Analysis by the NPD Group also reveals sales of £44m at retail in the 12 months to May 2019.

To coincide with the imminent launch of the Wizards Unite app game, latest analysis by The NPD Group reveals that one Harry Potter toy is sold every five minutes in the UK, making it second only to Star Wars in terms of value sales. One quarter (24%) of those sales are to people aged 18+.

The top-selling toy is Harry Potter Hogwarts Great Hall by The Lego Group which retails at around £83. The Lego Group has six toys in the best-sellers in the 12 months ending May 2019.

With sales of £44m at retail in the same time period (12 months to May 2019), the franchise has brought a touch of magic to the UK toy industry. In the 12 months ending April 2019, the markets that sold the most Harry Potter toys were the US and UK, while toy sales across the 13 markets tracked by The NPD Group reached $340m.

Hype is now building for the imminent launch of the Wizards Unite app game. Similar to Pokémon Go, wizards will need to seek out magic items or ‘foundables’ while defeating enemies and overcoming obstacles. Excitement and game play looks set to boost toy and merchandise sales, as would-be wizards cast spells, brew potions and fight dementors and werewolves in towns and cities across Britain and globally.

Frederique Tutt, global industry analyst, Toys, NPD commented: “With the 22nd anniversary of the publication of The Philosopher’s Stone on 26th June this year, it’s not only the original Harry Potter generation reliving the excitement and love of the franchise through the wide range of themed toys available. Harry Potter has achieved what only a handful of characters in the toy sector have done before – it has enduring appeal across the generations. There’s no question this is a great British brand and a great British success – and one that is going to continue casting its spell as new generations of wizards enter the magical world of Harry Potter.”