Quote:
Mattel, Inc. (NASDAQ: MAT) and MEGA Brands Inc. (TSX: MB, MB.WT, MB.NT) announced today a definitive agreement for Mattel’s acquisition, through a wholly-owned subsidiary of Mattel, Inc., of MEGA Brands for US$460 million.
“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.”
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 category with its MEGA BLOKS brand as well as a competitor in the $2-billion arts & crafts category.
“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.”
