LEGO Group’s H1 2023 Earnings Reflect Resilience Amid Toy Industry Challenges, Emphasis on Sustainability and Growth

LEGO Group’s H1 2023 Earnings Reflect Resilience Amid Toy Industry Challenges, Emphasis on Sustainability and Growth

(IN BRIEF) The LEGO Group reported its earnings for the first half of 2023, showcasing a one percent growth in revenue compared to H1 2022, with consumer sales growing by three percent. Despite an exceptionally strong H1 2022, the company achieved solid performance in a challenging toy industry. The LEGO Group outperformed a declining toy market, increasing its market share significantly. Operating profit reached DKK 6.4 billion, aligned with the company’s strategic initiatives in manufacturing, digital transformation, and sustainability. The company’s portfolio included over 750 products, with top-performing themes such as LEGO Icons, LEGO Star Wars™, LEGO Technic™, and LEGO City. The LEGO Group is making substantial investments in expanding its global manufacturing network, enhancing sustainability, and driving digital transformation.

(PRESS RELEASE) BILLUND, 31-Aug-2023 — /EuropaWire/ — The LEGO Group announced earnings for the first six months of 2023. Revenue was DKK 27.4 billion, a growth of one percent compared with H1 2022. Consumer sales grew three percent outperforming a declining toy market and contributing to strong market share growth.

Operating profit was in line with expectations at a solid DKK 6.4 billion compared with an exceptionally strong DKK 7.9 billion in H1 2022. The company continued to accelerate spending in long-term strategic initiatives including manufacturing, digital and sustainability.

CEO Niels B Christiansen said: “We are satisfied with our performance; especially as it has been a challenging six months for the toy industry. Demand for our products saw us outpace the industry and significantly grow market share.

“Our strong financial position allows us to invest for the long term, particularly in areas such as digital, sustainability and manufacturing. Overall, our performance is in line with expectations, after three consecutive years of extraordinary growth and we are grateful for our great colleagues who work each day to inspire children through play.”

Financial overview

Continued demand for products and strong retailer confidence contributed to consumer sales growth. Revenue grew one percent as reported and was flat in constant currency compared with record first half revenues in 2022 despite the impact of retailers’ inventory management. Net profit was DKK 5.1 billion compared with DKK 6.2 billion in the first half of 2022.

Free cash flow was DKK 1.1 billion compared with DKK 3.8 billion in the same period last year which reflected planned investments in expanding manufacturing capacity globally and upgrading technology.

Market performance

Consumer sales in major, established markets such as Americas grew, while consumer sales in China were impacted by a slower than predicted return to pre-pandemic shopping habits. The company will continue to expand its retail footprint and online presence in China in 2023 and beyond to reach more children.

Portfolio and brand performance

The LEGO Group’s portfolio in 2023 will include more than 750 products which are designed to appeal to builders of all ages and interests. Around half of the portfolio each year is new, demonstrating the creativity and innovation of its talented designers.

The top performing themes in the first half were a mix of homegrown IPs and external IPs and included: LEGO® Icons, LEGO Star Wars™, LEGO Technic™ and LEGO City. LEGO DREAMZzz™, the company’s new homegrown IP, was launched in March, with content featured across all major streaming and kids content platforms to build awareness before products went on sale in August.

The LEGO Group and Epic Games continue to make good progress on their partnership to create fun, safe digital experiences for children and expect to be able to share more information in the coming months.

The LEGO brand remains strong and in April was recognised by RepTrak as the most reputable brand in the world.

Strategic initiatives to drive long-term growth

The company stepped up strategic initiatives to deliver sustainable long-term growth and relevance.

• Expanding global manufacturing network
  The LEGO Group broke ground on a new factory in Virginia, US, in April and continued construction of a new factory in Vietnam. Both sites are USD 1 billion (DKK 6.7 billion) investments and aim to be carbon-neutral run once completed in 2025 and 2024 respectively. Capacity was also added to LEGO factories in Mexico, Czech Republic, Hungary and China. These investments further strengthen the company’s global manufacturing network, which locates production closer to major markets to ensure a short, efficient supply chain able to respond to shifting consumer demands and reduce carbon footprint.
• Building a sustainable future
  The LEGO Group continued to make progress on a wide range of initiatives to reduce its environmental impact. In the first half, the company continued its transition to paper-based pre-packs and announced a partnership with the company European Energy to produce e-methanol which has the potential to be used in future products.
  The LEGO Group aims to triple spending over three years on activity to reduce its carbon footprint, including using more sustainable materials, expanding usage of renewable energy and working towards its target to reduce carbon emissions by 37 percent by 2032. It also pledged to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions across its full supply chain by at least 2050.
• Transforming shopper experience through digital
  As part of its digital transformation, the company introduced technology that has improved shopper experiences in the first six months. This included an instore point of sale app and new digital tools that flow orders between warehouses to reduce delivery times. The company continued its planned growth of its digital team and by the end of the year expects to have around 1,800 digital colleagues in four locations: Billund, Copenhagen, London and Shanghai.
• Memorable retail experiences
  The company continues to expand the global network of LEGO branded stores* designed to create memorable brand moments for shoppers. It opened 89 new stores during the first half of 2023, taking the total number globally at the end of the period to 988. The company has also continued to strengthen e-commerce capabilities and performance across its own and partner platforms.

Inspiring future generations

The LEGO Group believes that learning through play gives children the best opportunity to develop life-long skills that will help them achieve their potential. During the first six months of 2023, more than 4.3 million children benefited from product donations and local community engagement activities.

Niels B Christiansen said: “We remain fully focussed on our ambition to inspire and develop more children around the world. We are proud to be in a strong financial position to deliver on this mission today and invest to ensure we continue to deliver for many generations in the future.”

Notes to editors

(*) Branded stores cover LEGO Brand Retail stores that are owned and operated by the LEGO Group (187 stores) as well as LEGO Certified Retail and LEGO Travel Retail stores that are owned and operated by partners (801 stores).

About the LEGO Group
The LEGO Group’s mission is to inspire and develop the builders of tomorrow through the power of play. The LEGO System in Play, with its foundation in LEGO bricks, allows children and fans to build and rebuild anything they can imagine.

The LEGO Group was founded in Billund, Denmark in 1932 by Ole Kirk Kristiansen, its name derived from the two Danish words Leg Godt, which mean “Play Well”.

Today, the LEGO Group remains a family-owned company headquartered in Billund. Its products are now sold in more than 130 countries worldwide.
For more information: www.LEGO.com

Media Contact:

media@LEGO.com

SOURCE: LEGO System A/S