Belgian toy retail chain ToyChamp buys Intertoys' Dutch shops

Belgian toy retail chain ToyChamp is acquiring the 220 Dutch shops of retail chain Intertoys. About five years ago, Intertoys already sold seven of its mega toy shops to ToyChamp.

In the middle of last year, it was announced that Intertoys was for sale, after earlier plans for an IPO by parent company Mirage Retail Group came to nothing. That attempt failed at the time. The company was no longer actively looking when ToyChamp itself got in touch this spring.

ToyChamp now has 41 branches in Belgium and the Netherlands, and is also majority shareholder of the DreamLand chain. Together with DreamLand, ToyChamp also acquired nine Fun shops early this year.

Intertoys has 220 shops in the Netherlands, 70 of which are owned by franchisees, and it has more than 1,400 employees.

The Belgian ToyChamp chain will acquire 95.1 per cent of Intertoys BV, announced ToyChamp's managing director Koen Nolmans in a press release. The Dutch Consumer & Market Authority still needs to give its approval though.

The existing formulas will not be changed, ToyChamp stressed in the press release. The Intertoys management will also remain in place, and the takeover will have no consequences for the employment either.

Mirage Retail Group originated from the former Blokker Holding. Intertoys joined the Blokker Holding in 1993, and has changed hands several times in the meantime. Five years ago, Blokker bought the toy shops again. With this sale, Mirage hopes to regain financial health. The now-bankrupt budget store chain Big Bazar was already sold in 2021.

^{#FlandersNewsService | The logo of a ToyChamp store in Hasselt © BELGA PHOTO JILL DELSAUX}