The Malta plant has produced an amazing 2.4 billion Playmobil figures since 1974, the company said this week while announcing an overall growth of seven per cent in 2010.

Playmobil Malta is the exclusive producer of Playmobil figures, which are found in almost every package sold worldwide by the company; the local plant produced some 100 million in 2010.

The state-of-the-art facility in Malta is also responsible for the complete production of all products in the Playmobil 1.2.3 Range, which targets toddlers and therefore requires the highest degree of toy safety.

With its 2010 growth, Playmobil consolidated its place as Germany’s second-largest toy seller. The company also expanded its market share in a number of other markets. The results were revealed during a press conference held recently at Playmobil’s headquarters in Zirndorf, Germany.

According to the group’s managing director Andrea Schauer, the reasons for this positive development are two-fold, namely the new products launched in 2010 as well as the strategic decision to target year round sales. The market research institute npggroup Deutschland GmbH lists 10 Playmobil products in the top 50 ranking toys sold in Germany last year.

Referring to the results as “excellent”, Playmobil Malta Marketing Manager Anna Agius stated that the Malta plant was “proud to be part of this success story”, adding that the company registered a mid one digit growth in sales on the local market during last year.

“We are now looking forward to the launch of the novelties for this year,” she said.