logo
Pop Mart Profit More Than Doubles Driven by Labubu-Doll Craze

Pop Mart Profit More Than Doubles Driven by Labubu-Doll Craze

Bloomberg26-03-2025

Pop Mart International Group Ltd. said it will continue to expand its global footprint with focus on North America and Europe, after reporting its profit more than doubled last year thanks to the popularity of its patented products.
'By developing physical stores in globally iconic locations, we aim to enhance brand experience and recognition,' according to an exchange filing. It will also look at strengthening cooperation with artists and brands to promote the 'cross-boundary integration of pop culture,' the maker of Labubu dolls said.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Labubu Envy: Fluffy Collectibles Steal the Show During China's 618 Online Shopping Festival
Labubu Envy: Fluffy Collectibles Steal the Show During China's 618 Online Shopping Festival

Yahoo

time4 hours ago

  • Yahoo

Labubu Envy: Fluffy Collectibles Steal the Show During China's 618 Online Shopping Festival

SHANGHAI —This year's 618, China's largest midyear online shopping festival, had a noticeably subdued tone as shoppers continued to sober up from splurging and stockpiling due to an uncertain economic outlook and a softer growth prospect following April's tariff agreements with the U.S. However, that sentiment was offset by a wave of Labubu frenzy that pushed limited-edition collectibles to sell out within minutes. More from WWD Alibaba Shares Dip Despite E-commerce, AI growth in Q4 Taobao and Tmall Deepen Ties With Xiaohongshu Via Cross-platform Shopping Function Alibaba Makes AI-driven Comeback, Revenue Jumps 8% On June 18, Labubu's parent company, Popmart, launched its first livestream on the Alibaba-owned cross-border e-commerce platform AliExpress, which attracted over 220,000 viewers. All 500 items, including the company's most recognizable fluffy creatures — Labubu, Cry Baby, Baby Molly, and Skullpanda — sold out in a flash. According to Tmall, the 'toys and trendy collectibles' category saw six brands — including Paper Presented, Popmart, MiHoYo, Disney Store, Jellycat, and Lego — exceed the 600 million renminbi, or $83.4 million, sales mark. Dubbed 'sneakers for the Gen-Z generation,' the broader 'fandom goods' category has created 17 stock keeping units that exceeded 10 million renminbi, or $1.39 million, during the 618 period. According to data from Statista, China's trendy toys market is expected to reach 110 billion yuan, or over $15 billion, by 2026. A recent report by Zhongtai Securities revealed that homegrown character-based toys — fueled by a booming subculture — have already outsold Japanese anime toys during this year's 618 shopping festival. 'Over 60 Chinese and foreign films are set to hit theaters this summer, which is bound to create fresh momentum for IP-related merchandise,' the report added. 'It's over-the-top, 'proclaimed Tmall's star livestreamer Austin Li during a recent broadcast, urging shoppers to steer clear of the hype. 'It's overpriced, it's a no, the prices will come down,' he added. Still, it was up to Li and the platform he lives on to revive enthusiasm around 618 amid waning consumer confidence. This year, major e-commerce players such as and Tmall simply canceled complicated sales mechanisms and began offering straightforward discounts and a wide array of coupons. According to data from Syntun, this year's 618 sales totaled 855.6 billion renminbi, or $119 billion, an increase of 15.2 percent year-on-year. However, the data took into account a week's extension compared to 2024. Two years ago, Chinese e-commerce players stopped unveiling official 618 sales results. Instead, touted the 'explosive increase' in the number of purchasing users, which more than doubled year-over-year. At Taobao and Tmall, sales 'remained resilient,' with 453 brands surpassing the 100 million renminbi, or $13.9 million, mark in terms of gross merchandise value. 'The unusually early campaign start on May 13 caught many consumers off guard, leading to a first wave that some missed entirely, which may have temporarily dampened engagement. That may contribute to a feeling that this year's 618 felt more subdued, but we're still expecting solid GMV growth for the festival,' said Jacob Cooke, chief executive officer and founder at WPIC, a Beijing-based e-commerce consulting agency. Cooke expects this year's Singles' Day to follow a similar path as 618, with an extended timeline and consistent discount mechanisms. 'We're seeing a shift away from flash sales and gimmicks toward simplified pricing, loyalty-driven engagement, and full-funnel marketing strategies,' said Cooke. 'Tmall's emphasis on its 88VIP program, for example, shows a clear pivot toward retaining high-value consumers,' said Cooke of its membership program that also spans other platforms within the Alibaba ecosystem, such as the food delivery app Eleme, the travel booking site Fliggy, and the video streaming platform Youku. With governmental subsidies that cover categories such as home appliances and digital products, sales of these categories rose 283 percent year-over-year during the the first leg of the promotional period, which ran from early May to May 30, according to data from Moojing Market Intelligence. The apparel segment, which contributed around 50 percent of total 618 sales, rose 7.2 percent during the May period, trailing by 6.8 percent year-over-year growth in the beauty category, according to Moojing. Best of WWD Macy's Is Closing 66 Stores in 2025 — Here's the List, Live Updates Inside the Demise of Lord & Taylor COVID-19 Spikes Elevate Retail Concerns

CNBC Daily Open: Intensifying Israel-Iran conflict puts investors on shaky ground
CNBC Daily Open: Intensifying Israel-Iran conflict puts investors on shaky ground

CNBC

time13 hours ago

  • CNBC

CNBC Daily Open: Intensifying Israel-Iran conflict puts investors on shaky ground

The conflict between Israel and Iran is intensifying, with both countries not backing down from strikes and their leaders continuing to issue heated rhetoric. The prospect of the United States potentially joining the fray — which Russia warned would cause "a terrible spiral of escalation" — is putting the world on a knife's edge. That unease is reflected in the markets. While U.S. exchanges were closed Thursday for a holiday, futures retreated in the evening local time. Across the Atlantic, travel and leisure stocks suffered the most as the Middle East conflict cast a shadow over international aviation. At the Paris Air Show, however, aircraft manufacturers are still booking billions in orders. Airbus had secured more than $20 billion in deals as of Thursday, according to Reuters calculations. That said, those encouraging numbers may not reflect immediate optimism about the global economy or geopolitics — aircrafts take years to deliver, and both Airbus and Boeing have a backlog of more than 8,000 and 5,000 aircrafts respectively. Until investors get a clearer sense of whether the U.S. will launch strikes on Iran, markets aren't likely to find solid ground.U.S. futures slip after trading reopensU.S. futures slipped Thursday evening stateside. Regular trading in the U.S. was closed for the Juneteenth holiday. While, oil prices for both U.S. crude oil rose, international benchmark Brent fell nearly 3%. Asia-Pacific markets rose Friday. China's CSI 300 added 0.26% at 1:30 p.m. Singapore time, as the country's central bank kept its benchmark lending rates unchanged. Meta tried to buy OpenAI co-founder's startupEarlier this year, Meta tried to acquire Safe Superintelligence, the artificial intelligence startup launched by OpenAI co-founder Ilya Sutskever, according to sources familiar with the matter. Sutskever turned down Meta and its attempt to hire him, the sources said. But Daniel Gross, the startup's CEO, and former GitHub CEO Nat Friedman will join Meta as part of Mark Zuckerberg's deal with NFDG, a venture capital firm both men run. Inflation in Japan highest in two yearsRice prices in Japan more than doubled in May, spiking 101.7% year over year and marking their largest increase in over half a century. The surge in rice prices comes as Japan's annual core inflation rate, which excludes fresh food costs, climbed to 3.7% in May, the highest since January 2023 and more than the 3.6% expected by economists polled by Reuters. Labubu-maker's shares slumpHong Kong-listed shares of Pop Mart, the toymaker behind the smash hit Labubu, continued to tumble Friday. Pop Mart first gained popularity with its "blind box" concept, a business model criticized by People's Daily, the Chinese Communist Party's official newspaper, on Friday. Morgan Stanley said in a note late Wednesday it was replacing Pop Mart with insurance company PICC P&C in the firm's China and Hong Kong focus list. Airbus stole the show in ParisAirbus dominated the order books at the Paris Air Show. The European aircraft manufacturer had racked up nearly $21 billion of orders as of Thursday morning, per a Reuters calculation. That included 132 firm orders on Monday, from customers including Saudi leasing firm AviLease, Japan's ANA and Poland's LOT, versus 41 for Boeing and 15 for Brazil's Embraer, according to a tally by aviation advisory IBA. [PRO] Berkshire stocks drop without BuffettWarren Buffett once predicted that Berkshire Hathaway stock would rise when he eventually steps down. So far, the opposite has happened. Since May 3, when the "Oracle of Omaha" announced his plans to hand over the reins, Berkshire stock has lost more than 10%, underperforming the S&P 500 by about 15 percentage points. Some think it could fall even more. Is India's hot IPO market cooling, or is it a blip? Twelve months ago, India's initial public offering market was booming, with tech startups from food and grocery delivery player Swiggy to electric two-wheeler manufacturer Ola Electric at the cusp of their debut. This year, however, there has been a pronounced change. There have been just 99 listings so far, down from 147 in the same period a year ago, according to FactSet data. Several companies have put their listing plans on hold given weak investor sentiment and the bleak macroeconomic outlook, despite having received approval from the Securities and Exchange Board of India.

Labubu-maker Pop Mart's shares extend slide as Morgan Stanley removes it from China focus list
Labubu-maker Pop Mart's shares extend slide as Morgan Stanley removes it from China focus list

CNBC

time15 hours ago

  • CNBC

Labubu-maker Pop Mart's shares extend slide as Morgan Stanley removes it from China focus list

BEIJING — Shares in Pop Mart, the Chinese toy company behind the recent Labubu craze, continued to tumble Friday, after Morgan Stanley removed the stock from a focus list. Pop Mart's Hong Kong-listed shares were last down more than 5%, extending their slide from the previous session when they had slumped 5.3%. That's put the high-flying stock on track for its first negative week since early May — with losses of more than 13% so far. Its year-to-date gains stand at over 160%. Morgan Stanley said in a note late Wednesday it was replacing Pop Mart with insurance company PICC P&C in the firm's China and Hong Kong focus list. The investment bank did not elaborate on why it removed Pop Mart shares. The firm on June 10 had raised its price target on the toy company to 302 Hong Kong dollars ($38.47), up from 224 HKD, on expectations that Pop Mart still had room to grow in the long term. "We think the market has fully factored in Pop Mart's exponential growth in 2025 but may not have strong conviction on the long-term outlook," equity analyst Dustin Wei and a team said in the June 10 report. "That said, in view of its lofty valuation, we do not expect this level of outperformance to continue in the next few quarters," the report said. Pop Mart shares hit a record intra-day high of 283.40 HKD on June 12. The Beijing-based toy company has rapidly expanded overseas with online sales platforms and physical stores, including in the U.S. and U.K. Pop Mart first gained popularity with its "blind box" concept, in which consumers buy unmarked boxes — which can cost from about $5 to $10 each — for a chance at getting a unique figurine and building a collection. In the last few months, the company's "Labubu" series of toys featuring an elf-like character have become a global phenomenon, even drawing the attention of fashion and culture-focused New York Magazine and The New York Times. Pop Mart has also released Labubu stuffed toys, pillows and related merchandise to capture demand. A 4-foot-tall Labubu sold for the equivalent of $170,000 at an auction in Beijing earlier this month. Many of the more affordable versions of the figurine subsequently went out of stock in mainland China. "We've seen certain trends like that before ... There seems to always be some cute thing that people have to have," Jacob Cooke, co-founder and CEO of WPIC Marketing + Technologies, told CNBC on Friday. The company helps foreign brands — such as Vitamix and iS Clinical — sell online in China and other parts of Asia. He pointed to interest last year in capybara stuffed toys. Chinese retailer Miniso, which also has stores in the U.S. and other countries, was one of the main sellers of the stuffed animal. Cooke saw Pop Mart as "more lucky than anything," although he pointed out it reflects growing interest in toys not just for children but also adults. Indicating the soaring popularity of its toys, Pop Mart's overseas sales in 2024 have already surpassed the company's overall sales in 2021. The company reported total sales, primarily domestic, of 4.49 billion yuan ($624.6 million) in 2021. In 2024, overseas sales alone surpassed that to hit 5.1 billion yuan, up 373% from a year ago, while mainland China sales climbed to 7.97 billion yuan.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store