By 2030, and that estimate is at the conservative end of the scale. But falling birth rates and some of the highest inflation rates we ve seen in decades have created challenging conditions for manufacturers and retailers, and signal more tough times to come. While the covid pandemic boosted sales of toys and games temporarily, big name companies report that sales have started to slip back once again. Let s have a look at some of those numbers. Global toy sales reached $108] billion in 2023, a 2% drop compared to 2022, with toy companies calling it a normalisation process after that exceptional growth linked to the pandemic. But across the 612 countries, including the uk, france, germany, and spain, sales declined by 7% in 2023 compared with the previous year, but they were still 17% higher when compared to 2019, before the pandemic. I caught up with the boss of build a bear, a much loved company which allows shoppers to customise their own teddies. She s also the head of the global or
Give the toy industry a much needed boost? this time, it s not about spending on toys for children, but adults so called kidults. An emerging generation of over 18s is snapping up collectables and nostalgia brands, and they say it s good for their mental health. I m going to be discussing that and more with my guests the boss of build a bear, the stores where you can create a bespoke teddy bear, and the chief executive of the world s biggest toy company and arguably one of its most iconic brands, lego. I ll also be catching up with the president of the company behind leading toy brands barbie, hot wheels, fisher price and more that s mattel to find out how tv and movie tie ups are reviving his compa ny s fortunes. Wherever you rejoining me from around the world, once again, a big hello and a warm welcome to the programme. It s a billion dollar industry driven by creativity and innovation, with a global reach and a diverse market. The toy industry is forecast to reach $302 billi
as though in some southern areas, and weather warning by the weekend, temperatures could be approaching 30. but not for everybody. for many it would be in the low, mid 20s. this wonderful picture which i showed you earlier on, this cloud scope taken earlier today injersey. thank you very much. that is is the mortage misery time bomb about to explode? new inflation figures and an announcement on interest rates due in the next 48 hours. todayjeremy hunt said giving financial support to mortgage holders could drive inflation higher. we ll talk to economists from the left and right, and a spokesman for the uk banking industry. also tonight, it s a year since the us supreme court made its historic decision to reverse roe v wade, thus allowing american states to block women from accessing an abortion. anna collinson travels from florida to alabama to speak to medics and women. shejust told me, it s not going to make it. she got kind of choked up, actually, saying, i wish there w
the bbc finds evidence of major success in clamping down on opium growing in afghanistan. live from our studio in singapore, this is bbc news. it s newsday. thank you for being with us. we start in ukraine, and the attack on a crucial dam in the south of the country. thousands of people have been forced to evacuate, because of rising flood waters. the dam sits between russian held territory to the south and ukrainian territory to the north. kyiv says that moscow is to blame, and so do nato and the eu, which has called the destruction a war crime . at a un meeting, russia has accused ukraine of sabotage. the uk prime minister, rishi sunak has said to kherson now, and this report from our ukraine correspondent, james waterhouse. i think it is still if you go by what us officials are saying just today it is still in its early phases. it has started nevertheless where ukrainian forces, small new units are probing different parts of this vast front line. they re trying to fin