Collectables brand Funko Pop! is struggling to off load inventory and now plans to eliminate approximately $30 million to $36 million dollars worth of product.
The backlog has left Funko's warehouses overstuffed, and forced the company to rent storage containers to hold the unsold stock of vinyl figurines with oversized heads.
The cost of this extra storage is eating into Funko's bottom line. The company reported a $47 million loss in the fourth quarter of 2022. Funko explained that its inventory totaled $246 million in 2022, up 48 percent from the year before.
"This includes inventory that the Company intends to eliminate in the first half of 2023 to reduce fulfillment costs by managing inventory levels to align with the operating capacity of our distribution center," Funko said in a press release.
While Funko cited waning demand as one reason for the surplus, the collectables market overall continues to grow.
"As we move forward, we remain laser focused with a high sense of urgency to build an operating foundation to support the long-term growth opportunities we envision for Funko, our partners and stakeholders," said CEO Brian Mariotti.
Nvidia on Wednesday became the first public company to reach a market capitalization of $5 trillion. The ravenous appetite for the Silicon Valley company’s chips is the main reason that the company’s stock price has increased so rapidly since early 2023.
Chris Williamson, Chief Business Economist at S&P Global, breaks down September’s CPI print and inflation trends, explaining what it means for markets.
A big-screen adaptation of the anime “Chainsaw Man” has topped the North American box office, beating a Springsteen biopic and “Black Phone 2.” The movie earned $17.25 million in the U.S. and Canada this weekend. “Black Phone 2” fell to second place with $13 million. Two new releases, the rom-com “Regretting You” and “Springsteen — Deliver Me From Nowhere,” earned $12.85 million and $9.1 million, respectively. “Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc” is based on the manga series about a demon hunter. It's another win for Sony-owned Crunchyroll, which also released a “Demon Slayer” film last month that debuted to a record $70 million.
The Federal Aviation Administration says flights departing for Los Angeles International Airport were halted briefly due to a staffing shortage at a Southern California air traffic facility. The FAA issued a temporary ground stop at one of the world’s busiest airports on Sunday morning soon after U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy predicted that travelers would see more flights delayed as the nation’s air traffic controllers work without pay during the federal government shutdown. The hold on planes taking off for LAX lasted an hour and 45 minutes and didn't appear to cause continued problems. The FAA said staffing shortages also delayed planes headed to Washington, Chicago and Newark, New Jersey on Sunday.
