Furyu Corp. reported a 38% surge in operating profit for the six months ended September, lifted by strong international demand for anime merchandise while its legacy photo booth operations continued to decline.
The Tokyo-based company posted operating profit of ¥1.8 billion ($11.6 million) for the first half, compared with ¥1.3 billion a year earlier. Revenue edged down 0.4% to ¥21.5 billion ($139 million) as gains in its character merchandise division failed to offset weakness elsewhere.
The company’s character merchandise unit, which produces crane game prizes and collectible figures based on popular anime franchises, generated sales of ¥13.6 billion ($88 million), up 9.1% from the previous year. Operating profit in the segment climbed 48% to ¥1.4 billion ($9 million). Overseas markets including China, the U.S., and Europe accounted for much of the growth, Furyu said.
The photo booth business, once a core revenue driver, saw sales decline 4.3% to ¥6.8 billion ($44 million). The company’s PictLink app, which allows users to download images taken at its booths, lost paying subscribers despite promotional efforts. Paying members fell to 1.26 million as of September from higher levels earlier in the year.
Furyu maintained its full-year forecast, projecting operating profit of ¥3 billion ($19.4 million), up 34% from the prior year.
