NEW YORK—Buoyed by a 2.7 percent jump in December business, US toy industry sales slipped 0.8 percent for 2009 overall, according to NPD data released in a report by Wells Fargo analyst Tim Conder.
2009’s fractional annual sales decline compared to a 2.8 percent dip in annual sales in 2008.
In addition to December’s gain, which helped the overall fourth quarter’s sales tally rise 0.6 percent, the annual figure was floated with help from an upward revision of November’s sales figure to a 2.3 percent decline, compared to the 3.1 percent drop reported previously.
The December 2009 gain—a turnaround from December 2008 when sales fell 2.2 percent—was the first monthly year-over-year sales increase for the US toy business since April 2009.
NPD Group is expected to officially announced the US toy business' annual performance figures next month in advance of the 2010 American International Toy Fair.
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