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Carter Keithley has announced that he will retire as President & CEO of the Toy Industry Association (TIA), effective April 30, 2015, after nearly a decade of leadership with the trade organization. Keithley announced his retirement today, May 8th, at the TIA Board of Directors meeting held in Scottsdale, AZ.

TIA is the not-for-profit trade group representing all businesses involved in creating, producing and delivering toys and youth entertainment products for kids of all ages. The Association’s more than 750 members account for an estimated 90% of the annual U.S. domestic toy market of $22.09B.

“My years as chief executive of the Toy Industry Association were the highlight of my 40-year career as an association executive,” stated Keithley. “My only regret is that I did not come to TIA as a younger man able to sustain the pace and workload for a longer time. As I enter my seventieth year of life, it is time for me to pass the baton to someone with fresh energy, vision and ambition, so that TIA can continue to serve its members and support the growth and health of the toy industry.”

Keithley assumed his role in May 2006 during a period of upheaval for TIA and the industry. The Toy Center Buildings, located in midtown Manhattan, were closing after serving for many years as the site of New York Toy Fair. Barely a year into Keithley’s term, the toy industry was faced with yet another crisis when hundreds of playthings were recalled by the U.S. government.

During his time at the Association, the annual budget of the organization grew from less than $14 million to nearly $18 million, and TIA’s membership base skyrocketed from 470 members to more than 750 companies, including manufacturers, retailers, sales reps, licensors, toy inventors and more. An office in Washington, DC was also established to accommodate a robust external affairs team comprised of nine industry advocates and technical / safety specialists.

“TIA was fortunate to find the right executive to meet the organization’s needs at a time of particular stress and turmoil,” said John Gessert, Chairman of the TIA Board and President of American Plastic Toys. “Carter will be missed, and we are all grateful for his decade of work on behalf of the toy industry.”

Gessert has appointed TIA Board Vice Chairman David Hargreaves of Hasbro, Inc. and Immediate Past TIA Chairman, Soren Torp Laursen of LEGO Systems, Inc., to co-chair a Transition Committee that will work with a professional search firm to hire a new executive for TIA.

Die VEDES, eine führende europäische Verbundgruppe für Spiel, Freizeit und Familie, plant, ihre Lagerlogistik ab Frühjahr 2015 am Standort Lotte bei Osnabrück zu konzentrieren. Dort verfügt das Unternehmen seit der Übernahme des operativen Großhandelsgeschäfts der Hoffmann Spielwaren GmbH & Co. KG zum 1. Januar 2014 über ein Zentrallager mit einer Kapazität von ca. 50.000 m³.

Seit 1. April 2014 hat Jürgen Wallmann (38) bei der Toys“R“Us GmbH die Position als Vice President Finance & Administration die Leitung der Bereiche Finanzen, Controlling, Rechnungswesen, Steuern, IT, Recht und Industrieeinkauf für die D/A/CH-Region übernommen. Er bekleidete in den vergangenen Jahren verschiedene Führungspositionen innerhalb der Metro AG, zuletzt als Senior Director Finance and Administration. Er folgt in seiner neuen Position Peter Hamela (45) nach, der Toys“R“Us Ende April verlassen wird, um sich nach 14 Jahren bei Toys“R“Us als Interim-Manager selbständig zu machen.

Die npdgroup EUROTOYS, der führende Anbieter von Marktforschungslösungen im Verbraucher- und Einzelhandelsmarkt, ernennt Joachim Stempfle zum neuen Toys Practice Director für Deutschland und Polen.

Joachim Stempfle blickt auf eine erfolgreiche Laufbahn in leitenden Funktionen bei Toys`r`Us, SPIELE MAX, KARSTADT sowie auf Industrieseite bei Clementoni zurück. Gemeinsam mit seinem Team soll er die Arbeit der npdgroup EUROTOYS in Deutschland und Polen nicht zuletzt aufgrund seiner Branchen-Expertise weiter entwickeln und ausbauen.

Die Stadlbauer Marketing+Vertrieb GmbH (SMV) mit Sitz in Puch bei Salzburg gab heute die 100prozentige Übernahme der Schildkrät Puppen- und Spielwaren GmbH in Rauenstein/Thüringen bekannt. Damit erweitert die SMV ihr Sortiment mit einer bekannten und hochwertigen Qualitätsmarke im Mädchen-Spielwaren-Bereich.

Wie Dr. Dieter und Andreas Stadlbauer gegenüber SPIELZEUGinternational erklärten, werde bereits mit Hochdruck an der für die Spielwarenmesse 2015 geplanten Neuheitenpräsentation von Schildkröt gearbeitet. Mittelfristig, so das Familienunternehmen, würden Marktanteile angestrebt, die dem außergewöhnlichen Image der Marke Schildkröt entsprächen.

Mattel, Inc. and MEGA Brands Inc. announced a definitive agreement for Mattel’s acquisition, through a wholly-owned subsidiary of Mattel, Inc., of MEGA Brands for US$460 million.

The acquisition advances Mattel’s global growth strategy of building upon its world-class portfolio of brands by expanding into two of the fastest-growing toy categories. MEGA Brands, a family of leading global brands, is the No. 2 player in the $4-billion construction building sets category1 with its MEGA BLOKS brand as well as a competitor in the $2-billion arts & crafts category2.

„A key pillar of our global growth strategy is the strategic acquisition of brands that will both benefit from our scale and help extend our reach into new and growing categories,“ said Bryan G. Stockton, Mattel Chairman and CEO. „The construction play pattern is popular, universal and has had one of the fastest growth rates over the past three years. We look forward to helping MEGA Brands accelerate its global growth, providing more choices for more children and their families.“

Mattel’s world-class portfolio of brands will complement MEGA Brands‘ flagship MEGA BLOKS and existing licensed brands, such as HALO, Skylanders, Call of Duty, Assassin’s Creed, Power Rangers, Hello Kitty, SpongeBob, SquarePants and others. The acquisition will give Mattel the opportunity to broaden its relationship with its entertainment partners.

The acquisition also creates the opportunity to grow the MEGA Brands sizable arts & crafts business, with brands including Rose Art and Board Dudes. Arts & crafts activities are highly popular among children of all age groups, and the global category provides growth opportunities for Mattel with its core brands and entertainment and licensing partners.

„MEGA Brands has built leading positions in large, growing categories by providing engaging creative experiences for children and families through innovative, well-designed and high-quality products, and Mattel is the ideal partner to take our brands to the next level,“ said Marc Bertrand, MEGA Brands President and CEO. „We are confident Mattel’s scale and global platform spanning 150 markets – combined with the expertise of our people in the construction and arts & crafts categories – will create tremendous growth opportunities for our brands.“

MEGA Brands has estimated net sales for FY 2013 of US$405 million. It ranks among the top 15 toy companies globally in terms of sales, according to statistics published by the NPD in 2013. In 2013, it achieved record sales of preschool construction toys.

Founded and based in Montreal, MEGA Brands has approximately 1,700 employees in 17 countries. Mattel plans to maintain MEGA Brands‘ expertise in manufacturing, both in Montreal and Tennessee, and plans to maintain the MEGA Brands headquarters in Montreal and will seek to tap into MEGA Brands‘ proven skills in design and development in the construction and arts & crafts categories.

„At Mattel, we have followed a consistent philosophy on acquisitions – we seek to create value by building on the foundations of the great businesses we have acquired while retaining and nurturing the core values, talents and unique capabilities that made them great,“ Stockton said. „We will approach our new brands and colleagues at MEGA Brands with great respect for what they have built and enthusiasm for what we can build together.“