In 2006, a Romanian family allocated on average €15 for children's toys, while the average annual budget for toys in countries such as Slovenia, the Czech Republic or Hungary amounted to €50 as far back as 2003, according to the European Community's statistical office, Eurostat. "We estimate that a child in Romania will receive toys worth €20 or more in 2007, a 40 percent increase as of 2006," said Ligia Zaharia, Marketing Manager of the Diverta store chain. "The Romanian toy market has started to grow, and accession to the European Union has increased this evolution", she added.
The Romanian toy market was estimated to be worth €52.2 million in 2006, representing nine percent of the total toy market in Eastern Europe, according to Eurostat. Toy producers and importers expect the market's value to exceed €62 million in 2007, almost equal to the value of the book market in Romania. Main players on this market are Aradeanca, Noriel, Omni Toys, Varunas, Simba Toys, and Nicoro Trading.
Romanians prefer to buy toys from market stalls. "According to our estimates, specialized stores and retail chains represent only 20-30 percent of the total toy market," Ligia Zaharia said. Sources on the market indicate that toy sales in Romania are based almost exclusively on imports, mostly from Asian countries, such as China, Korea, Japan or Taiwan (85 percent) and only 15 percent from EU countries.
In the EU the value of the toy sector exceeds €18.5 billion, and countries with the most developed toy markets are Italy, Spain, Great Britain, Germany and France.
