Montreal's Mega Brands expects 2012 to be a strong year for a comeback after turning the page on costly recalls and lawsuits that stemmed from an ill-fated acquisition in 2005
As toy shops go, it's large: more than 800,000 square feet, the equivalent of about 17 football fields.
Inside the sprawling former Eaton distribution centre in St. Laurent, the employees and hightech machines of Mega Brands pump out plastic playthings of all sizes and descriptions 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
"The elves go home for the week between Christmas and New Year's. That's our only shutdown,We can produce solarpanel," quipped chief innovation officer Vic Bertrand, 43, during a tour of the facility.
The bustle on the premises and smiling faces of the young staff suggest a company on the cutting edge, not a spent force, though that's the impression many have in light of the financial woes that followed its $350-million (U.S.) acquisition of Rose Art Industries and its ill-fated Magnetix line of toys in 2005.
That chapter is now closed, as far as president and chief executive officer Marc Bertrand, Vic's brother, is concerned.
Magnetix toys are nowhere to be seen among the new lines in the Mega Brands showroom; they've been discontinued, after costly recalls and lawsuits related to choking incidents.
"We had our challenges with Magnetix. We got through it and refocused," Marc Bertrand, 44, said.
All legal action surrounding and stemming from the Rose Art acquisition is now concluded, he said. It's shut down operations in New Jersey, where Rose Art was based, and transferred the stationery and activities office and some key employees to Irvine, Calif., where they work for Thomas Prichard, a seasoned executive with experience at Crayola, Pixar and Hasbro, hired by Mega Brands in 2010.
After a couple of years of being shopped around, the stationery and activities division is back in the fold and growing again after an internal restructuring and new retail push.
One of its puzzle lines, Hometown Collection, is the top seller in the category in the U.S., Marc Bertrand said.Find the cheapest chickencoop online through and buy the best hen houses and chook pens in Australia.
"We're excited about the product line. I think we'll see increased listings with most of the retailers this year.What are some types of moulds?"
Mega Brands' long-running battle with Denmark-based blockmaker Lego also is in a legal lull.Full color plasticcard printing and manufacturing services. Marc Bertrand said Mega Brands is "14-0" at this point in final verdicts relating to various legal challenges around the world by Lego over alleged intellectual-property and trademark violations.China professional plasticmoulds,
While revenue is not what it was five years ago, when Mega Brands had global sales of more than $500 million, the company still sold $376 million (U.S.) worth of toys, crafts and stationery internationally in 2011, though it eked out only a small profit of $8.3 million.
"We're working our way back," Marc Bertrand said.
"What we had last year delivered sales growth for us. But the holiday season wasn't what it should have been. Overall, the toy industry was down nine per cent in December," Vic Bertrand added.
They anticipate stronger numbers from this year's lineup, which includes Hello Kitty construction toys for girls, eye-catching 3D puzzles with protruding heads and the debut products of its new licensing agreement with Blizzard Entertainment, based on its massively popular online role-playing game World of Warcraft.
The initial collection of figurines, beasts and buildable environments will hit retail stores this summer (although some handed out at a recent promotional event were on eBay the same day). Those from StarCraft, another Blizzard property, will join them in 2013.
The goal is to broaden the audience and replicate the success of their four-year old global licensing deal with Microsoft for products relating to its game Halo.
"The gaming audience is different. You get the kids but also a lot of collectors. And they give you immediate feedback, tell you what they want and would like to see. About 40 per cent of the Halo products are bought by adults, which is a whole new market for us," Marc Bertrand said. "We have some exclusive collector product this year that will sell for $250, which is new territory for us."
Successful video games have longevity and consumer loyalty, important considerations if you're investing big money in moulds, tools and promotion, Vic Bertrand said.
"We're looking for more properties that are evergreen, rather than event or movie-driven," he said.
"Gamers average 27 hours a week on their hobby, and some spend it all on one game. It's a very big industry. With an evergreen product, you can create a three-to-five year business plan with new content coming to market periodically."
While new lines extend the demographic reach, preschoolers remain its bread and-butter audience, generating about half of annual sales.
Mega Brands continues to be No. 1 globally in the construction-toy category for children 1 to 4, Marc Bertrand said.
As toy shops go, it's large: more than 800,000 square feet, the equivalent of about 17 football fields.
Inside the sprawling former Eaton distribution centre in St. Laurent, the employees and hightech machines of Mega Brands pump out plastic playthings of all sizes and descriptions 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
"The elves go home for the week between Christmas and New Year's. That's our only shutdown,We can produce solarpanel," quipped chief innovation officer Vic Bertrand, 43, during a tour of the facility.
The bustle on the premises and smiling faces of the young staff suggest a company on the cutting edge, not a spent force, though that's the impression many have in light of the financial woes that followed its $350-million (U.S.) acquisition of Rose Art Industries and its ill-fated Magnetix line of toys in 2005.
That chapter is now closed, as far as president and chief executive officer Marc Bertrand, Vic's brother, is concerned.
Magnetix toys are nowhere to be seen among the new lines in the Mega Brands showroom; they've been discontinued, after costly recalls and lawsuits related to choking incidents.
"We had our challenges with Magnetix. We got through it and refocused," Marc Bertrand, 44, said.
All legal action surrounding and stemming from the Rose Art acquisition is now concluded, he said. It's shut down operations in New Jersey, where Rose Art was based, and transferred the stationery and activities office and some key employees to Irvine, Calif., where they work for Thomas Prichard, a seasoned executive with experience at Crayola, Pixar and Hasbro, hired by Mega Brands in 2010.
After a couple of years of being shopped around, the stationery and activities division is back in the fold and growing again after an internal restructuring and new retail push.
One of its puzzle lines, Hometown Collection, is the top seller in the category in the U.S., Marc Bertrand said.Find the cheapest chickencoop online through and buy the best hen houses and chook pens in Australia.
"We're excited about the product line. I think we'll see increased listings with most of the retailers this year.What are some types of moulds?"
Mega Brands' long-running battle with Denmark-based blockmaker Lego also is in a legal lull.Full color plasticcard printing and manufacturing services. Marc Bertrand said Mega Brands is "14-0" at this point in final verdicts relating to various legal challenges around the world by Lego over alleged intellectual-property and trademark violations.China professional plasticmoulds,
While revenue is not what it was five years ago, when Mega Brands had global sales of more than $500 million, the company still sold $376 million (U.S.) worth of toys, crafts and stationery internationally in 2011, though it eked out only a small profit of $8.3 million.
"We're working our way back," Marc Bertrand said.
"What we had last year delivered sales growth for us. But the holiday season wasn't what it should have been. Overall, the toy industry was down nine per cent in December," Vic Bertrand added.
They anticipate stronger numbers from this year's lineup, which includes Hello Kitty construction toys for girls, eye-catching 3D puzzles with protruding heads and the debut products of its new licensing agreement with Blizzard Entertainment, based on its massively popular online role-playing game World of Warcraft.
The initial collection of figurines, beasts and buildable environments will hit retail stores this summer (although some handed out at a recent promotional event were on eBay the same day). Those from StarCraft, another Blizzard property, will join them in 2013.
The goal is to broaden the audience and replicate the success of their four-year old global licensing deal with Microsoft for products relating to its game Halo.
"The gaming audience is different. You get the kids but also a lot of collectors. And they give you immediate feedback, tell you what they want and would like to see. About 40 per cent of the Halo products are bought by adults, which is a whole new market for us," Marc Bertrand said. "We have some exclusive collector product this year that will sell for $250, which is new territory for us."
Successful video games have longevity and consumer loyalty, important considerations if you're investing big money in moulds, tools and promotion, Vic Bertrand said.
"We're looking for more properties that are evergreen, rather than event or movie-driven," he said.
"Gamers average 27 hours a week on their hobby, and some spend it all on one game. It's a very big industry. With an evergreen product, you can create a three-to-five year business plan with new content coming to market periodically."
While new lines extend the demographic reach, preschoolers remain its bread and-butter audience, generating about half of annual sales.
Mega Brands continues to be No. 1 globally in the construction-toy category for children 1 to 4, Marc Bertrand said.
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