Mattel 2011 Annual Report Download - page 5

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To Our Shareholders:
am excited to be Mattel’s sixth
Chief Executive Offi cer in 67
years, and honored to continue
the legacy of such visionaries
as Mattel founders Ruth and
Elliot Handler; Herman Fisher
and Irving Price, the name-
sakes of Fisher-Price; Pleasant
Rowland, founder of American
Girl; and Reverend W. V. Awdry,
creator of Thomas & Friends®.
First and foremost, I would like
to acknowledge and thank
Bob Eckert for his tremendous
contributions to the company
during the last decade. Bob is
a great business partner, friend
and mentor, and I am fortunate
to still be working closely with
him as he remains Chairman
of the Board.
Looking back on 2011, it was
a year of some signifi cant
challenges. Most notably, the
retail environment continued to
be cautious throughout 2011
due to retailers’ concerns about
consumer spending in the
uncertain global economic
environment. The year proved
to be a transition period for
Fisher-Price with the expiration
of the Sesame Street license
and our strategic re-positioning
of the brand.
We managed our business
accordingly as these challenges
played out during the year. We
maintained momentum in our
core brands, such as Barbie®,
Hot Wheels®, American Girl®
and our new brand franchise,
Monster High®, as well as with
key entertainment properties,
such as Disney Princess® and
CARS 2®. As a result, 2011
marks our third consecutive
year of solid performance:
revenues and operating
income grew by 7% and 15%,
respectively; our portfolio of
brands performed well around
the globe; Point of Sale (POS)
grew nicely; and we gained
category share according to
NPD’s most recent data. In
fact, Mattel had four of the
top fi ve properties for the 2011
holiday season.1
3
1 NPD Data, US Toy Industry, Q4 2011