DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ Activist pushes Mattel to fix American Girl, Fisher-Price brands or sell them off
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-02 | by ( Rohan Goswami | In Rohangoswamicnbc | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Activist investor Barington Capital is pushing Mattel to consider selling off its American Girl and Fisher-Price brands, citing underperformance within the divisions. Mattel shares were up around 3% in premarket trading Friday following a letter sent to Mattel Thursday, which was first reported by the Wall Street Journal. American Girl and Fisher-Price, two iconic brands, are among the most popular in their respective markets. Mitarotonda said that if Mattel cannot stymie continued erosion in both Fisher-Price and American Girl, which has suffered similar declines, the company "may not be the right owner of these brands." "We believe that these brands are now detracting from the success at Mattel's other segments and hurting shareholder value," Mitarotonda said in a release.

Persons: Barbie, Barington, Price, Fisher, Barington's James Mitarotonda, Ynon Kreiz, Mitarotonda, Mattel, Kreiz, Michael Dolan, Dolan Organizations: Mattel Inc, Mattel, American, Price, Wall Street, Fisher, Bacardi, IMG, Young, Body Works, Darden Locations: El Segundo , California

Hasbro's third-quarter revenue performance missed Wall Street's expectations and the company cut its full-year revenue outlook again as signs of a possible industry slowdown in toy sales heading into the holiday season weighs on jittery investors. Holiday shopping is traditionally a critical selling season for toy companies and can comprise a large portion of their annual toy sales. Rival Mattel Inc. had a better third quarter, reporting on Wednesday that its sales rose 9% in the period. Still, experts are pointing to toy industry sales being down for the year to date and the third quarter as a concern. Mattel Chairman and CEO Ynon Kreiz said during a conference call on Wednesday that the company anticipates the global toy industry will experience a mid single-digits decline in toy sales for the full year.

Persons: Barbie, Ynon Kreiz Organizations: Zacks Investment Research, Hasbro, Mattel Inc, Mattel Locations: Pawtucket, Rhode Island

☆ How toy and game companies are winning back their grown-up former customers
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-21 | by ( Elisabeth Buchwald | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

I’m almost embarrassed to share that Zoo Pals are paper plates that feature the bright, adorable faces of animals like pigs, turtles, ducks and whales. And I had an incentive to finish my plate so I could see my Zoo Pal’s face again. In August Hefty relaunched Zoo Pals after discontinuing the plates featuring animals nearly a decade ago. Hefty said one of the reasons it brought back Zoo Pals was "so our fans can relive their fondest childhood memories." Christopher Dilts/Bloomberg/Getty ImagesMattel Inc.’s American Girl doll line has also seen an influx of purchases made by kidults over the past few years, “and it continues to grow in popularity,” Jamie Cygielman, the president of American Girl, told CNN.

Persons: New York CNN —, I’m, —, Covid, Krystine Batcho, ”, Batcho, she’s, Gen, Juli Lennett, ” Lennett, Christopher Dilts, kidults, ” Jamie Cygielman, Cygielman, Z, Instagramers, @inbloombyemily, hasn’t, “, Lennett, ” Batcho Organizations: New, New York CNN, Zoo, CNN, Le Moyne College, Consumers, Lego, Bloomberg, Getty, Mattel Inc, American, Girl, Social Locations: New York, United States, Syracuse , New York, Chicago, American

☆ Lebanon approves 'Barbie' film for release after bid to ban it
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] A boy stands near an advertising billboard of the movie 'Barbie' at a cinema theatre, as Lebanon approved the film to be screened in cinemas following an initial attempt to ban it, in Beirut, Lebanon September 1, 2023. REUTERS/Emilie Madi Acquire Licensing RightsBEIRUT, Sept 1 (Reuters) - Lebanon on Friday approved the "Barbie" film to be screened in cinemas following an initial attempt to ban it by its culture minister over claims it contradicts conservative values. Interior Minister Bassam Mawlawi in turn asked General Security's censorship committee to review the film and give its recommendation. Kuwait has banned "Barbie" and supernatural horror film "Talk to Me" to protect "public ethics and social traditions", the state news agency said last month. Starring Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling as Barbie and Ken, the movie sends Mattel Inc's (MAT.O) Barbie doll on an adventure into the real world.

Persons: Emilie Madi, Mohammad Mortada, Bassam Mawlawi, Margot Robbie, Ryan Gosling, Barbie, Ken, Mattel, Nour Hajjar, Maya Gebeily, Nick Macfie Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, General Security, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Lebanon, Beirut, Rights BEIRUT, Kuwait, Lebanese

☆ Algeria bans 'Barbie' movie, media and official source say
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Margot Robbie attends the European premiere of "Barbie" in London, Britain July 12, 2023. REUTERS/Maja Smiejkowska/File PhotoALGIERS, Aug 14 (Reuters) - Algeria has banned the movie "Barbie," which had been showing at some cinemas in the country for several weeks, an official source and the local 24H Algerie news site said on Monday. The official source said the film "promotes homosexuality and other Western deviances" and that it "does not comply with Algeria's religious and cultural beliefs." Starring Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling as Barbie and Ken, the movie sends Mattel Inc's (MAT.O) doll on an adventure into the real world. Reporting by Lamine Chikhi, writing by Angus McDowall, editing by Sandra MalerOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Margot Robbie, Maja Smiejkowska, Ryan Gosling, Barbie, Ken, Mattel, Lamine Chikhi, Angus McDowall, Sandra Maler Organizations: REUTERS, Ministry, Thomson Locations: London, Britain, ALGIERS, Algeria, Algerie, Lebanon, Kuwait

☆ Lebanon moves to ban 'Barbie' film for 'promoting homosexuality'
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BEIRUT, Aug 9 (Reuters) - Lebanon's culture minister moved to ban the film "Barbie" from cinemas on Wednesday, saying it "promotes homosexuality" and contradicts religious values. Mortada's decision said the film was found to "promote homosexuality and sexual transformation" and "contradicts values of faith and morality" by diminishing the importance of the family unit. Lebanon was the first Arab country to hold a gay pride week in 2017 and has generally been seen as a safe haven for the LGBT community in the broadly conservative Middle East. Mawlawi last year took a decision to ban events "promoting sexual perversion" in Lebanon, understood to refer to LGBT-friendly gatherings. In a speech last month, Nasrallah called on Lebanese authorities to take action against materials he deemed to be promoting homosexuality, including by "banning" them.

Persons: Mohammad Mortada, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, Mortada's, Bassam Mawlawi, Mawlawi, Nasrallah, Lebanon's, Bechara Boutros, Rai, Ayman Mhanna, Samir Kassir, Mhanna, Margot Robbie, Ryan Gosling, Barbie, Ken, Mattel, Laila Bassam, Gebeily, Toby Chopra, Nick Macfie Organizations: Hezbollah, Reuters, Thomson Locations: BEIRUT, Lebanon

☆ Warner Bros movie 'Barbie' ticket sales top $1 billion
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

NEW YORK, Aug 6 (Reuters) - Box-office ticket sales of the movie "Barbie" topped $1 billion in the United States and worldwide since its debut more than two weeks ago, Warner Bros. Pictures, a unit of Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD.O), announced on SundayIn a statement, Warner Bros. said the movie took in $459 million from domestic theaters and another $572.1 million overseas over the weekend, for a total of $1.0315 billion. "As distribution chiefs, we're not often rendered speechless by a film's performance, but Barbillion has blown even our most optimistic predictions out of the water," said Jeff Goldstein, president of domestic distribution for Warner Bros. Pictures, and Andrew Cripps, president of international distribution. "Barbie" ticket sales ranked second this year to "The Super Mario Bros," which was released in April and raked in a total of $1.357 billion at the box office. Reporting by Gertrude Chavez-Dreyfuss; Editing by Leslie AdlerOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: we're, Jeff Goldstein, Andrew Cripps, Oscar, Greta Gerwig, Margot Robbie, Ryan Gosling, Barbie, Ken, Mattel, Mario Bros, Gertrude Chavez, Dreyfuss, Leslie Adler Organizations: Warner Bros . Pictures, Warner Bros ., Warner Bros, Thomson Locations: United States

☆ 'Barbenheimer' box office sales keep rolling in second weekend
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-30 | by ( Nicholas P. Brown | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

July 30 (Reuters) - Warner Bros' (WBD.O) "Barbie" showed no signs of slowing down in its second weekend at the box office, and was set to haul in $93 million in ticket sales Friday through Sunday, according to estimates from media analytics firm Comscore. 1 movie, and the highest-grossing opening weekend for a film directed by a woman - has made more than $351 million in the U.S. and Canada since opening on July 21, and nearly $775 million globally, Comscore reported. The two films together have been dubbed "Barbenheimer," a nod to the relative rarity of two blockbusters opening the same weekend. Their combined sales are "absolutely mind blowing," Dergarabedian said, with second-weekend numbers that "would have been hailed as opening weekend wins." Universal's Oppenheimer has made $174 million in the U.S. and Canada so far, and $400 million worldwide.

Persons: Barbie, Greta Gerwig's, Margot Robbie, Ryan Gosling, Ken, Ynon, Oppenheimer, Christopher Nolan's, Robert Oppenheimer, Paul Dergarabedian, Dergarabedian, Universal's Oppenheimer, Robbie, Nicholas P, Brown, Peter Henderson, Aurora Ellis Organizations: Warner Bros, Mattel, Hollywood, Guild of America, SAG, Thomson Locations: U.S, Canada

☆ Gap, Looking for Barbie Magic, Hires Mattel’s President as C.E.O.
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-26 | by ( Jordyn Holman | More About Jordyn Holman | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Gap hopes its new chief executive can help it achieve a Barbie-like turnaround. Just days after the blockbuster opening weekend of “Barbie,” Gap, announced on Wednesday that it had hired Richard Dickson of the toymaker Mattel Inc. to become its chief executive officer. Mr. Dickson is Mattel’s and president and chief operating officer and has been at the toymaker since 2000. Over the weekend, the Greta Gerwig-directed “Barbie” brought in $162 million at the North American box office. That success followed months of a can’t-miss-it marketing campaign that put Barbie at the top of mind for a wide range of consumers, from children to adults.

Persons: “ Barbie, Richard Dickson, Dickson, Greta Gerwig, Barbie ”, Barbie, ”, Jonathan Reid, “ Richard Organizations: Mattel Inc, American, Mattel, Fitch

☆ 'Barbie' movie debut shines even brighter as final tally rises
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-24 | by ( Lisa Richwine | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

The final Friday to Sunday tally for the "Barbie" movie starring Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling was slightly higher than the $155 million the studio estimated on Sunday. "Barbie" is the No.1 movie of the year based on domestic opening weekend sales, beating the $146.4 million haul for April release "The Super Mario Bros. The story of the making of the atomic bomb brought in $82.4 million in the United States and Canada from Friday through Sunday, up from the earlier estimate of $80.5 million. In 78 international markets, "Oppenheimer" collected nearly $98.0 million for a global total of $180.4 million. Both movies beat expectations and helped the U.S. and Canadian box office surpass $300 million for just the fourth time in history.

Persons: Margot Robbie, Maja Smiejkowska, Warner Bros, Ryan Gosling, Mario, Greta Gerwig's, Barbie, Christopher Nolan's, Oppenheimer, Lisa Richwine, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: REUTERS, Warner, Mario Bros, Mattel Inc, Thomson Locations: London, Britain, United States, Canada, U.S

☆ Everything's pink: How Barbiecore fashion has fueled a movie's buzz
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-20 | by ( Lisa Richwine | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

There are Barbie sneakers, Barbie backpacks, Barbie swimsuits, and Barbie hoodies for your dog. A few months later, photos showed Barbie movie star Margot Robbie on set in a hot pink Western jumpsuit. As the style took off, fashion magazines chronicled celebrities from Kim Kardashian to Harry Styles in bright Barbiecore outfits. Barbie-inspired foods include an ice cream flavor and a Barbie burger with pink sauce sold at Burger King in Brazil. Robbie, who rotated through Barbie-inspired looks during the movie's publicity tour, even rolled pink suitcases through the airport in Sydney.

Persons: Mattel Inc's, Barbie, Barbie swimsuits, Barbie hoodies, Richard Dickson, Couture, Valentino, Margot Robbie, Madeline Hirsch, Hirsch, Kim Kardashian, Harry Styles, Kendra Scott, Dreamhouse, Robbie, Ryan Gosling, Ken, Rich Daughtridge, Christopher Nolan's, Oppenheimer, Tom Cruise's, Filmgoers, Jeff Bock, Bock, Lisa Richwine, Rollo Ross, Sarah Mills, Mary Milliken, Rosalba O'Brien Organizations: Mattel, InStyle, Balmain, Old Navy, Microsoft, Burger King, Warner Bros, Malibu, Party, Relations, Thomson Locations: ANGELES, French, Burger, Brazil, Sydney, Barbiecore, Maryland, flamingo, Los Angeles, London

☆ Hasbro revenue beats as gaming boost offsets slowing demand for toys
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] The Hasbro, Inc. logo is seen on a toy for sale in a store in Manhattan, New York, U.S., November 16, 2021. REUTERS/Andrew KellyApril 27 (Reuters) - Hasbro Inc (HAS.O) topped Wall Street expectations for quarterly revenue on Thursday as players snapped up its "Magic: The Gathering" game sets, helping counter slowing demand for its toys and action figures. Hasbro is also banking on the August release of "Baldur's Gate 3" video game to boost gaming revenue in the third quarter. In contrast, rival Mattel Inc (MAT.O) on Wednesday posted a bigger-than-expected quarterly loss, pinched by retailers trimming orders for its Barbie and Hot Wheels toys. Hasbro reported net revenue of $1.00 billion in the first quarter, down 14% from a year earlier, but better than analysts' estimates of $878.4 million, according to Refinitiv IBES data.

April 26 (Reuters) - Mattel Inc (MAT.O) reported a bigger-than-expected loss for the first quarter on Wednesday as the toymaker grappled with higher costs and retailers cutting back on orders. "Retailers are working through this inventory and expect that to be corrected by the end of the first half." Price increases have also discouraged consumers from spending more on its products, leading to a 21% drop in net sales for Mattel to $815 million after adjusting for currency fluctuations. Worldwide gross billings for Barbie, which represents amounts invoiced to customers, fell 41%, while Hot Wheels' billings rose only 1%. The company, however, stuck to its full-year net sales and adjusted profit forecasts and said it expects inflation to moderate in 2023.

☆ How Lego Beat Barbie and Monopoly
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-07 | by ( Trefor Moss | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Less than a decade ago, Lego A/S inched ahead of Barbie maker Mattel Inc. as the world’s biggest toy company. Today, the maker of those brightly colored bricks is generating almost twice the revenue of Mattel, outpacing both it and rival Hasbro Inc., maker of the Monopoly board game and Nerf guns, through the pandemic, recent supply-chain tumult and soaring inflation.

☆ U.S. retailers' ocean shipping price woes ending as new delays threaten
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-27 | by ( Lisa Baertlein | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

LONG BEACH, Calif., Feb 27 (Reuters) - Collapsing ocean shipping rates are not all good news for U.S. retailers, who paid as much as $20,000 to move a container of goods during the worst pandemic disruptions, as they now are bracing for delays due to plummeting demand. dolls to the short-term spot market from the long-term contract market. Volatile spot rates were the first to plummet when pandemic-weary consumers shifted spending from goods to travel and entertainment. Previously loyal customers are aggressively comparison- shopping, spreading their business around and gambling on the spot market, experts said. This time around, importer and exporter shipping managers, whose costs exploded when they were unexpectedly forced into the sky-high spot market, have the upper hand.

☆ Hasbro 2023 profit forecast disappoints as toy demand drops sharply
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] The Hasbro, Inc. logo is seen on the Star Wars Galactic Snackin Grogu toy in the FAO Schwarz toy store in Manhattan, New York City, U.S., November 24, 2021. Toy demand has typically remained resistant to economic uncertainties, but it fell sharply in the holiday season, with Hasbro rival Mattel Inc (MAT.O) earlier this month projecting 2023 profit below expectations. For Hasbro, Walmart accounted for around 13% of sales, while Target made up for roughly 8% of sales in 2021. The toymaker said it will take a nearly $300 million hit to 2023 revenue from the licenses and brands that it exited. Hasbro said it expects 2023 adjusted earnings in the range of $4.45 to $4.55 per share, well below analysts' average estimate of $4.88 per share, according to Refinitiv data.

☆ Hasbro 2023 forecasts disappoint as inflation hits toy demand
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-16 | by ( Deborah Mary Sophia | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] The Hasbro, Inc. logo is seen on the Star Wars Galactic Snackin Grogu toy in the FAO Schwarz toy store in Manhattan, New York City, U.S., November 24, 2021. The overall revenue is projected to be down low-single digits, while Wall Street analysts were expecting a 2.5% increase to $6 billion. "It's a cautious outlook...(but) what I'm most concerned about is that Hasbro doesn't lose sight of the consumer products segment," said James Zahn, Editor-in-Chief of trade magazine "The Toy Book". "Consumer products is what Hasbro is rooted in as a business." Hasbro expects 2023 adjusted per-share earnings in the range of $4.45 to $4.55 compared with estimates of $4.88 per share.

☆ Barney Is Back With a Reboot, New Look
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-13 | by ( Jennifer Calfas | Denny Jacob | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Barney is coming back. Mattel Inc. said Monday it is relaunching Barney, the purple dinosaur who was a staple of children’s television in the 1990s and early 2000s, as an animated character. The reimagined Barney will appear in film, television and other content, including a new animated series set to come out in 2024.

☆ Barney, the Purple Dinosaur, Is Making a Comeback
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-13 | by ( Jennifer Calfas | Denny Jacob | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

☆ Mattel Earnings Plunge as Sales Fell 22% in Holiday Period
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-08 | by ( Kathryn Hardison | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Mattel Inc.’s fourth-quarter earnings plunged as sales fell 22% after cash-strapped consumers pulled back on spending and last-minute holiday purchases weren’t enough to lift results. The maker of Barbie dolls and Hot Wheels cars said Wednesday that overall revenue declined to $1.4 billion in the period that ended Dec. 31 amid a macroeconomic environment that was more challenging than it anticipated. Profit came in at $16.1 million, down 93% from $225.8 million a year earlier. Both measures missed Wall Street expectations.

☆ Unilever to build Mexico plant as part of $400 mln investment
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

MEXICO CITY, Feb 7 (Reuters) - Unilever Plc (ULVR.L) will build a manufacturing plant in the northern Mexican border state Nuevo Leon as part of a $400 million investment in the country over the next three years, the company said on Tuesday. The plant, which will be located in Salinas Victoria on the outskirts of Monterrey, will manufacture beauty and personal care products, Unilever said. Unilever already operates four plants in the country, which is a key center for exports to other nations, the company said. The newest plant is set to open in 2024, Unilever said. Reporting by Kylie Madry in Mexico City Editing by Matthew LewisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Sustainable Packaging Is Sometimes Doubling as Easier-to-Open Packaging
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-03 | by ( Katie Deighton | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +7 min

Sarah Ryan Hudson found the Barbie’s Dr. Jane Goodall packaging to be a welcome departure from the hard-to-open versions of her youth. The costs involved in overhauling packaging systems also made them reluctant to change for the benefit of a less-finicky opening experience. To be sure, shifts toward more sustainable materials haven’t made packaging easier to use across the board, and campaigners for widely accessible packaging say companies aren’t moving to provide it quickly enough. The company’s Gillette razor brand in 2021 began selling some razors in cardboard packaging with a pulp tray, rather than in plastic blister packs and trays. Colgate-Palmolive Co. in 2019 introduced a recyclable Colgate toothpaste tube, using a high-density polyethylene material without aluminum, said Greg Corra, Colgate-Palmolive’s worldwide director of global packaging and sustainability.

☆ Hasbro to cut 15% of workforce in 2023, estimates dour holiday quarter
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Jan 26 (Reuters) - Hasbro Inc (HAS.O) said on Thursday it would cut about 15% of its global workforce this year and estimated holiday-quarter results well below Wall Street expectations amid weakening demand for its toys and games. "Despite strong growth in Wizards of the Coast and Digital Gaming... our consumer products business underperformed in the fourth quarter against the backdrop of a challenging holiday consumer environment," Chief Executive Officer Chris Cocks said on Thursday. Hasbro estimated fourth-quarter revenue of about $1.68 billion, down 17% from a year earlier. Hasbro added that Eric Nyman, president and chief operating officer, was also exiting the company as part of organizational changes. Reporting by Deborah Sophia in Bengaluru; Editing by Maju SamuelOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Mattel reannounces recall of Rock 'n Play sleepers after more infant deaths
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Jan 9 (Reuters) - Mattel Inc's (MAT.O) Fisher-Price brand on Monday reannounced the recall of about 4.7 million "Rock 'n Play" sleepers, following at least eight more deaths that occurred after the original recall in 2019. The product was launched in 2009 and first recalled a decade later after more than 30 infant fatalities were reported. A total of about 100 deaths have reportedly occurred while infants were in the sleepers, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) said on Monday. Fisher-Price has been unable to confirm the circumstances of the deaths or whether the product was a "Rock 'n Play" sleeper in some of the reports, the CPSC said. Reporting by Deborah Sophia in Bengaluru; Editing by Devika SyamnathOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

At the toy manufacturer Mattel Inc., Disney ‘s princesses aren’t damsels in distress. They are saving the day. Nearly a decade after losing the Walt Disney Co.’s princess doll license to rival Hasbro Inc., Mattel is back to making and selling the doll versions of some of Disney’s iconic characters.

Search resuls for: "Mattel Inc"

25 mentions found