Acquisition brings Hape’s leading brand together with Playwell’s distribution platform.

(Edmonton, Canada) July 16, 2018 -- DAN Finanz AG, a financial division owned by Mr. Peter Handstein, founder of Hape Holding AG, today announced that it has acquired Playwell Enterprises Ltd., a Canadian-based distributor of children’s products.

With this acquisition, Hape further extends its reach into Canada and lays the foundation to expand its offerings to Canadian retailers. The acquisition will combine the power of the Hape platform and products to drive increased representation with Playwell’s sales and distribution expertise and proven ability to help retailers better manage their inventory through a highly scalable platform. Hape will focus its attention on the U.S. market with the Edmonton staff and U.S. warehouse.

“Playwell has delivered powerful results for the brands it distributes - a key focus area for Hape. When combined with our 30-plus years of experience of empowering millions of children to learn through playing with Hape products, we believe we can help build stronger connections between retailers by removing some of the most difficult barriers to the retail business,” said Peter Handstein, founder and CEO of Hape. “Together, we can help retailers provide a broader product range with more efficient warehousing, logistics and sales and marketing programs, which can lead to more retailers having access to high quality toys and ultimately, lower product acquisition costs.”

“We built Playwell 34 years ago with the goal of putting retailers at the center, offering them innovative, reliable brands for their discriminating consumers focused on learning through play.” said Henry Lim, Playwell’s founder and CEO. “That potential becomes even more compelling when combined with Hape, whose brand and ability to engage and motivate a diverse range of consumers is incredibly powerful. Together, we can build a complete experience to optimize distribution.”

As part of the acquisition, Vivien Zheng, a senior executive with Hape for over 15 years, will join the Playwell team. Mr. Lim will continue to serve as president for the next two years.

Hape Holding AG

Hape, (“hah-pay”), is a leader in designing and manufacturing high quality baby and children’s products made from sustainable materials. The eco-friendly company was formed in 1986 by Founder and CEO Peter Handstein in Germany. Dan Finanz is the financial division of Hape AG.

Hape helps children lead healthier, more playful childhoods by empowering them with high quality products made from sustainable materials. As the leading global eco-friendly brand, Hape designs products and experiences that provide development and learning focused on loving playtime: Love play. Learn. Hape produces the highest standards of quality through stringent control systems and a world class production facility.

Hape’s diverse collection of innovative and popular products include the Pound and Tap Bench, Hape Music, Little Splashers bath toys, Quadrilla marble runs, POLY-M, Hape Railway, Bamboo Flexistix and more. Hape has won numerous awards from prestigious independent toy testing groups for toy design, quality and safety. Hape brands are sold through specialty retail, toy stores, museum gift stores, school supply stores and select catalog and internet accounts in over 60 countries around the globe.

Hape and the Hape logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Hape AG in the U.S. and other countries.

Playwell Enterprises Ltd.

Founded in 1985, Playwell Enterprises, Ltd. Is one of the leading distributors of children’s products in the specialty toy and gift industry. From the outset, Playwell has focused exclusively on providing high-quality toys and products that engage and stimulate children through all stages of development.

In addition to sourcing its own products from manufacturers around the globe, Playwell is proud to be the exclusive Canadian distributor for a number of leading global toy brands, including 4M, Magformers, Educational Insights & Learning Resources, Yookidoo, Halilit, Hama, and WePlay. By leveraging these respected brands, Playwell has established a very strong presence in the Canadian specialty-toy retail market, as well as prominent placement in the catalogues of all the principal educational-product companies in Canada.

Guided by the leadership of Henry Lim, Playwell is staffed by a group of dedicated team-members, many of whom have worked for Playwell for more than 20 years. As a group, they have prided themselves on providing service excellence throughout every phase of the dealer experience.

Learn more about Playwell at www.playwellcanada.com.

Contact: Robin Lehnert

Marketing Manager

Robin@hapetoys.com

262 227 8949

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