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☆ Star Wars was the first Lego license — 25 years later, it's stronger than ever
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-04 | by ( Sarah Whitten | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

Star Wars Lego models are seen at the Bricks & Figs museum in Krakow, Poland, on April 15, 2023. A design director at the Denmark-based Lego company, he has spent the past 25 years creating Lego Star Wars sets. Now, Lego Star Wars has become a blueprint for the company's other brand deals — think Harry Potter, Batman and Marvel's Avengers. The Lego Star Wars collaboration came at a time of financial turmoil for Lego. Lego Icons, Lego Technic, Lego City and Lego Harry Potter also performed well.

Persons: Jens Kronvold Frederiksen, Frederiksen, Darth Vader, Harry Potter, Jill Wilfert, Wilfert, It's, Paul Southern, Shirlaine Forrest, " Frederiksen, we're, Southern, We've Organizations: Anadolu, Getty, Star, CNBC, Disney, Epic Games, Lego Star, Lego, Force, Manchester Central, Imperial, Star Wars, Lucasfilm, Walt Disney Company, Lego Star Wars, Warner Bros, Games Locations: Krakow, Poland, Denmark, Lego, Manchester, England

☆ Lego is cashing in big time on its adult fan base, doubling its revenue in the last decade
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-14 | by ( Katie Balevic | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Lego is cashing in on adult fans buying high-priced Lego sets. The $850 Millennium Falcon set is part of how Lego doubled its revenue in a decade. Lego knows that and is cashing in on its base of adult fans willing to dish out hundreds of dollars on elaborate sets. "Nowadays it's not so geeky," Sian Twynham, another adult Lego builder, told the Journal. AdvertisementWhether it's nostalgia or strategic marketing, toy companies are seeing big returns when they rebrand kids products for adult audiences.

Persons: —, Jonny Edmondson, We've, Julia Goldin, Lego's, Sian Twynham, Greta Gerwig's, toymaker Mattel, execs Organizations: Service, Star, Wall Street, Warner Bros, Hasbro, Associated Press

☆ Lego revenue ticks higher in 2023, despite trade-downs and China pullback
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-12 | by ( Sarah Whitten | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

The Lego company grew sales 2% last year, even as the global toy industry saw sales slip 7%, according to data from Circana. The pandemic-era gains that fueled exponential toy industry sales growth waned in 2023 as consumers cut discretionary spending amid rising inflationary costs and increased credit card debt. Meanwhile Denmark-based Lego posted resilient sales, with revenue reaching 65.9 billion Danish krone, or about $9.65 billion, it said Tuesday. The company saw sales jump 27% in 2021 and 17% in 2022. The toymaker's top-performing brands last year included Lego Icons, Lego Technic, Lego City, Lego Harry Potter and Lego Star Wars.

Persons: Niels Christiansen, Harry Potter, Christiansen, Lego, We're Organizations: CNBC, Lego, Lego Star, Epic Games Locations: Denmark, Lego City, China

PHOENIX (AP) — Democratic Rep. Ruben Gallego began airing the first television ads of his U.S. Senate campaign on Tuesday as the crucial Arizona race takes shape as a one-on-one contest after incumbent Kyrsten Sinema declined to run for a second term. The Arizona race is one of a handful of contests that will determine control of the Senate. In his ad, Gallego says he worked as a cook and a janitor growing up and got into Harvard University with no money or connections. Arizona has long been a Republican stronghold, but Sinema's 2018 election marked a period of ascendance for Democrats. ___Follow the AP's coverage of U.S. Rep. Ruben Gallego at https://apnews.com/hub/ruben-gallego.

Persons: Ruben Gallego, Kyrsten Sinema, Sinema, Gallego, he's, “, Kari Lake, She's, Donald Trump, They've, Trump, gallego Organizations: PHOENIX, — Democratic, U.S, Senate, Marine, Democrat, Democratic, Harvard University, Republican, Arizona, Lake, New, Republicans, U.S . Rep, ruben Locations: U.S, Iraq, Arizona, Phoenix, Iowa, New Hampshire, ascendance

☆ We'll have over 800 products this year, says Lego's Asia-Pacific vice president
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-14 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailWe'll have over 800 products this year, says Lego's Asia-Pacific vice presidentClaus Kristensen, Asia-Pacific vice president of Lego, discusses its sustainability efforts and product pipeline.

Persons: Claus Kristensen Locations: Asia, Pacific

☆ Lego is leaning into the $6.7 billion 'kidult' economy, through collabs with F1 and Pharrell, and by providing ideas for date night
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-01 | by ( Lara O'Reilly | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

download the appSign up to get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in markets, tech, and business — delivered daily. "We are noticing a shift, but we are also driving it," Lego Chief Product and Marketing Officer Julia Goldin told Business Insider of the "kidult" trend. This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers. Lego will be putting further efforts around its botanical range around key occasions in 2024, Goldin said. In October, Pharrell Williams biopic, "Piece by Piece," will be released to movie theaters, which will be told using Lego animation.

Persons: —, Julia Goldin, Goldin, Lego, McLaren, Ayrton Senna, Pharrell Williams, Lego Goldin Organizations: Service, Business, Lego, Petronas, BMW, Mercedes

☆ John Fetterman says he'll 'never understand' progressives who refuse to support Joe Biden
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-12 | by ( Bryan Metzger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Sen. John Fetterman has a message for progressives: support Joe Biden. The Pennsylvania Democrat says that supporting anyone besides Biden is the same as supporting Trump. "Get behind Joe Biden's policies, or you're gonna get behind Trump's policies," said the Pennsylvania Democrat. "Now we know how Trump is like, now you're just gonna be like 'nah, I don't like [him],'" Fetterman continued. AdvertisementAdvertisementLast week, during a similar briefing with reporters, Fetterman referred to the potential impeachment of President Biden as a "big circlejerk on the fringe right."

Persons: Sen, John Fetterman, Joe Biden, Biden, Clinton, Sanders, Joe Biden's, Fetterman, Hillary Clinton's, Bernie Sanders, Trump, Alexandria Ocasio, Cortez, Donald Trump, Ruben Gallego's, Independent Sen, Kyrsten, Gallego, I'm Organizations: Pennsylvania Democrat, Trump, Service, Democratic Party, Democratic Rep, Democratic, Senate, Independent Locations: Pennsylvania, Wall, Silicon, Braddock, Alexandria, Cortez of New York, Arizona

☆ 13 brands, from Coca-Cola to REI, that are pouring money into movies and TV to reach consumers with Hollywood-style storytelling
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-01 | by ( Lucia Moses | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

Mattel's Barbie is just one of many big brands getting serious about making Hollywood-style entertainment. "Barbie" may be the movie of the summer, but lots of other big brands are getting serious about making Hollywood-style entertainment. Brands are also getting more systematic about tracking the projects' outcome so they can justify the cost. Neutrogena: Neutrogena Studios launched in 2021 and is J&J Consumer's first brand-funded content studio to make feature documentaries and scripted shorts. Showtime/PepsiPepsiCo: PepsiCo's Content Studio is led by veteran PepsiCo marketer Lou Arbetter.

Persons: Barbie, Ron Howard, Brian Grazer's, Oscar, Michael Sugar, Brian Newman, REI, Michael Sugar's, Jae Goodman, Lauren Denowitz, Coke, Brian Grazer, Ron Howard's, Selman Careaga, John Deere, Mara Downing, Al Roker, Jill Wilfert, Robbie Brenner, J.J, Abrams, Lena Dunham, Barney, Daniel Kaluuya, J, Sebastian Garcia, Laurie Hernandez, Matt Damon, Ben Affleck's, Entertainment —, Justin Biskin —, Howard, Lou Arbetter, Max, Robert Rodriguez, Nadia Hallgre, Stanley Nelson, Arbetter, It's, Procter, Kimberly Doebereiner, Paolo Mottola, Kyra Sedgwick, Watiti, Saint Laurent, Anthony Vaccarello, Saint, Pedro Almodóvar, Ethan Hawke, Pedro Pascal, it's, Paolo Sorrentino, David Cronenberg, Kelly Mullen, Bryce Dallas Howard, Lena Waithe, WePresent, Holly Fraser, Moses Sumney, Solange Knowles, Riz Ahmed, Aneil, Fraser Organizations: Hollywood, Procter, Gamble, Brands, Unilever, InBev, Waffle Iron Entertainment, draftLine Entertainment, Netflix, Coca Cola, Entertainment, Global, Deere, Warner Bros, Warner Brothers, Universal Studios, Mattel, Neutrogena Studios, Studio, Kerry, Seattle Film, Ghetto Film, HBO Nike, Nike, Waffle, Apple, HBO, Showtime, Pepsi PepsiCo, PepsiCo, Pepsi Super, Pepsi, G Studios, Imagine, Amazon's, Hulu, Paramount, Blue Fox Entertainment, Saint Laurent Productions, Unilever Entertainment, Imagine Entertainment, Monotype Locations: Hollywood, Kerry Washington, American, Cannes, Britain

COPENHAGEN, Aug 30 (Reuters) - Lego continued to take market share in the first six months of the year even as the toy market declined and Chinese consumers returned to stores at a slower pace than expected, the Denmark-based toymaker said on Wednesday. By comparison, Lego grew sales 17% last year and 27% the year before. "But we've taken market share and have grown 10% faster than the market." The company's consumer sales grew 3% in a market that declined by 7%, meaning it grabbed market share from competitors like Hasbro (HAS.O) and Barbie-maker Mattel (MAT.O). He said he believes Lego can continue opening stores at the same pace for another five to 10 years.

Persons: toymaker, Niels Christiansen, Christiansen, Jacob Gronholt, Pedersen, David Holmes Organizations: Reuters, Hasbro, Mattel, Eiffel, Thomson Locations: COPENHAGEN, Denmark, China

☆ Lego sales increase while other toy makers struggle
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-30 | by ( Sarah Whitten | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

While other toy companies struggle with an inflation-fueled sales slump, Lego is building positive results brick by brick. Meanwhile, publicly traded rivals such as Mattel , Hasbro , Funko and Jakks Pacific have all reported double-digit revenue and sales declines so far this year. "I think what makes me very satisfied is this fact that we continue to outgrow the industry," CEO Niels Christiansen told CNBC. Toy companies across the industry saw massive gains during the Covid-19 pandemic, as parents looked for ways to keep their kids occupied during lockdowns. The region is newly exposed to the iconic building bricks and physical locations have helped show adults and children how to play with Lego.

Persons: Niels Christiansen, we've, Christiansen, That's Organizations: Mattel, Hasbro, Funko, Jakks, CNBC, lockdowns, U.S ., Star Locations: Danish, Mexico, Virginia, China

☆ Brands are pouring money into film and TV — meet 13 marketers making the biggest moves as Hollywood's new financiers
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-21 | by ( Lucia Moses | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

It's not just Barbie — lots of big brands are getting serious about making Hollywood-style entertainment. Insider identified 13 new and established players making the biggest moves in the space. "Barbie" may be the movie of the summer, but lots of other big brands are getting serious about making Hollywood-style entertainment. Neutrogena: Neutrogena Studios launched in 2021 and is J&J Consumer's first brand-funded content studio to make feature documentaries and scripted shorts. PepsiCo: PepsiCo's Content Studio is led by veteran PepsiCo marketer Lou Arbetter.

Persons: It's, Ron Howard, Brian Grazer's, Oscar, Michael Sugar, Brian Newman, REI, Michael Sugar's, Jae Goodman, Lauren Denowitz, Coke, Brian Grazer, Ron Howard's, Selman Careaga, John Deere, Mara Downing, Al Roker, Jill Wilfert, Ryan Gosling, Margot Robbie, Barbie, Ken, Jaap Buitendijk, Robbie Brenner, J.J, Abrams, Lena Dunham, Barney, Daniel Kaluuya, J, Sebastian Garcia, Laurie Hernandez, Matt Damon, Ben Affleck's, Entertainment —, Justin Biskin —, Howard, Lou Arbetter, Max, Robert Rodriguez, Nadia Hallgre, Stanley Nelson, Arbetter, Procter, Kimberly Doebereiner, Paolo Mattola, Kyra Sedgwick, Watiti, Saint Laurent, Anthony Vaccarello, Saint, Pedro Almodóvar, Ethan Hawke, Pedro Pascal, it's, Paolo Sorrentino, David Cronenberg, Kelly Mullen, Bryce Dallas Howard, Lena Waithe, WePresent, Holly Fraser, Moses Sumney, Solange Knowles, Riz Ahmed, Aneil, Fraser Organizations: Hollywood, Procter, Gamble, Companies, Brands, Unilever, InBev, Waffle Iron Entertainment, draftLine Entertainment, Netflix, Coca Cola, Entertainment, Global, Deere, Warner Bros, Warner Brothers, Universal Studios, Mattel, Neutrogena Studios, Studio, Kerry, Seattle Film, Ghetto Film, HBO Nike, Nike, Waffle, Apple, HBO, PepsiCo, Pepsi Super, Showtime, Pepsi, G Studios, Imagine, Amazon's, Hulu, Paramount, Blue Fox Entertainment, Saint Laurent Productions, Unilever Entertainment, Imagine Entertainment, Monotype Locations: Hollywood, Kerry Washington, American, Cannes, Britain

☆ Kyrsten Sinema raked in more than $100,000 from the airline industry as she pushed to alter pilot training requirements
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-18 | by ( Bryan Metzger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Sen. Kyrsten Sinema made a last-minute push in June to change training requirements for pilots. At the same time, she received over $100,000 from the airline industry over the last three months. But for the airline industry that's been pushing for that reduction, it was a sign that they had Sinema's ear. Political action committees and airline executives gave over $100,000 to Sinema's campaign from April to June, according to recently-filed documents with the Federal Election Commission. Altogether, the money accounts for over a tenth of contributions to Sinema's main campaign account over the last 3 months.

Persons: Sen, Kyrsten Sinema, Kyrsten, Republican Sen, John Thune of, Tammy Duckworth, Duckworth, Ruben Gallego's, Sacha Haworth, she'll Organizations: Service, Democrat, Republican, Federal Aviation Administration, Air Line Pilots Association, Senate, Democratic, Federal, Commission, —, Delta Airlines, Southwest Airlines, Alaska Air Group —, Intercept, FAA, Democratic Rep, Ruben Gallego's Senate, PAC Locations: Wall, Silicon, Arizona, John Thune of South Dakota

☆ Arizona Democratic Rep. Ruben Gallego recently outraised Independent Sen. Kyrsten Sinema in what could be the most unpredictable Senate race of 2024
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-16 | by ( John L. Dorman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Arizona Democrat Ruben Gallego outraised Independent Kyrsten Sinema in the first quarter of 2023. Gallego's campaign reported raising $3.74 million, while Sinema raised $2.1 million, per the FEC. The Grand Canyon State could potentially boast the most competitive Senate race in the US next year. The outcome of a competitive three-way Arizona race could very well determine control of the Senate. And the race would also be held with the concurrent presidential election, which could feature a rematch between President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump.

☆ Ruben Gallego slams Kyrsten Sinema for raking in Silicon Valley Bank contributions ahead of 2018 deregulation vote
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-14 | by ( Warren Rojas | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Rep. Ruben Gallego says Kyrsten Sinema is responsible for the Silicon Valley Bank implosion. Gallego talked about campaign contributions Sinema got from the failed lender on Tuesday in Tempe. "Sinema is in the pocket of Wall Street," he said, citing her 2018 vote to slash banking rules. Gallego also went after Sinema a day earlier, alleging that, "When bank lobbyists asked me to weaken bank regulations, I said no. When they asked Senator Sinema, she asked how much—and voted yes," DC outlet The Hill reported.

☆ Lego looks to build on 2022 sales growth with more China stores
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-07 | by ( Jacob Gronholt-Pedersen | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

COPENHAGEN, March 7 (Reuters) - Toymaker Lego said store openings in China and strong demand in Western Europe and the Americas had delivered 17% sales growth in 2022, adding that it expects to outpace the market this year. Lego plans to open another 145 stores this year, mostly in China, which Christiansen said in an interview he expects will help it to grow sales by a high single-digit percentage. "After a few extraordinary years we may see a return to more normal growth," Christiansen said. "High growth in sales has helped us compensate for those extra costs on freight, energy and raw materials," he said. As part of its strategy of placing production close to its key markets, Lego plans to begin operating new factories in Vietnam and Virginia, U.S. in 2024 and 2025, respectively.

☆ Lego sales leap 17% as fans buy bigger, more complicated sets
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-07 | by ( Sarah Whitten | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Lego sales are building on pandemic-era growth, boosted by a diverse slate of products that cater to kids and adults alike. Another factor in offsetting those costs was strong demand for Lego's eclectic selection of building sets, CEO Niels Christiansen told CNBC. "It's not price increases driving it, if anything it's people buying some of the bigger and more complicated sets. Around 48% of Lego's 2022 portfolio was in the new product category, he said. While it doesn't share the percentage breakdown between digital and in-store sales, Christiansen said Lego is seeing "good traction" online and its brick and mortar sales continue to fuel its confidence in opening new stores.

☆ Arizona Senate hopeful Ruben Gallego posts record-breaking fundraising haul in bid for Kyrsten Sinema's seat, breaking state record
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-24 | by ( Kevin Breuninger Christina Wilkie | Kevin Breuninger | Christina Wilkie | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Rep. Ruben Gallego's Senate campaign said Tuesday it raised more than $1 million in one day after the Democrat launched his bid for Sen. Kyrsten Sinema's coveted seat in the 2024 election cycle. "There's a lot of really important work left on the table to get done for Arizona," Sinema said in that Friday interview. That Senate math shifted after Democrats outperformed expectations in the November midterms, extending their hold to an outright Senate majority, 51-49. When Sinema left the Democratic Party last month, she called the change "a reflection of who I've always been." "I think it is a big dilemma for the Senate Democratic majority to decide whether to support her or to support somebody running on the Democratic ticket," McConnell said.

☆ Rep. Ruben Gallego launches bid for Sen. Kyrsten Sinema's Arizona seat
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-23 | by ( Kevin Breuninger | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Representative Ruben Gallego, a Democrat from Arizona, speaks during a House Armed Services Committee hearing in Washington, D.C., U.S, on Thursday, July 9, 2020. Democratic Rep. Ruben Gallego of Arizona on Monday launched a 2024 campaign for the U.S. Senate seat held by Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, who recently left the Democratic Party and faces an uncertain political future. "I will be challenging Kyrsten Sinema for the United States Senate, and I need all of your support," the 43-year-old Gallego said in a video posted Monday morning. In an interview with the Associated Press, Gallego said Sinema "clearly has forgotten where she came from." Arizona was one of the battleground states that helped Biden secure his 2020 presidential win over former President Donald Trump.

☆ Democratic Rep. Ruben Gallego expected to announce a bid for Sen. Kyrsten Sinema's seat in 2024
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-20 | by ( Haley Talbot | Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Rebecca-Shabad-Circle-Byline-Template.Jpg | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

WASHINGTON — Rep. Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., is expected to announce Monday that he's running for Senate in Arizona in 2024, according to a source familiar with his planned rollout. Gallego, a progressive Democrat, is running for the seat held by Sinema, who decided in December to leave the Democratic Party and become an independent. If she does, and Gallego wins the Democratic nomination, they'd face each other in the general election. In December, after Sinema announced she was changing her party affiliation, Gallego signaled to NBC News he was likely to launch a Senate bid. Gallego went on to say he believes if Sinema runs, “it will almost ensure the fact that the Senate seat will stay in Democratic hands” because of the GOP’s struggles to hold its coalition together.

☆ NASA's Artemis I moon rocket is flying through space for the first time. Meet the mannequins, Snoopy, and 'Shaun the Sheep' dolls along for the ride.
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-16 | by ( Paola Rosa-Aquino | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

Mannequins and mementos are hitching a ride aboard NASA's Orion capsule — without people. Fitted with more than 5600 sensors, Zohar and Helga will measure the amount of radiation astronauts could be exposed to in future missions. "When it comes to biological effects, different organs have different susceptibility to space radiation. Shaun, of British TV show "Shaun the Sheep" fame, is flying aboard the Artemis I mission in plush doll form. Snoopy will ride in the Orion capsule and serve as a zero gravity indicator.

☆ Lego sales jump 17% in first half of 2022, boosted by Star Wars and Harry Potter sets
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-28 | by ( Sarah Whitten | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Lego Star Wars toys sit on display inside a Toys "R" Us Inc. store in Paramus, New Jersey, U.S., on Tuesday, Nov. 26, 2019. Lego sales are building on pandemic-era growth, boosted by popular sets from Lego Star Wars and Lego Harry Potter. On Wednesday, the privately held Danish toymaker said revenue during the first six months of the year jumped 17%, reaching $27 billion Danish krone, or about $3.5 billion. In addition to top-selling Star Wars and Harry Potter models, Lego has seen strong performance in its homegrown Lego Technic and Lego City. Net profit between January and June 30 reached $6.2 billion Danish krone, or about $802 million, essentially in line with year-earlier levels.

☆ Ruben Gallego ignites feud with fellow Democratic lawmaker Kyrsten Sinema, accusing her of wanting the GOP to win the House and the Senate
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-27 | by ( Cheryl Teh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Ruben Gallego took a jab at fellow Democrat Kyrsten Sinema on Monday. Gallego said he sensed that Sinema would prefer it if the Democrats lost the House and Senate. He said Sinema was "nowhere" to be seen while he was campaigning around their home state of Arizona. Donating, raising funds and encouraging people to come out and vote and I have seen you nowhere @SenatorSinema," Gallego tweeted. Meanwhile, Gallego has teased the idea of mounting a potential challenge against Sinema in the 2024 Democratic primary.

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