OMAHA, Neb.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oriental Trading Company, Inc., the nation’s largest direct retailer of value-priced party supplies, arts and crafts, toys, novelties, and school supplies, today announced that it has acquired MindWare Holdings, Inc., a manufacturer, wholesaler, and direct retailer of “brainy toys for kids of all ages” based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Oriental Trading Company is a Berkshire Hathaway company with headquarters in Omaha, Nebraska.
“MindWare’s extensive selection of proprietary, award-winning educational toys, games, and books is the perfect addition to our product assortment,” said Sam Taylor, CEO of Oriental Trading Company. “MindWare’s offering includes over 1,000 educational products and will support our efforts to respond to the needs of educators and parents as we continue our mission to make the world more fun. We look forward to helping the MindWare team grow their brand and accelerate the pace at which they bring fantastic products to market.”
Over half of MindWare’s revenue is generated from exclusive, proprietary toys, games, and books the company has created. During the past two years, MindWare’s proprietary products received 46 awards from nine different parenting organizations and publications, including Germany’s highly prestigious “Spiel des Jahres” (Game of the Year) award for Qwirkle, a fun and educational game requiring tactical maneuvers and well-planned strategy. Most recently the company’s Mine Shift game received the Mensa Select Award, one of the most prominent awards in the toy industry.
“We are thrilled to be able to add our games and toys to the many products offered by Oriental Trading,” said Martin Smith, CEO of MindWare. “Like Oriental Trading Company, MindWare has grown from a small family business to a respected leader in its industry. With its broad customer base and large-scale, world-class technology and operations platform, Oriental Trading is clearly an excellent home for our educational products.”
MindWare products are sold via the company’s catalogs and www.mindware.com website, as well as by specialty and mass market retailers and internationally through distributors in over 35 countries. Select MindWare products will appear in Oriental Trading’s catalogs and on the www.orientaltrading.com website this holiday season.
About Oriental Trading Company (A Berkshire Hathaway company)
Oriental
Trading Company is the nation’s largest direct retailer of value-priced
party supplies, arts and crafts, toys and novelties, and a leading
provider of school supplies and affordable home décor and giftware.
Oriental Trading is recognized as one of the Top 15 Online Retailers for
Customer Satisfaction and one of the Top 50 Catalog Companies. Oriental
Trading Company employs approximately 1,800 employees and offers more
than 40,000 products to individuals, teachers, schools, churches,
businesses and not-for-profit organizations. From pink flamingos, party
supplies and wedding favors to holiday decorations, beading supplies and
crafts, Oriental Trading Company makes the world more fun. www.orientaltrading.com.
About MindWare
MindWare is an award-winning creator and
manufacturer of Brainy Toys for Kids of All Ages. Its diverse product
line includes educational toys, games, brainteasers, creative play
activities, building sets, coloring books and more! The company was
founded in 1990 with a small retail store in Minneapolis and has evolved
into a direct-to-consumer catalog and website, along with its own
wholesale division. MindWare products have won awards from such
prestigious institutions as, Mensa, Major Fun, Parents’ Choice, Good
Housekeeping, and Disney FamilyFun. MindWare’s top-selling product,
Qwirkle, won Germany’s highly prized “Spiel des Jahres” (Game of the
Year) award in 2011. MindWare’s proprietary products are to be found on
the shelves of over 30,000 retailers worldwide. Consumers, educators and
retailers have come to recognize MindWare as a trusted resource for
their families, students and customers. www.mindware.com
