Lego (Billund, Denmark; www.lego.com), the world’s biggest toy maker, said revenue for 2021 grew 27% year-on-year to DKK 55.3 bn (EUR 7.5 bn) and consumer sales rose 22% to beat the growth rate for global toy industry.

All market groups delivered double-digit consumer sales growth, the company said, which built on top-selling themes including Harry Potter and Star Wars. Sales across its own digital retail channels and those owned by partners recorded double-digit expansion rates, indicating the shift to online platforms had continued from 2020.

Operating profit jumped 32% to DKK 17.0 bn despite ongoing strategic investments and increased freight and raw materials costs. Net profit soared to DKK 13.3 bn from DKK 9.9 bn.

In 2022, Lego said it expects growth rates to normalise to a single-digit pace through product innovation and improvements in established and newer markets. It announced plans to significantly expand capacity of existing manufacturing sites over the next five years.

Lego announced that it has stopped shipments of products to Russia due to the war in Ukraine, noting there has been an extensive disruption to the operating environment.

Competitor geobra Brandstätter Stiftung (Zirndorf, Germany; www.playmobil.de) also stopped deliveries of their Playmobil toys and Lechuza products to Russia as a show of solidarity with the people in Ukraine, it said. Sales of around EUR 10 mn had originally been calculated for Russia for 2022.