LEGO Systems Achieves #1 Brand and #2 Property Rankings Among U.S. Boys' Toys in 2005; Company's U.S. turnaround efforts succeed, winning over American boys and taking U.S. construction toy business back to green.ENFIELD, Conn. -- LEGO Systems, Inc., the North American North American named after North America. North American blastomycosis see North American blastomycosis. North American cattle tick see boophilusannulatus. division of the world's leading construction toy brand, today announced that its U.S. business turned to positive after two years of loss, countering the trend of a declining U.S. toy industry. According to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. aggregated data from The NPD Group The NPD Group, Inc. is a leading global market research company[1] founded in 1967 and provides consumer and retail information to manufacturers and retailers. Using actual sales data from retailers and distributors as well as consumer-reported purchasing behavior, NPD , the company ended as the number-one boys' brand and number-two boys' property in the U.S.(1) As non-toy gifts (especially electronic gadgets and gift cards) pressured classic toys more than ever and the toy industry declined nearly four percent(1), LEGO Systems increased total U.S. consumer sales +19% overall, according to NPD Group(1). The brand's U.S. construction category sales grew +25%(1), strengthening its leadership of the U.S. construction category by four market share points(1). Innovative core offering The LEGO(R) brand restored category competitiveness in 2005, driven by a strong offering of core construction products. This is reflected in sales of LEGO Star Wars Lego Star Wars is a Lego theme which incorporates the Star Wars saga. The first Lego Star Wars in 1999, included model 7140, the first Lego X-Wing. The first few sets based on the original trilogy were released in 1999, coinciding with the release of The Phantom Menace. (TM) far exceeding expectations, as well as recording of the most successful year for non-licensed traditional play theme lines since 2001 with strong sales of LEGO CITY, DINO DINO - Data parallel superset of C. ftp://ftp.cs.colorado.edu/pub/cs/distribs/dino/. ["The DINO Parallel Programming Language", M. Rosing et al, J Parallel Dist Comp 13(9):30-42 (Sep 1991)]. ["DINO Parallel Programming Language", M. ATTACK(TM), Racers, KNIGHTS' KINGDOM(TM) and BIONICLE BIONICLE Biological Chronicle (Lego) (R). Strong performance for retailers In 2005, the company grew profit and productivity in top U.S. retailers' stores, leading to an increase in category shelf space and promotional ad feature. Gains were driven by strong product launches, careful inventory management and allocation and low levels of clearance inventory, all of which improved key metrics metrics Managed care A popular term for standards by which the quality of a product, service, or outcome of a particular form of Pt management is evaluated. See TQM. on top retailers' vendor scorecards. Captured online growth LEGO Systems capitalized on U.S. consumers shopping online, with very strong sales of LEGO products through retailers' websites, as well as on LEGOshop.com, which recorded double-digit growth and record year-end sales. Engaged consumers Last year, demand for LEGO products was strong, as predicted by a survey of moms that revealed a majority (66%) planned to purchase construction toys during the holiday season. Seventy-four percent of moms said the more children use their imagination the better they will do in school(2). Adults ranked the LEGO brand #6 among strongest kids' properties in the U.S.(3) In one holiday wish list survey, boys ranked LEGO sets #2(4). Additionally, the LEGO Star Wars video game ranked #10 among all video game sales in 2005(5) and was the #1 wished-for video game among boys(6). Boys 6-8 ranked the LEGO brand #2 "really fun" brand(7). "We are thrilled with the result we have achieved in the difficult U.S. toy market last year, especially considering we were building from two years of loss," said Soeren Torp Laursen, president, LEGO Americas, Pacific, Direct. "Moving forward, we will focus on providing consumers with the highest quality, most innovative construction toys in the market to further strengthen our category and market leadership. We will continue to increase profitability for our retail partners, and further enhance the connection that LEGO consumers have to the brand to drive higher demand and loyalty." About LEGO Systems LEGO Systems, Inc. is the North American division of The LEGO Group Lego Group is a family-owned company based in Billund, Denmark and best known for the manufacture of Lego-brand toys. The company was founded in 1932 by Ole Kirk Christiansen. , a privately-held, family-owned company based in Billund, Denmark, one of the world's leading manufacturers of creatively educational play materials for children. The company is committed to the development of children's creative and imaginative abilities, and its employees are guided by the motto adopted in the 1930s by founder Ole Kirk Christiansen Ole Kirk Christiansen (April 7, 1891–March 11, 1958) was a Danish master carpenter and toymaker, responsible for both founding the Lego Group and inventing the world-famous Lego bricks. He had a son, who headed LEGO after him: Godfred Kirk Christiansen. : "Only the best is good enough." Visit the virtual LEGO world at www.LEGO.com LEGO, DINO ATTACK, KNIGHTS' KINGDOM, BIONICLE and their respective logos are trademarks of the LEGO Group. (C) 2006 The LEGO Group. (C) 2006 Lucasfilm Ltd. & TM. All rights reserved. Used under authorization. (1) The NPD Group, Consumer Information, Annual 2005 (2) Silver Stork stork, common name for members of a family of long-legged wading birds. The storks are related to the herons and ibises and are found in most of the warmer parts of the world. Research (3) Young & Rubicam Brand Asset Valuator The Brand Asset Valuator (BAV) is a database of consumer perception of brands created and managed by BrandAsset Consulting, a division of Young & Rubicam Brands to provide information to enable firms to improve the marketing decision-making process and to manage brands better. 2005 (4) Funosophy 2005 Wish List Study (5) The NPD Group, Consumer Information, Annual 2005 (6) Funosophy 2005 Wish List Study (7) Kids Product Q measures Brand Equity among children aged 6-11 |
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