There are only three months left before a new World Cup begins and like every year that this tournament takes place, sports fans —and also those who are not so much— await the album of figurines marketed by Panini.
Although a few days ago some Uruguayans were already able to buy his album and accompany it with packages of figurines, tomorrow is the official launch of the product in the country and for this date Panini and its strategic partner for distribution Durulte were prepared.
According to what the sales manager of Panini Uruguay told Coffee & Business, Both companies had to do a lot of work to reach the date with all the points of sale supplied. The commercial manager of the multinational, Nicolás Lerner, explained that this is precisely the reason why days ago it began to be marketed in some spaces.
“We noticed a very high fervor”, said Durulte’s marketing manager, Gerardo Paciel, referring to the interest in acquiring the albums and figurine envelopes. “It had been a long time since we had an event with such an impact; with so much demand from consumers and points of sale”, he added.
This World Cup —Qatar 2022—, is very special because for the first time it is played in November. And for those in charge of marketing the album, this directly impacts the enthusiasm of the public. Historically albums came out in April, but this year it was in August and spontaneously collectors —from the period the album normally comes out—, They put the issue on the agenda. “For many months there has been great expectation on the part of the consumer”Lerner said.
To this was added the interest of the points of sale, so this year the list includes places that usually do not work figurines. Panini assured that they will reach 25 thousand points of sale distributed throughout the country, from large stores to spontaneous vendors who set up tables in the large avenues. Among the items added this year are pharmacy chains, bookstores, among others.
“This product appeals to them because it’s so popular,” Paciel said.
Photo: Leonardo Carreno.
Those in charge of distributing albums and figurines note fervor in Uruguayan consumers
In Uruguay, and in the rest of the region
The album is marketed both in the country and in other countries in the region and to avoid misunderstandings with consumers, Lerner explained that the edition of the album is different in Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay. For example, the album sold in the country has 638 figurines, and the one sold in the Latin American giant has 670.
Sales forecast in the local market
The products will arrive in the country little by little, and by the end of the sales period there will be received 220 thousand albums and millions of envelopes to sell.
“Uruguay is in the top per capita sales of figurine envelopes worldwide,” said Paciel.
was given a boom In 2010, the next World Cup broke the sales record and expectations are very good for this year. “I don’t know if it will be like the World Cup in Brazil, but we hope it will be like the World Cup in Russia.” Lerner said. He also explained that while it is difficult to know where the collection will go, It’s been a long time since a collection had such an impact so he hopes it will be something important.
The highest percentage of figurine sales occurs before the World Cup, the proportion is 90% before the first game and the remaining 10% after —which can be increased depending on how the Uruguayan team fares— during the event. The highest sales peak is expected to be around mid-September.associated with this FIFA friendly matches window.
Regarding the turnover that this sporting milestone represents for Panini, the representatives pointed out that During a conventional year approximately 20 collections are sold and together they do not reach 20% of what the World Cup represents.
Extra Panini Figurines
Panini innovated with a new concept of collecting: Extra Panini Figurines. They are not part of the main collection because they are not needed to complete the album, but rather are an additional product that can be found in figurine packs. To put together this selection, 20 players were chosen at random and action figures were made in four versions: burgundy, bronze, silver and gold.
