Funko, "optimistic" facing Christmas and is committed to growing with alliances such as Primark, Aldi and Lidl

Oct. 13 () –

Funko, the American firm that markets licensed entertainment products such as Star Wars, Harry Potter, Marvel, and DC Comics, has been “optimistic” about the imminent Christmas campaign, which it expects will once again be marked by discounts and promotions.

“We are optimistic, but we will see what happens because Spaniards continue to buy toys very late and they continue to look for promotions,” said the director of Funko in Spain and Portugal, Rosa Seegelken, in an interview with Europa Press.

The executive of the toy company has pointed out that in “general” in retail the consumer is being “educated” to buy with promotions. “A dependency is being generated on this type of promotions and actions,” he stated.

For this reason, he is optimistic about the imminent Christmas campaign, although he does not hide that he is “a little more concerned” about the development of the first quarter of 2025, but about the content issues that will exist next year. “The Spanish market has shown a lot of resilience, but it is true that the sector is taking a risk in the last weeks of the year,” he recalled.

A market, the toy market, which is also adapting to new consumer models since there are fewer and fewer children in Spain, so the products are also being aimed at young people and adults. “The market is looking for ways to reach other target audiences,” he explained.

And that’s part of the success that their ‘funkos’ are having, which have become “multi-generational” toys, since they have dolls intended for children and adults, thanks to the extensive brand licensing they have.

Thus, its portfolio highlights proposals ranging from Disney protagonists to current series such as ‘Bridgerton’, ‘Sucession’ or ‘Friends’, without forgetting music, which includes everything from Rosalía to Freddie Mercury, as well as sports, a trend that they see growing, where they can find FC Barcelona players, Michael Jordan or Formula 1 drivers, such as Max Verstappen, among others, and video games with Sonic as the protagonist in this Christmas campaign.

Another of the brand’s bets is the Bitty Pop, its impulse product of less value than its traditional dolls and which are intended to bring them “Funko Pop buyers in the future.” “It is the strategy to follow, we sell more units, but less in value, but we know that it is a product that reaches more target audiences, which is what we are looking for,” he explained.

DO NOT RULE OUT OPEN YOUR OWN PHYSICAL STORE

On the other hand, the American multinational has highlighted that it is promoting its presence in Spain, thanks to the different spaces located in El Corte Inglés, where it has 10 points of sale, as well as in Juguettos, Toy Planet or Fnac. “We are having very stable sales and we are doing well,” he noted.

Seegelken has highlighted the different spaces that the brand has throughout Spain, highlighting the one located in El Corte Inglés in Callao, which is its “most premium space at the moment”, and advances that they are looking to open a similar space in Barcelona. “Having its own store is in the company’s business plan,” he acknowledged to Europa Press, regarding the possibility of having a unique space for the brand.

“The idea is to continue with these store implementation models, because this way we can transmit that shopping experience and finding everything, allowing an immersive experience. In addition, it is a more direct way to reach consumers and achieve a positioning of the brand,” he explained.

Regarding the situation that the toy sector is going through, after the closure of Imaginarium and Poly Juguetes, Seegelken has indicated that the toy retail sector is “trying to renew itself” after the closure of some stores and the rebound in online sales after the pandemic. “The toy is a physical product to buy, but it is searched on the Internet, which is your window and catalog. In retail there have always been closings and openings,” he stressed.

ALLIANCES TO BRING CLOSER TO ALL CONSUMERS

A toy market that is also opening up to enter other channels such as supermarket shelves, where in recent years stores such as Lidl and Aldi have a toy brochure, where Funko Pop have entered. “Last year They had a very small selection, which sold out quickly,” he recalled.

Seegelken assures that supermarket chains are another “channel” with which they work “on a timely basis” to expand the brand’s presence in Spain. “It is not a channel that is going to give you a space in the store or a shopping experience, but this is how we get closer to the consumer,” he explained.

Another alliance of the multinational toy company is the one it has with Primark, with which they have been working for “several years”, being the only manufacturer within the Circana panel that has its products in the fashion brand. “How many millions of people enter Primark every day? This distribution strategy means that the product reaches not only a toy store, but also reaches an audience that you would not otherwise reach and with very selected products,” he stressed. .

“We believe that these alliances do not harm us, on the contrary, because if you do it with a more differentiating product, that does not cannibalize the rest of the retailers, it is not bad. And the good thing about Funko is that it has tons of products” , has emphasized the different alliances in retail that allow them to have their Funko Pop, which has a catalog of more than 1,000 brand licenses and exclusive products, in different spaces to get closer to all consumers.