t has always been an uphill battle for toymakers in India, especially in the organized sector. Even Mattel, a global heavyweight, is making heavy weather of it. In a country where only a tiny percentage of the toy market is organised, Mattel is waiting and watching.

Mattel India�s US-based parent has a huge portfolio of brands and properties it plans to introduce in India. But Mattel wants to do that only when volumes rise to the levels it desires and when the retail space has developed enough to accommodate it. Industry estimates expect the organised segment in toys to rise to 15 per cent of the business by 2010. Sanjay Luthra, managing director, Mattel India Pvt Ltd, puts forward three reasons for being bullish - rising incomes, media proliferation and reduction in duties (Mattel depends heavily on imports).... more