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August 27, 2025

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Lego first-half sales hit record $5.4B on strong demand, global brand partnerships

4 Mins Read

Danish toymaker Lego reported a record first-half performance on Wednesday, with sales rising 12% to 34.6 billion Danish crowns ($5.43 billion), boosted by strong consumer demand and partnerships with leading global brands.

The performance marked the best start to a year in Lego’s history, outpacing rivals Mattel and Hasbro in a competitive market.

“The toy market is actually back to growth this year, but we are outpacing it and taking market share,” Chief Executive Niels Christiansen said.

“It’s the best first half ever,” Christiansen told CNBC. “It’s a record on revenue, a record on operating profit, it’s a record on net profit. … So, we are very happy.”

He noted that the global toy industry grew by nearly 7% in the same period, while Lego achieved double that rate.

Strong profit growth and supply chain resilience

Operating profit for the first six months rose 10% to 9 billion crowns, with Christiansen attributing the gains to Lego’s manufacturing network spanning six countries, including Denmark, Hungary, Mexico, China, and Vietnam.

“We have a reasonable setup in our supply chain. So the logic we apply is that we would like to produce the product as close to the consumers as possible,” Christiansen said.

The company’s geographically diversified factories have helped it manage tariff impacts more effectively than peers reliant on Chinese production.

Construction of a new US factory in Virginia is underway, expected to open in 2027.

Christiansen emphasized that the plant was planned for growth, rather than as a reaction to trade disputes. Lego is also expanding sites in Mexico and Hungary to meet increasing global demand.

Expanding product lineup with major brand tie-ups

The company launched a record 314 new sets in the first half of 2025, expanding its catalog with collaborations across entertainment and pop culture.

Partnerships with Formula One, Fortnite, Jurassic Park, Bluey, and anime franchise One Piece have attracted new consumer segments, while a tie-up with Pokémon is set to debut in 2026.

“You can always find something that you really like, the pop culture you’re into or the passion point you have,” Christiansen said, highlighting the importance of licensed sets in diversifying Lego’s fan base.

In addition, Lego’s botanical line—featuring plants, succulents, and flower bouquets—has proven successful in attracting adult customers, many of whom move on to larger, more complex builds.

The partnership with Epic Games, which integrates elements from Fortnite into physical sets, has also expanded Lego’s reach into the digital gaming world.

Growth across global markets, including China

Lego reported sales growth across all major markets, including China, where it has faced challenges in recent years.

US sales grew at double-digit rates, supported by renewed consumer demand and an improved retail environment.

The company also opened 24 new stores worldwide in the first half of 2025, with a focus on countries such as China and India, where Lego is still building brand recognition.

Christiansen said brick-and-mortar stores remain a key driver of growth, offering customers hands-on experiences that encourage purchases.

Outpacing rivals amid market uncertainty

While the broader toy market has returned to growth, Lego continues to outperform peers.

Analysts point to its brand partnerships, resilient supply chain, and global expansion as factors that give it an edge over competitors.

By contrast, Barbie-maker Mattel and Hasbro, the company behind My Little Pony, face greater volatility due to their reliance on Chinese manufacturing.

Despite lingering economic uncertainty, Christiansen said Lego has not seen evidence of US consumers trading down to cheaper products.

“It’s a record on revenue, a record on operating profit, it’s a record on net profit. … So, we are very happy,” he told CNBC.

As Lego looks ahead to its 2026 Pokémon collaboration and further store openings, the company is positioning itself to sustain growth while maintaining its dominance in the global toy market.

The post Lego first-half sales hit record $5.4B on strong demand, global brand partnerships appeared first on Invezz

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In World news

Basin Energy LtdInvestor Webinar and Presentation

1 Min Read

Perth, Australia (ABN Newswire) – Basin Energy Limited (ASX:BSN) (OTCMKTS:BSNEF) is pleased to invite shareholders and investors to an investor webinar where Managing Director, Pete Moorhouse will provide a Company update following the recently acquired extensive uranium and rare earth portfolio in Queensland and outline upcoming exploration plans.

DETAILS

Date: Thursday, 28 August 2025
Time: 11:30AM AEST / 9:30AM AWST

Registration:
https://www.abnnewswire.net/lnk/66GZ5R65

Participants will be able to submit questions via the panel throughout the presentation, however we highly encourage attendees to submit questions beforehand via chloe@janemorganmanagement.com.au

To view the Presentation, please visit:
https://www.abnnewswire.net/lnk/3Z6Y66N7

About Basin Energy Ltd:

Basin Energy Ltd (ASX:BSN) (OTCMKTS:BSNEF) is a green energy metals exploration and development company with an interest in three highly prospective projects positioned in the southeast corner and margins of the world-renowned Athabasca Basin in Canada and has recently acquired a significant portfolio of Green Energy Metals exploration assets located in Scandinavia.

Source:
Basin Energy Ltd

Contact:
Pete Moorhouse
Managing Director
pete.m@basinenergy.com.au
+61 7 3667 7449

Chloe Hayes
Investor and Media Relations
chloe@janemorganmanagement.com.au
+61 458619317

News Provided by ABN Newswire via QuoteMedia

This post appeared first on investingnews.com

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In Business

Cracker Barrel assures customers its values remain the same amid logo uproar

2 Mins Read

Cracker Barrel tried to reassure customers Monday that its values have remained the same after it received criticism following a new logo reveal and general brand refresh.

The company promised customers in a statement that while its logo may be different, its values — “hard work, family, and scratch-cooked food made with care’ — are not.

“You’ve shown us that we could’ve done a better job sharing who we are and who we’ll always be,” the statement read, adding that Cracker Barrel will remain “a place where everyone feels at home, no matter where you’re from or where you’re headed.”

Last week, the company unveiled a new logo that no longer features a man leaning against a barrel or the words ‘Old Country Store.’ Instead, it featured the company’s name, in a color scheme that it said was inspired by the chain’s scrambled eggs and biscuits.

The change was part of a ‘strategic transformation’ that aimed to update the chain’s visual elements, spaces, food and retail offerings. The company’s shares are down about 8.5% since the reveal ignited criticism, especially from those in conservative circles.

Donald Trump Jr., the president’s son, amplified a post Wednesday suggesting that the logo change was intended to erase the American traditions aspect of the branding and make it more general and lean into diversity, equity and inclusion efforts.

On Monday, the chain also shared an update on the man in the original logo, Uncle Herschel, who is said is still featured on menus and road signs and in stores.

‘He’s not going anywhere — he’s family,’ the company said in the statement.

Cracker Barrel said its focuses remain country hospitality and generous portions of food at fair prices. The refresh, it said, was to ensure the restaurant will be there for the next generation.

‘That means showing up on new platforms and in new ways, but always with our heritage at the heart,’ it said.

‘We know we won’t always get everything right the first time, but we’ll keep testing, learning, and listening to our guests and employees.’

This post appeared first on NBC NEWS

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In Politics

SkyWater pitches itself as all-American firm as Trump mulls more equity deals following Intel deal

3 Mins Read

President Donald Trump is pushing a new economic strategy: having the U.S. government take direct stakes in major U.S. companies. He argues it’s a way to make the country stronger by shoring up industries that fuel prosperity and safeguard national security.

The first big example came last week, when the White House announced the government now owns nearly 10% of Intel. The California-based chipmaker had received federal grants to boost U.S. production, but those funds have now been converted into a formal ownership share.

The U.S. government has historically offered loans, tax breaks, or contracts to private companies — but owning stock in them is much less common, raising questions about how far Trump’s approach might go and how Intel’s competitors may view the move.

One of those competitors, SkyWater Technology, a Minnesota-based semiconductor foundry with deep ties to the defense sector, welcomed the precedent while underscoring its all-American footprint.

‘We view equity stakes as an important tool to ensure accountability when taxpayer dollars support companies whose global structures raise questions about long-term U.S. benefit,’ Ross Miller, SVP of Commercial and A&D Business, told Fox News Digital. 

He contrasted that with SkyWater’s position as a fully domestic manufacturer: ‘SkyWater is different — we are U.S.-headquartered and U.S.-operated, with no foreign ownership or entanglements.’

‘Every dollar invested here directly strengthens America’s infrastructure, workforce, and independence,’ Miller added.

Looking ahead, he said SkyWater hopes to deepen collaboration with the Trump administration to expand domestic capacity in foundational chip technologies — the tried-and-true manufacturing methods that still power reliable systems in airplanes, automobiles, defense, biomedical equipment and even quantum computing.

SkyWater isn’t the only U.S. chipmaker that could be affected by Trump’s new approach. New York-based GlobalFoundries, a semiconductor manufacturer, operates large-scale chip fabs in New York and Vermont. Supported by federal funding, these sites play a central role in U.S. efforts to bring back more domestic chip production.

Given the firm’s federally-backed fabs on U.S. soil, GlobalFoundries could become a candidate for equity-linked deals tied to Trump’s semiconductor resilience goals. 

Similarly, Micron Technology, which is investing tens of billions of dollars to build memory chip fabs in New York and Idaho with the support of CHIPS Act funding, could also fall under consideration. The Boise, Idaho-based company has positioned itself as a cornerstone of U.S. efforts to restore leadership in advanced memory manufacturing.

GlobalFoundries and Micron did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.

On Monday, Trump suggested this was just the beginning. ‘I hope I’m going to have many more cases like it,’ he told reporters at the White House, hinting that his administration could pursue similar deals in other sectors.

But not everyone sees the move as positive. 

‘This is bad policy and the most glaring example to date of the administration’s tilt towards socialism. It’s an unprecedented move, so I’m hesitant to make any predictions,’ explained Jai Kedia, a research fellow at the Cato Institute’s Center for Monetary and Financial Alternatives.

Kedia also warned the policy could display ‘favoritism towards large firms that can negotiate deals with the executive at the expense of small and mid-size firms that do not have the political clout to arrange such deals.’

This post appeared first on FOX NEWS

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