Pokémon toys and trading card sales spike in Europe

It may have been the year after the Pokémon Go phenomenon, but Pokémon toys and merchandise continued to be a major hit throughout 2017.

Data from NPD, and relayed by The Pokémon Company, states that trading €100 million was spent on the Pokémon Trading Card Game last year, which gave the firm a 82% share of the market (total sales of strategic trading cards sat at €122 million for Europe).

The biggest growth area for the Trading Card Game was Italy, with a 644% rise in sales, followed by Spain (56% rise) and then the UK (42%).

It wasn't just the card game that performed strongly, Pokémon toys also performed admirably with a 146% sales increase in Italy, a 54% rise in the UK and a 14% uptake in German.

Pokémon, although always a very strong franchise, has enjoyed a mainstream renaissance following the success of Pokémon Go for smartphones in 2016. The firm is currently working on a Nintendo Switch game, which it hopes to release this year.

"We are the number one Strategic Card Game in Europe, and the UK toy industry voted the Pokémon Trading Card Game the top Pocket Money Toy of the Year," said Simon Benton, VP of Pokémon TCG Sales Europe. "The continued success is testament to the fantastic support of all our retailers and the Pokémon TCG's huge appeal, and with further expansions and promotions planned, we expect another strong performance in 2018."

Peter Murphy, senior director of marketing at The Pokémon Company International, said: "Wicked Cool Toys' first Pokémon master toy range has been fantastically well received by retailers and the media at the recent toy fairs in London and Nuremberg. The huge interest in the new toy line is hugely encouraging, and we expect sales to continue to rise when the range launches later this year."