Word: mattell
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...since 1993. Sure, a few CEOs have had a hard time lately. But, ironically, that's just another sign of progress. As Julie Weeks, research director at the Washington-based Center for Women's Business Research, points out, "We've reached a level where a Jill Barad (ex of Mattel) or a Carly Fiorina (Hewlett-Packard's embattled CEO) can be in the position to have trouble." New York City research group Catalyst notes that six FORTUNE 500 companies have women CEOs, up from a steady two or three over the past decade. Still, that's just...
...Joes and fire-fighter action figures. But a range of other oldies, many with fresh face-lifts, are proving to be this season's hits: 1950s-era live-ant farms, a revamped version of the '70s-era Shrinky Dinks and a 3-D Hot Wheels "fireball" raceway that Mattel says will be the biggest seller in the line's 33-year history...
Traditional toys and games account for two-thirds of the $24 billion toy market. And retailers Wal-Mart and Target report that toys are one of the few categories showing sales growth this season. That's welcome news for toy giants Mattel and Hasbro, and even more encouraging for retro-toy niche players like K'Nex, which projects revenue growth of 30% this year...
...Mattel and Hasbro have struggled for years with graying product lines and supply-chain snafus that, like clockwork each holiday season, resulted in shortages of the hottest toys. To woo investors back, each made forays into electronics and software, with disastrous results. Hasbro, after losing $200 million on an interactive division and website, sold both ventures for $100 million early this year. Mattel in 1999 bought educational-software maker The Learning Co. for $3.5 billion, only to unload it this year for an "undisclosed sum," which analysts say was virtually...
Lately, though, investors have renewed their faith in both companies. Mattel's stock has climbed 28% this year, while Hasbro's has risen 63%. Mattel CEO Robert Eckert plans to slash 1,300 jobs and shutter the firm's last U.S. plant (most toys are made in low-wage Southeast Asia and China.) He has moved product-development teams from El Segundo, Calif., to Hong Kong, where they can better coordinate manufacturing. Result: a leaner, nimbler operation, with toys shipped to retailers earlier in the season to avoid supply disruptions...