Every child knows the Playmobil figures. But the toy manufacturer’s sales have recently fallen significantly. Horst Brandstätter Group
The Horst Brandstätter Group, manufacturer of Playmobil, is struggling with slumping sales and is looking for ways to boost business.
A cooperation with the German Football Association (DFB) and Edeka for the European Football Championship with national players in miniature format is intended to help the toy manufacturer.
But there won’t be one player: Toni Kroos. Presumably because the Real Madrid star returned to the DFB squad for the European Championship too late.
The ailing toy manufacturer, the Horst Brandstätter Group from Zirndorf near Nuremberg in Franconia, is a largely unknown company. However, she makes a product that literally every child knows: Playmobil.
The Brandstätter Group’s global sales have collapsed in recent years. In the past financial year 2023/24 they totaled 490 million euros. The group of companies announced this on Wednesday. Just three years ago, sales were just under 721 million euros. A good ninety percent is made up of plastic figures from Playmobil.
Now a cooperation with the German Football Association (DFB) and the retail giant Edeka is intended to significantly boost business. Playmobil releases the national players and other stars as 7.5 centimeter tall toy figures. Edeka customers should be able to collect points when shopping and buy the kickers at a discount.
But there is one player you won’t find on the list of stars you can buy: Toni Kroos. Real Madrid’s midfield strategist is unlikely to be on the shelves as a miniature figure. Why this is so is not clear. However, it seems reasonable to conclude that it was connected to Kroos’ short-term return to the DFB team, so that the production of the mini-kickers had already started.
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The “DFB stars” have been seen in miniature format on Ebay and on Tiktok in recent days. It’s not the first time that Playmobil has tried to score points with celebrities. Just as Lego has been doing for years, the manufacturer has already released figures for films such as “Scooby Doo” in recent years.
But that’s not all: Playmobil also presented plastic reformer Martin Luther. Apparently with success, which is why Playmobil boss Bahri Kurter is now dreaming of superstar Taylor Swift, as he revealed to the “Bild” newspaper: “We made a lot of money from Martin Luther. If it sold 1.2 million copies, how do you think Taylor Swift will sell?”
Playmobil manufacturer is cutting jobs
As entertaining as it sounds, the slump in sales has plunged Playmobil into a deep crisis. Which is why the company is trying to create a better atmosphere. This week the Brandstätter Group spoke of a “positive forecast”, i.e. good prospects for the next few months. They also want to stick to Germany and Malta as production locations.
This is not a given, as in October last year the group announced that it would cut 700 jobs worldwide, half of them in Germany. The Brandstätter Group recently had more than 4,000 employees. According to a press release, a “large portion” of the job cuts have now been completed.
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