Monatliche Archive: März 2015

Pünktlich zu Beginn der Osterferien öffnet das Legoland Deutschland Resort im bayerischen Günzburg wieder seine Pforten. Zu den neuen Attraktionen, mit denen das beliebte Familienausflugsziel 2015 aufwartet, gehört die Lego City Polizeistation. Dort können sich die jungen Besucher in eine turbulente Räuberjagd stürzen. Und natürlich können sie auch wieder in die virtuelle Welt von Lego City eintauchen. In der Nintendo-Zone des Mindstorm Centers erwarten sie die Lego City Undercover-Spiele für die TV-Konsole Wii U sowie die mobilen Konsolen der Nintendo 3DS-Familie. Dazu kommen viele aktuelle Titel wie Mario Party 10, Mario Kart 8, Tomodachi Life und Yoshi’s New Island. Auch für Übernachtungsgäste stellt Nintendo in den zwölf Turmzimmern der Königsburg wieder eine Vielzahl familientauglicher Videospiele bereit. Obendrein haben die Gäste des Freizeitparks nun auch Gelegenheit, die neuen amiibo-Figuren von Nintendo kennenzulernen.

Seit 2014 ist Nintendo offizieller Partner von Legoland Deutschland – zeigen sich die Gemeinsamkeiten zwischen den Welten von Lego und Nintendo ja nicht zuletzt in Bestseller-Titeln wie Lego City Undercover für Wii U und Lego City Undercover: The Chase Begins für Nintendo 3DS. Die fröhlichen, virtuellen Gangsterjagden sind grafisch ganz im bunten Lego-Stil gehalten. In der Nintendo-Zone des Mindstorm Centers finden die Gäste noch viele weitere, von Lego inspirierte Videospiele, z.B. das brandneue Lego Ninjago: Schatten des Ronin, Lego Batman: Jenseits von Gotham, The Lego Movie Videogame, Lego der Hobbit, Lego Legends of Chima: Laval‘s Journey sowie Lego Harry Potter. Sie alle wurden von Warner Bros. Games entwickelt.

Ergänzt wird das Angebot an Wii U-Titeln durch das beliebte, bewegungsgesteuerte Tanzspiel Just Dance 2015 für Wii U von Ubisoft.

Auch die neuen, mobilen Konsolen New Nintendo 3DS und New Nintendo 3DS XL, die Nintendo den Gästen von Legoland ab diesem Jahr zur Verfügung stellt, haben eine NFC-Schnittstelle und sind damit amiibo-kompatibel. Darüber hinaus bieten sie unter anderem stabile 3D-Grafiken – und der New Nintendo 3DS zudem wechselbare Design-Cover und einen größeren Bildschirm als der Nintendo 3DS. Zu den Handheld-Spielen, die man während des Parkbesuchs im Mindstorm Center genießen kann, gehören u.a. Animal Crossing: New Leaf, Mario Party: Island Tour, Super Mario 3D Land, Mario Tennis Open und Mario Kart 7.

Strong performance of product lines, such as Lego City, Lego Creator as well as The Lego Movie products contributed to sales growth in all regions of the world and led to a highly satisfactory annual result for the Lego Group with sales increasing to 28.6 billion DKK.

“In 2014 we increased our sales by 15 percent. I am proud that we delivered high quality creative play experiences to millions of children all over the world. This resulted in a highly satisfactory result for us, and it remains our aspiration to be the best at what we do,” says Jørgen Vig Knudstorp, President and CEO of the LEGO Group.

Key 2014 results are:

– revenue growth excluding foreign exchange impacts was 15% year over year on a local currency basis

– revenue increased by 13% in DKK to DKK 28.6 billion against DKK 25.3 billion the year before

– the year’s operating profit increased to DKK 9.7billion against DKK 8.3 billion in 2013 – an increase of 16%

– net profit was DKK 7.0 billion compared to DKK 6.1 billion in 2013 – an increase of 15%

– investments in property, plant and equipment amounted to DKK 3.1 billion in 2014 – an increase of 18% versus the        previous year’s investment level

– ero product recalls – for the 5th year running

– injury rate 1.7 compared to 1.7 in 2013

– more than 90% of waste from production sites recycled

– the number of employees in the Lego Group increased from 13,869 at the end of 2013 to 14,762 at the end of 2014

Double digit sales growth in all regions

In 2014 the Lego Group continued recent years’ strong growth in sales, outperforming the global toy market development. All Lego Group market regions experienced double digit sales growth while the traditional toy market in most countries grew by low single digit rates.

In the LEGO Group’s largest market, the US, sales grew double digit as did sales in the UK, France, Russia and China, while Central and Northern European markets achieved healthy single digit growth rates.

Among the top selling lines in 2014 were core themes like Lego City, Lego Star Wars and Lego Friends. Lego Creator and Lego Technic experienced high growth rates during the year, and a significant contributor to the strong sales growth in 2014 was The Lego Movie product line which launched in conjunction with the release of The Lego Movie feature film in early 2014. The product line performed strongly across the full year.

“Our ability to innovate and reinvent the Lego play experience every year is vital for our success. We are dedicated to create new products that are fun and appealing to children all over the world. Through our products we provide children with a tool to express their imagination. At the same time we continuously want to deliver play experiences that are safe and of the highest quality, and we have impeccable safety and quality standards. 2014 was our 5th consecutive year without a product recall which remains our ambition level for 2015,” says Jørgen Vig Knudstorp, adding: “Looking at the products we have developed for 2015 I feel confident that we will bring joy to even more children in the coming year.”

In the coming years the global toy market is expected to continue to grow low single digit.

“Due to our continued focus on innovation and commitment to global expansion we expect to grow moderately ahead of the market in the future, while remaining committed to our continued aspiration to deliver the greatest play experiences possible to children all over the world,” says John Goodwin, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer.

85 million children reached in 2014

The Lego Group strategy of globalising operations further has enabled the company to reach more children in markets where the Lego Group already have a strong presence as well as new parts of the world where Lego play is relatively new to the consumers.

“We estimate that more than 85 million children across the world had a Lego play experience during 2014. This has only been possible through an ongoing focus on building our capabilities globally during 2014 from manufacturing to sales, as well as developing great products that appeal to children across cultures and geographies,” says John Goodwin.

Building the organisation of the future

As a consequence of the Lego Group’s ambition to globalise its activities, an increased focus has been placed on attracting a more diverse, global workforce. During 2014 two main offices have been opened in Shanghai and London to supplement the main offices in Singapore and Enfield, US, and the headquarters in Billund, Denmark. All of these five locations are to have significant top management presence.

In addition to setting up main offices, the Lego Group significantly increased already extensive investments globally to re-enforce the company’s commitment to expand its market presence, and consumer experiences in the future.

In March, a new factory was inaugurated in Nyíregyháza, Hungary, to replace the existing plant in the same town. In April the foundation stone of a manufacturing facility in Jiaxing, China, to solely supply the Asian market was revealed. Construction is ongoing and the plant is expected to commence operation in 2015 and be fully operational by 2017. At the Lego factory in Monterrey, Mexico, an expansion to the packing facilities was inaugurated in June. In August the foundation stone of the Lego House – a 12,000 m2 experience centre in Billund, Denmark – was laid by the owner family of the Lego Group. In September, the construction of a new production hall at the Lego factory in Kladno, the Czech Republic, was completed. The new hall is part of a significant expansion of the plant that is expected to be finalised in 2016.

During 2014 considerable investments have been made in an upgrade of equipment in the moulding factory in Billund, Denmark, which remains the largest moulding location globally when measured by output.

Finally, sales offices in Brazil, Turkey and Malaysia have been added to the long list of local presence for the Lego Group.

As a result of the Lego Group’s commitment to build an organisation to support the further globalisation of the Lego play experience, the number of employees in the company grew by 893 to 14,762 employees by the end 2014 compared to 13,869 at the end 2013.

The U.S. Toy Industry Association (TIA), the not-for-profit trade association representing all businesses involved in creating and delivering toys and youth entertainment products for kids of all ages, has announced that Stephen J. Pasierb will join TIA at the end of April as President & CEO. In his role, Mr. Pasierb will be responsible for leading the growth, development, and oversight of the Association, whose more than 750 member companies account for 90% of U.S. domestic toy sales. Mr. Pasierb will succeed current President & CEO Carter Keithley, who will retire at the end of April.

Mr. Pasierb previously served as President & CEO of the Partnership for Drug-Free Kids, the nation’s largest nonprofit organization dedicated to reducing substance abuse among adolescents by supporting families and engaging with teens. He assumed the leadership role in 2001 after eight years of working with the organization. Under Mr. Pasierb’s guidance, the Partnership launched several successful advocacy programs in prevention, intervention, and in support of addiction treatment, including the Parent Support Network, which is comprised of a national toll-free telephone helpline and an online support network for parents, as well as an expansive public-private coalition known as The Medicine Abuse Project.

“After serving for nearly 15 years at the helm of the Partnership, Mr. Pasierb has demonstrated highly successful organizational and fiscal management abilities, and is well-positioned to enhance TIA’s member services and support,” said John Gessert, Chairman of the TIA Board of Directors and President of American Plastic Toys.  “His background and talent set are ideal for advancing our efforts in promoting toy safety and elevating awareness of the critical benefits of play in child development.  We look forward to welcoming Mr. Pasierb’s tremendous experience and talent to TIA!”

In addition to his leadership experience, Mr. Pasierb has acted as a frequent commentator in broadcast news and on social media, where he has discussed a range of issues, including the changing landscape of drug use and childhood drinking in America; effective prevention strategies for families; the role and value of addiction treatment and recovery; and the use of social media, cause-related marketing and digital products in addressing public health issues. This aspect of Mr. Pasierb’s work has included appearances on major media outlets nationwide.

Prior to his tenure at the Partnership, Mr. Pasierb served in the Maryland Executive Department under Governor William Donald Schaefer as Manager of Marketing and Media Communications for the Governor’s Drug & Alcohol Abuse Commission. Before that, he worked as an Account Supervisor and New Business Development Director at Freed & Associates, a Baltimore-based advertising and public relations agency, and Vice President of Media Services at GNVC Communications, a business-to-business communications firm in Pittsburgh.

Mr. Pasierb holds a Masters of Education in communications media and a Bachelor of Science in criminology; he is also a member of the national Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi for scholarly distinction. He currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Treatment Research Institute, affiliated with the University of Pennsylvania, and is a member of the organizing committee of Advertising Week in New York City.  Previously, Mr. Pasierb served on several other charitable boards and committees in both the fields of advertising and adolescent addiction prevention.

In November 2003, Mr. Pasierb was honored by the American Advertising Federation and elected to the Advertising Hall of Achievement, the industry’s premier award for professionals who have made a significant impact on the communications industry. In April 2008, he was honored by Indiana University of Pennsylvania as a Distinguished Alumnus. An avid sailplane enthusiast, gardener, and traveler, he is also a contributing writer for remote control model magazine properties and a co-founder of rcaerotowing.com. Born in New Jersey, Mr. Pasierb and his wife now reside in Connecticut.

Der Aufsichtsrat der Ravensburger AG hat Hanspeter Mürle (45) als CFO zum Mitglied des Vorstands bestellt. Er wird spätestens zum 1. Juli 2015 seinen Dienst antreten.
Mürle wird neben dem Vorsitzenden des Vorstands Karsten Schmidt und den Mitgliedern des Vorstands Florian Knell und Clemens Maier für die Ressorts Finanzen, Personal, Recht und IT verantwortlich sein.
Nach seinen Stationen bei EADS und der Unternehmensgruppe Carl Zeiss ist er derzeit noch bei der Gruppe s.Oliver als CFO und Geschäftsführer tätig.
Der bisherige Vorstand Finanzen, Jörg-Viggo Müller, seit 2007 bei Ravensburger, geht nach 8 Jahren erfolgreicher und hochgeschätzter Tätigkeit zum 31.03.2015 in den Ruhestand. Jörg-Viggo Müller hat maßgeblichen Anteil am Erfolgskurs der Ravensburger Untergruppe der letzten Jahre.