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Wolfgang Stolpe pictured with Dickie-Schuco Gmbh Managing Director Norbert Reims at the Schuco booth during the IAADFS show last week |
GERMANY. Wolfgang Stolpe has sold his Schabak model plane company to German toy brand Schuco, part of the €300 million Simba-Dickie Group.
Stolpe, who is 62, plans to remain as a consultant to Schuco for two years, before taking a well-deserved retirement.
Explaining the significance of the new deal, Dickie-Schuco Gmbh Managing Director Norbert Reims told The Moodie Report during the IAADFS show: “The Schabak deal opens doors to a wider market and an even better position for Schuco. Schabak will remain under the umbrella of Schuco as a base to develop aviation and other travel retail products.”
Reims plans to offer a wide assortment of around 50 toys and games for boys and girls to travel retailers, including model cars, plush toys, dolls and wooden toys.
He also plans to create a sub-brand called Schuco Aviation, offering Schabak 1:600 models as well as Schuco collector’s items.
Schabak produces models in three scales: 600 the smallest and best-selling size; 500; and 250. The brand boasts 45 airline listings and a presence in some 200 airports worldwide, including Dubai Duty Free, which is a major customer.
Following the Schuco deal, production of the models will be transferred from Germany to China, where costs will be lower and the quality higher, according to Reims.
About Schuco
Schuco is part of the €300 million Simba-Dickie Group based in Fürth, Germany. The group is the fifth largest toy group in Europe whose main brands are Simbatoys and Dickie-Spielzeug. Also part of the group are the companies Eichhorn, Noris, Dickie-Tamiya, Carson and, since 2004, Big. The company’s largest markets are Europe and the US. Among the company’s best known products is Steffi, the second best-selling doll brand after Barbie. Travel items include Simba travel games and Ravensburger puzzles in the US.
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