Playground Rides Category Exceeds Prior Year, Increasing Its Share of Sales

「Other (Toys and Ride-ons, Childcare, etc.) 141,821 42,041 29.6」

「Toys and Ride-ons, which had previously been presented separately, have been included in Other from the first quarter of the current fiscal year following the termination of the bicycle business.」

「Toys and Ride-ons 527,725 205,945 39.0」

「Toys and Ride-ons 371,582 159,271 42.9」

「Toys and Ride-ons 273,485 122,300 44.7」

「Toys and Ride-ons 151,920 87,849 57.8」

「Toys and Ride-ons 726,285 527,725 72.7」

「Toys and Ride-ons 520,902 371,582 71.3」

「Toys and Ride-ons 351,610 273,485 77.8%」

「The reversal of the surge in demand during the COVID-19 pandemic in the previous year was substantial, and category sales fell significantly from the same period of the previous year. Ahead of the Golden Week sales season, the company relaunched its core product Kettā Cycle with enhanced safety features.」

「Play equipment and ride-ons 869,742 726,285 83.5%」

「Play equipment and ride-ons 619,955 520,902 84.0%」

「Play equipment and ride-ons 371,127 351,610 94.7%」

「During the quarter, the company made substantial shipments of bicycles, including the popular Kettā Cycle, to major mass retailers for the Golden Week sales season. Because the products were supplied without the stockouts caused by the sharp increase in demand in the same quarter of the previous year, the shipments translated smoothly into quarterly sales. Among new products, the company launched “キックル” (“Kikkle”), a new bicycle available in 2 colours and offering 3 ways to use it as children grow: a balance bike, a kick scooter and a bicycle. It attracted attention through media coverage even before launch, and demand from customers specifically seeking the product was observed soon after launch.」

「Play equipment and ride-ons 869,742 158.0%」

「In the category, indoor play equipment White Active Kids’ Gym (¥19,800) and outdoor ride-on product Kettā Cycle, available in various models at open prices, demonstrated the strength of established products. Shipments in the third quarter were significantly above the previous year, making a substantial contribution to the company’s sales growth.」

「Even after restrictions on going out were lifted, the play equipment and vehicles category continued to sell far better than expected. Shipments of the standard products 白いわんぱくジム, priced at ¥19,800, and ケッターサイクル, available in various models at open prices, substantially exceeded the previous year despite repeated stockouts and replenishments, making a major contribution to sales growth in the quarter.」

「The play equipment and ride-on category performed very strongly as people refrained from going out. Orders for the staple indoor play equipment White Active Kids’ Gym (¥19,800) surged, particularly through online retailers. Kettā Cycle also saw a surge in demand, including an increase in customer-specific orders, but supply could not keep up with the rapid increase in demand for either product, resulting in lost sales opportunities due to stockouts.」

「In the play equipment and ride-on category, the long-established indoor play equipment “白いわんぱくジム” (“White Active Kids’ Gym”) (¥19,800) was relaunched at major mass retailers after a package design change proved effective, contributing to the category’s sales growth. Among new products, “頭と体の知育ボールサーカス” (“Head and Body Educational Ball Circus”) (¥8,400) performed well. In bicycles, Kettā Cycle models, sold at open prices, proved popular and became products attracting expectations from distributors.」

「In the bicycle division, ケッターサイクル, which continues to sell well at an open price, has continued to attract expectations from distributors even one year after its launch, with new stores actively creating dedicated displays and holding test-ride events.」

「The bicycle category’s sales growth during the cumulative second quarter was driven by the strong performance of ケッターサイクル, which had not existed the previous year and is available in various models at open prices.」

「For bicycles, sell-through of ケッターサイクル increased alongside its expanded retail distribution, and word of mouth spread.」

「Among these, the 4 Kettā Cycle models, sold at open prices, attracted considerable attention, expanded their retail distribution, and drove sales from the third quarter onward through increased sell-in volume.」

「In the bicycle business, 11 new products were launched simultaneously in October. Among them, the 4 “Kettā Cycle” models attracted considerable attention from distributors, and the expansion in the number of stores carrying them and the increase in initial sell-in volume drove third-quarter sales.」

「Play equipment and ride-ons 188,379 80.4%」

「In the play equipment and bicycle division, bicycle sell-through has recovered slightly and is showing signs of recovery, but shipments remain slightly below the previous year.」

「Play equipment and ride-ons 517,586 64.1%」

「Play equipment and ride-ons 365,496 57.6%」

「Play equipment and ride-ons 234,377 48.4%」

「In contrast to the same period of the previous year, the slowdown in market-wide sell-out sales became apparent in April of the current fiscal year. Major retailers have also affected sell-out sales of our products by increasing sales promotions to stimulate consumption and adding more low-priced lines than usual to their assortments of staple products for young children.」

「The play equipment and ride-on category, including tricycles and ride-on products, remained above the previous year through the cumulative third quarter, including the first half. Its share of domestic sales also rose relative to toys.」