The Energon Pub

[El Duque]

Hasbro is reporting a 71% drop in profits for the first quarter of 2011. That figure sounds worse than it actually is, as there are several factors that need to be taken into consideration. First quarter sales for toy companies usually take a hit due to following the holiday season, Hasbro has made a sizable investment in getting The Hub off the ground, and due a reduced demand for toys in the first quarter many retailers have decided to focus on clearing out leftover holiday inventory rather than ordering new product (sound familiar?).

There is however a silver lining, boys products were actually up 25% while girls, preschool, and games showed a loss. Despite their weak start Hasbro's Brian Goldner remains optimistic for the remainder of the year and states they are still on track for their full year's sales plans. Hasbro has a huge entertainment line-up for this summer, which includes toy lines for "Captain America: the First Avenger", "Thor", and of course "Transformers DOTM" to help bolster sales. To read more click follow these links: Reuters or Yahoo

[whacko]

You know what's good or getting you earnings up? Getting you damn toys into stores! The only Transformers products I have seen at any of 20 shops near my house have old ROTF Toys and not many of those.

I get it, most stores are waiting for the avalanche of TF3 toys before stocking up. But don't you guys (Hasbro) have any sales reps pushing your partner retailers to get the latest lines like Generations and RTS?

Not only that, but Hasbro doesn't even stock HasbroToyShop.com very well. There are tons of toys I would hand my money over for if they were available for me to buy.

[Twitchythe3rd]

You know what's good or getting you earnings up? Getting you damn toys into stores! The only Transformers products I have seen at any of 20 shops near my house have old ROTF Toys and not many of those.

I get it, most stores are waiting for the avalanche of TF3 toys before stocking up. But don't you guys (Hasbro) have any sales reps pushing your partner retailers to get the latest lines like Generations and RTS?

Not only that, but Hasbro doesn't even stock HasbroToyShop.com very well. There are tons of toys I would hand my money over for if they were available for me to buy.

due a reduced demand for toys in the first quarter many retailers have decided to focus on clearing out leftover holiday inventory rather than ordering new product (sound familiar?).

It's a case of Garbage In, Garbage Out.

Retailers aren't seeing a need to order new stuff when theres a ton of old stuff that needs to be cleared out.

[RodimalToyota]

Might help to get the Tuner Mudflap ROTF toys off the shelves so i can get some gosh darn RTS stuff before it's annihilated by DOTM.

[Twitchythe3rd]

Ignore this. Random double post.

[ae_productions]

No doubt.

I have not seen ANYTHING for RTS in about 2 months. We are still polluted with 1st and 2nd movie toys.

Now we get more shelf warmers with DOTM toys!

Retail stores need to clearance that Movie crap out.

I would have spent a LOT of money on Transformers had they been available ANY WHERE. I know A LOT of Transformers fans who feel the same way. We all wanted the RTS and Generations toys. Few of my pals across the country (and even fewer overseas) can find but a handful of the line. That's why they're down 71%.

[rpetras]

Might help to get the Tuner Mudflap ROTF toys off the shelves so i can get some gosh darn RTS stuff before it's annihilated by DOTM.

QFT!

I have FIVE, count them FIVE pegs full of Tuner Mudflaps at my local TRU.

[Lord Onixprime]

Might have more profits if the shelves hadn't been clogged with Hunt for the Decepticon crap since September. I see the same shelf warmers every time I walk into the store.

Unfortunately, this was caused by the boom of the first movie in which they couldn't keep shelves full, and then the flop of ROTF where public interest died after a few months. Even so, Hasbro kept pushing out movie crap since 2009. Let's hope they don't do the same for DOTM. Run the line for maybe a year, summer to summer, but then let it die.

Every time I do find new figures it is like 1 or 2 of each new guy and they go fast.

[BATTLEMASTER IIC]

I think it's because they decided to cancel RTS Windcharger and haven't gotten the other new goods up here yet!

Yes I'm being fececious.

[MINDVVIPE]

Heres hoping their (Hasbro's) Marketing teams learn of the bad figures clogging shelves and avoid those types of figure, in regards to their colour/mold/ size class, etc. Anything that'll give them a headsup idea of when to STOP with a certain line of figures, especially ones that are getting multiple iterations like ravage and mudflap. The ROTF line has a lot of figures with muted colour schemes, that I bet when a few are left behind, and they clump together, become this immediate off switch in the brain of a child, or child in an adults body to look past them and not even give them a second chance.
But until then, we are all pretty much screwed and at the mercy of our local business men store owners, hehe.

[Seibertron]

I keep saying our stock got sent overseas to capitalize on the higher dollar due to a quarterly loss here. Or maybe they just got what they were supposed to get and orders are simply down.

I keep saying it and I'll say it one more time: stop wasting gas driving around for these figures, buy the figures online or import them, or don't plan on getting them.

[kirbenvost]

I was going to say, their sales would be a lot better if shelves weren't full of old crap or NOTHING AT ALL. I guess this can partially be blamed on retailers ordering way too much of the wrong things.

It's like they don't know how to predict how things will sell. Just because initial shipments of Generations Wave 1 sold quickly didn't mean they had to order 5 times as much on the next order, thus shelfwarming pegs even now.

And now of course they want to wait for DOTM. :rolleyes:

That's why I ordered all my recent stuff on BBTS. With the strong Canadian dollar, it's actually comparable even with shipping.

[MINDVVIPE]

I was going to say, their sales would be a lot better if shelves weren't full of old crap or NOTHING AT ALL. I guess this can partially be blamed on retailers ordering way too much of the wrong things.

It's like they don't know how to predict how things will sell. Just because initial shipments of Generations Wave 1 sold quickly didn't mean they had to order 5 times as much on the next order, thus shelfwarming pegs even now.

And now of course they want to wait for DOTM. :rolleyes:

That's why I ordered all my recent stuff on BBTS. With the strong Canadian dollar, it's actually comparable even with shipping.

I'd almost guess that they don't "predict" too much at all compared to how much we the fans and consumers know about the potential success of the figures. I think they just have waaaay too much to try and estimate sales for in their stores, and sorta just go with their best bets according to limited market research. And compounded with a video game department (I don't know how it all works, just guessing), it might seem that they almost don't care too much about certain toy lines as long as the big hitters make it through.

But hey, if even with a recession, Hasbro is doing good, then hats off to them, and perhaps to us fans who don't stop spending on TFs even when we're poor.

[ae_productions]

I keep saying our stock got sent overseas to capitalize on the higher dollar due to a quarterly loss here. Or maybe they just got what they were supposed to get and orders are simply down.

I keep saying it and I'll say it one more time: stop wasting gas driving around for these figures, buy the figures online or import them, or don't plan on getting them.

You may be right. It's hard paying 2 - 5 times what a figure retails for. But if you add in the wasted time, the cost of gas...it adds up.

Someone mentioned RTS (Generations) peg warmers. Where are you at? The ONLY peg warms we have here, and we have them in mass quantity, is ROTF toys.

[Burn]

Someone mentioned RTS (Generations) peg warmers. Where are you at? The ONLY peg warms we have here, and we have them in mass quantity, is ROTF toys.

Well as I told the staff last night, I just went into my local K-Mart and found the Generations Legends on clearance. And realistically they've only been in Australia for 2-3 months.

[Seibertron]

I keep saying our stock got sent overseas to capitalize on the higher dollar due to a quarterly loss here. Or maybe they just got what they were supposed to get and orders are simply down.

I keep saying it and I'll say it one more time: stop wasting gas driving around for these figures, buy the figures online or import them, or don't plan on getting them.

You may be right. It's hard paying 2 - 5 times what a figure retails for. But if you add in the wasted time, the cost of gas...it adds up.

Someone mentioned RTS (Generations) peg warmers. Where are you at? The ONLY peg warms we have here, and we have them in mass quantity, is ROTF toys.

We have newer figures from about 5 or 6 months ago warming our shelves around the Chicago area. This includes Thunderwing, Skullgrin, Cliffjumper, Dirge and even Blurr in some stores (I saw 3 at a Walmart the other day). HFTD The Fallen and Highbrow can be found frequently. Mindset and Fallback can be found at some stores, I think RTS deluxe wave 1 are pretty common at Kohl's (have you checked out your local Kohl's?). No G1 Legends and no newer scouts. DOTM Preview Prime can be found at TRU and some Walmarts.

[Court Jester]

Nice numbers... so when can you get the kiddies back into the factories to put together more toys? C'mon time is money, Hasbro!

[NTESHFT]

I have given up on searching retail stores. I only look at Walmart's simply because I go there to get groceries, and I'm not even disappointed anymore. I won't even go to Toys R Us, unless they have an exclusive I want. Everything I get now days comes from BBTS or Robotkingdom.com Hasbro should really start looking at this site more than they do to see what the fans have to say. Tell you what Hasbro- just open a new department of people just to look at all the fan-based sites for your toys and come up with ideas and I'll be the first one to turn in an application......

[icenemesis]

Might help to get the Tuner Mudflap ROTF toys off the shelves so i can get some gosh darn RTS stuff before it's annihilated by DOTM.

QFT!

I have FIVE, count them FIVE pegs full of Tuner Mudflaps at my local TRU.

is he really that bad, i haven't seen one in my area since December. dirge and the rest of the generation are what clogging up the shelves here.

[griftimus prime]

stop making sooo many bad repaints and shelf warmers.

also .. gas prices are through the roof.

[Kibble]

I really don't understand why Hasbro doesn't put more effort into making sure hasbrotoyshop.com is fully stocked all the time! If the B&M stores can manage to put figures on sale for $8 or $9 a pop, I can't imagine they're doing so at a loss...so if they're paying Hasbro that or less per fig, yet Hasbro still charges full retail price at HTS.com, you'd think they'd like to sell all the merchandise they possibly could via their website and make that much more profit per figure.

[whacko]

It's a case of Garbage In, Garbage Out.

Retailers aren't seeing a need to order new stuff when theres a ton of old stuff that needs to be cleared out.

I could accept that to a point, however all my local stores are practically out of Transformers toys altogether.

There is a section for them, but there are practically no toys. I would say that of the 3 Walmarts near me, they each have an average of 20 deluxe class figures and 3-4 leaders or voyagers. True, mostly they are crap like Volts and Ravages but its not like the shelves are bursting with Transformers toys.

The same goes for the Targets near me (2 of them) except they at least have a few Generations series 1 figures. Of the two TRUs near me, one has decent stock of older toys and animated figures, and the other one is again practically empty even though there is a large section reserved for Transformers.

[Seibertron]

I have given up on searching retail stores. I only look at Walmart's simply because I go there to get groceries, and I'm not even disappointed anymore. I won't even go to Toys R Us, unless they have an exclusive I want. Everything I get now days comes from BBTS or Robotkingdom.com Hasbro should really start looking at this site more than they do to see what the fans have to say. Tell you what Hasbro- just open a new department of people just to look at all the fan-based sites for your toys and come up with ideas and I'll be the first one to turn in an application......

I can assure you that they check out this site and are well aware of these distribution problems. Not sure what the problem is on their end, but they're aware of the problem.

[Pontimax 01]

I really don't understand why Hasbro doesn't put more effort into making sure hasbrotoyshop.com is fully stocked all the time! If the B&M stores can manage to put figures on sale for $8 or $9 a pop, I can't imagine they're doing so at a loss...so if they're paying Hasbro that or less per fig, yet Hasbro still charges full retail price at HTS.com, you'd think they'd like to sell all the merchandise they possibly could via their website and make that much more profit per figure.

Smack this guy.... He's guilty of making sense.

[Megatron Wolf]

Maybe the reason is because theres been nothing new out since november and the shelves have been empty since mid january, theres demand but no supply and thats why hasbro is losing money. Oh and dont forget the price gouging that alot of stores are doing $15 for a deluxe and $27 for a voyager is outragious, many people see those prices and just keep walking even if they see the figure they want. If hasbro actually did some leg work this wouldnt be happening, the fans would be happy cause theyd have the toys they want and hasbro would be happy cause they'd be rich little bastards instead of just bastards. Im going to start taking pictures off all the barren isles in teh store around me and send them to hasbro, its not just tf thats not there star wars and gijoe are all gone as well or almost all gone. That hasbros 3 flagship boys merchandise. It pisses me off cause all the figures that i really want are in these last couple of wave that im sure ill never see. Its all bayformers fault if you think about it, and hasbro for making stupid repaint that no one wants or the original is still on the shelves.