Big Box Stores Offer Big Box Comfort
The first sign of life in the hobby thriving amidst the pandemic was Hasbro’s staggering first-quarter numbers. The company’s CEO, Brian Goldner, explained that Hasbro experienced more than 20 percent growth before the 2020 holiday season alone. Ravensburger reported a spike well over 300% in sales across its line of games and puzzles. There was no denying that the giants of the board gaming industry were doing well. An article from Sarah Butler for The Guardian tracked early lockdown sales of games and toys in the United Kingdom, with stalwarts Hasbro, Mattel, and Asmodee having strong sales numbers for classic family titles such as Monopoly, Clue, and Uno. Reports in North America tracked similar sales of these well-known games.
It turns out many publishers not at the size and scale of Hasbro and Ravensburger were working toward sustainability even before the pandemic, and big box stores were not a major factor in their plans to move forward. John Zinser, owner of Alderac Entertainment Group (AEG), explains that “[big box stores] have not shaped our business model. We are always hoping our games will be placed in these stores, but we do not build our business model around it.”
Ted Alspach, owner of Bezier Games, expresses a similar stance of big box retailers. “They haven’t had much of an impact. Some have done better than before, others not so much. That category was pretty much flat.”
This story is from the Spring 2021 edition of Casual Game Insider.
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This story is from the Spring 2021 edition of Casual Game Insider.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
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