Toronto, ON October 20, 2020 – Canadian toy industry sales increased by 12%  in the first three quarters of 2020 (January – September) according to 
The NPD Group. Year-over-year growth started in March despite lockdown restrictions, and since June the industry has seen double-digit growth each month.

Outdoor & Sports Toys has seen the highest year over year growth (+31%) as consumers looked for ways to entertain their children at home. Other super categories experiencing double digit growth are Games & Puzzles (+29%), Arts & Crafts (+14%) Building Sets (+13%), Infant/Toddler/Preschool Toys (+10%) and Explorative & Other Toys (+10%.)

Disney Frozen was the largest growing property in Canada year to date, followed by Star Wars, Barbie, Nintendo and Little Tikes.

“As we look ahead to the next few critical months for retail, we expect that more consumers will continue to shop online, which may shift purchases earlier than the traditional December crunch” says Joan Ramsay, Industry Analyst for Canada Entertainment for The NPD Group. “In addition, Amazon Prime day just took place in October and many retailers are saying that their Black Friday deals will start earlier and be spread over more weeks. We expect more consumers to shop earlier to take advantage of these deals and avoid possible inventory shortages and shipping delays.”

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