Zatu - News analysis

Games expert Zatu launches data-informed distribution channel

Rob Trounce, Zatu’s Trade Marketing manager, tells Toy World all about the company’s newest arm of the business, Zatu Distribution, and how it champions its growing portfolio and partners.

What is Zatu Distribution and how is it growing as a business?

Zatu Distribution is the new distribution arm of Zatu Games. While we’ve been a leading online board game retailer for nearly a decade, we have offered fulfilment services to publishers in recent years. This next step allows us to combine our expertise in both areas. Our experience at the coalface of retail gives us unique insights into what gamers are actually buying and playing, while our fulfilment systems give us a streamlined, logistics-first approach. The result is a modern, data-informed distribution channel. We're focused on bringing the best global titles to the UK market and supporting retailers with real marketing and logistical support.

How does Zatu Distribution fit into the UK games market?

The UK market is currently served by a small number of large distributors, most of whom operate broad catalogues and global strategies. Zatu Distribution is taking a different approach: we’re curating a more focused range, designed specifically for success in the UK and Ireland. We’re hand-selecting standout titles, often from underrepresented global publishers, and backing them with the marketing muscle and retail insight we’ve developed over years of trading. Our aim isn’t just to move boxes from A to B. We champion the games we take on, and want to be true partners to the retailers who stock them.

How does Zatu Distribution support its partners and retailers?

Every game we carry has been hand-picked because we believe it will succeed at retail, but it doesn’t stop there. We support each title with an extensive marketing plan. That includes showcasing our games at major expos and consumer events, running direct-to-consumer advertising and leveraging our own channels, including a newsletter database of over 250,000 UK gamers, to build hype and drive demand. We’re also rolling out an innovative new buy-back scheme to support retailers of all sizes, helping to de-risk their buying decisions in what we know is a challenging market.

What are your goals for Zatu Distribution? How do you see it developing in the coming years?

Everyone on our team has experience working in other board game distribution businesses, and we’ve all seen the value of keeping things simple: find great games, support them well and meet retailers’ needs without overcomplicating things. Our goal is to build a portfolio of standout titles, backed by data, tested through retail and primed for success in the UK. In the years ahead, we see Zatu Distribution becoming the go-to partner for global publishers looking to break into the UK market, and for retailers seeking a smarter, more supportive approach to distribution.