yesteryear. “Since the premiere of the film we went through a very sweet moment. In Spain, Barbie is the leader in the category of this type of doll and has registered a growth of 19% in the month of July”, says Céline Ricaud, director of marketing in the Iberia region of Mattel.
For 40 years, the American group has employed nearly a hundred people in Barcelona who are in charge of managing the peninsular business. The company distributes the dolls through toy stores and department stores. In the case of El Corte Inglés, sources from the Spanish company assure that sales are going like a shot. Although they do not have exact figures, they assure that the sales of the traditional doll are in the first place of the ranking this summer. They also highlight that the models inspired by the film – whose price ranges from 74 to 100 euros – have aroused interest. Even some models – the one representing the actress Margot Robbie dressed in a fuchsia cowboy outfit – are out of stock. From the chain they also highlight the furor that the doll has caused among the adult public, especially millennial women.
The case of the Abacus chain is very different, because the film has generated internal commotion. The cooperative had never sold this doll because it considered that it conveyed values that were not aligned with its brand. But as a result of the film, the entity plans to start selling it from 2024. "We are evaluating it because we see that Barbie now represents ideals that favor the role of women in society," say sources from the Catalan cooperative.
The Mattel and Warner Bros. film is also having an impact on the second-hand market. Wallapop sources say that sales of items related to Barbie experienced a year-on-year increase of 83% in the period from the day before the premiere, on July 20, to a week after it. Among the best-selling items is the doll itself, but also the car, the caravan, the house, the wardrobe or the brand's Zara t-shirts. It remains to know the transactions in the month of August, when the brand has gained more popularity in the market.
From the Milanuncios portal, they say that in the first half of the year, searches related to the Barbie universe have increased by 28%. Among the items that have generated the most interest are second-hand collectible dolls, which have experienced a 90% increase in demand. Sales of Barbie from the 90s have grown by 96% and "old" ones by 75%. Barbie is a rising value.
