News Jazwares acquires Wicked Cool Alleghany Capital Corporation, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Alleghany Corporation has announced that its subsidiary, Jazwares has acquired Wicked Cool Toys. Headquartered in Bristol, Pennsylvania, Wicked Cool Toys is a rapidly growing company that designs, develops and produces licensed and owned properties, including plush, action figures, fashion accessories and games. Judd Zebersky, chief executive officer and president of Jazwares, commented: "Led by Michael Rinzler, Jeremy Padawer and Thomas Poon, Wicked Cool Toys has built an impressive reputation in the industry for spotting on-trend licences, reinvigorating nostalgic brands and collaborating with inventors to develop new products. We are thrilled to partner with Wicked Cool Toys and its talented employees, leveraging the company's offices in Pennsylvania, California and Hong Kong. Wicked Cool Toys will operate as a division of Jazwares and day-to-day operations will not be impacted by this transaction." Michael Rinzler, co-president and founding partner of Wicked Cool Toys, stated: "We are excited to join Jazwares and the Alleghany Capital family of companies. We believe that Alleghany Capital's long-term investment horizon and strategy of supporting entrepreneurial companies such as Jazwares and Wicked Cool Toys will accelerate our combined growth potential." Jeremy Padawer, co-president and partner of Wicked Cool Toys, added: "Jazwares' product development expertise, global reach and extreme passion for play will allow us to break new ground together in the toy industry and beyond."
DKL Marketing acquired by Beysal International toy supplier Beysal has completed a deal to acquire UK-based toy company DKL Marketing. The new company is to be headed up by industry stalwart Terry Crew. Beysal is already well-established in the Latin American market, with extensive distribution in Mexico, Brazil, Colombia, Chile and Peru. It also launched into Spanish and Portugese markets 18 months ago, and according to Terry, has been keen to open up in the UK market. The acquisition will see the new company continue to support and develop the ranges that DKL firmly established in the UK market – Hama Beads, Plus Plus and Breyer – while also introducing a selection of products developed by Beysal into the portfolio. Terry told Toy World: “The new company, which will be called DKL-Beysal, will be based in Northampton, at the previous DKL premises. There is already a solid infrastructure and great team in place, which will be bolstered by both myself and sales manager Gary Cockerell, who I have worked with for many years. We will be exhibiting at Toy Fair, on the usual DKL stand, and we look forward to introducing our new range to existing and new retail partners.”
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Asmodee ranks as the UK’s top seller in games, as group clarifies Green Board Games position Asmodee is the top-ranked manufacturer in the overall Games category as well as second for value added. Data from NPD, covering the year up to the end of August, show the industry as a whole tracking at 9% down against 2018, while by contrast the Games sector has risen in year-to-date value by 7%. This success is driven by Dobble and the Pokémon Trading Card Game (TCG) as well as the Family Games category. Pokémon is recorded as the number-one games property and growing, with Dobble on the rise at number six. Both brands have enjoyed welcome additions in 2019. Asmodee UK has now confirmed that Green Board Games (GBG), acquired as part of Searainbow Group in April, is to be fully incorporated as the Group’s first UK-based game studio. GBG is to operate as a fully owned studio within the Asmodee Group. Now based in Amersham, it will continue to develop products and make them available to Asmodee UK, Coiledspring Games, other Asmodee Group distribution units and thirdparty partners. Consequently, GBG will cease to have direct relationships with retail customers. Initially, GBG will be focusing on designing and developing its educational Brainbox lines, which will be made available to Asmodee UK to distribute. Other products will be picked up by other business units. Asmodee UK will take charge of distribution for the Fat Brain range, Coiledspring will take over all Mindware products, while the Flights of Fancy range will move to Lagoon.