Despite inflation hitting consumers’ wallets, there are still some things people will spend money on no matter the economic conditions, like toys. This is why companies such as Moose Toys find it a good time to look for acquisitions. We spoke to one of the company’s executives in an interview below.

Melbourne, Australia-based Moose Toys has launched a new business division that is focused solely on M&A. The team is led by the firm’s global head of business development and industry veteran, Giles Musker. Moose’s newly-formed M&A team is tasked with aggressive portfolio expansion across games, collectibles and traditional toy categories.

The toys and collectibles industry has been picking up steam and is transitioning from local hobby shops with kids carrying cards in an old shoe box to a digitally integrated market. Strategic buyers, such as eBay, are showing interest.

Musker previously served as general manager of TPF Toys, where he was responsible for managing all areas of the business including a team of 22 staff, acquisition of worldwide entertainment licenses, innovative product development, sales to customers in over 55 countries and achievement of annual revenue targets. He rejoined Moose toys as international business manager in 2017.

“We recently completed and aligned on a long-term strategic plan for Moose, and have given ourselves some ambitious goals to grow and evolve as a company,” Musker tells Mergers & Acquisitions. “Acquiring proven evergreen IP is a key part of our strategy. We now have a clear roadmap of where we want to go and what we need to do, and M&A has formed a key component of achieving our company goals.”

Moose Toys has been able to establish itself through its successful IPs like Little Live Pets and its licensing strategy and partnerships with popular entertainment properties like Bluey.

Musker says the company is “open to a wide range of deal sizes, from small start-ups to well-established market leaders. We are particularly interested in opportunities within North America, U.K. and Europe.” He continues that the firm is looking to strengthen its positions or capabilities in categories where it already competes or are incremental to its existing portfolio. “We’re aggressive in our growth plans and are actively looking at a relatively broad scope of expansion opportunities,” he adds.

Cole Lipsky