The Fast and Furious Award symbolizes Spin Master's growing popularity within the China market
TORONTO, April 18, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Spin Master Corp. (TSX:TOY; www.spinmaster.com), a leading global children's entertainment company, is pleased to announce that the company's successful global brand, PAW Patrol, has won the Fast and Furious Award from Tmall, the online marketplace of the Alibaba Group, the world's largest online and mobile commerce company.
This top award demonstrates Spin Master's considerable progress in driving international growth, a key growth strategy for the company. The fact that this is the sole award given by Tmall within its Models and Toys category makes the recognition even more significant, further highlights the success that the PAW Patrol brand has achieved through Tmall in 2017. Models and Toys is one of seven categories within Tmall's Maternity and Children division, which bestowed 10 awards overall to their top performers. PAW Patrol was selected over the more than 15,000 other brands within its category.
"The 2017 Fast and Furious Awards from Alibaba Group are key awards that recognize outstanding performance," said Andy Du, General Manager of Maternity and Children division of Tmall, Alibaba Group. "There are seven categories and more than 100,000 flagship stores that operate in the Maternity and Children division. Spin Master's PAW Patrol was one of the ten award winners and the only one from the toys division. We are very pleased with the partnership and we look forward to continued collaboration and success with Spin Master and the Alibaba Group in the near future" Du added.
"We are honoured to receive this award from our valued partner, Alibaba Tmall" said Ben Gadbois, Spin Master's Global President and COO. "This acknowledgment further reinforces our view that our key brands are being embraced by the Chinese consumer. Since strengthening the partnership with Alibaba in 2017, the Spin Master team has continued to develop opportunities with Tmall to further expand the Spin Master brand portfolio in China."
"The market outside of North America represents approximately 70 percent of global toy industry sales. One of our four key growth strategies is to continue to increase International sales by opening new markets, leveraging our current geographic footprint though new channels of distribution, increasing sales with our existing distributors and opening new Spin Master offices" Gadbois added. "We look forward to continued growth in this important market."
Watch for the launch of more Spin Master core brands in China in the months to come.
About Spin Master
Spin Master (TSX:TOY; www.spinmaster.com) is a leading global children's entertainment company that creates, designs, manufactures, licenses and markets a diversified portfolio of innovative toys, games, products and entertainment properties. Spin Master is best known for award-winning brands including Zoomer®, Bakugan®, Erector® by Meccano®, Hatchimals®, Air Hogs® and PAW Patrol®. Since 2000, Spin Master has received 92 TIA Toy of The Year (TOTY) nominations with 28 wins across a variety of product categories, including 13 TOTY nominations for Innovative Toy of the Year, more than any of its competitors. To date, Spin Master has produced six television series, including 2007 success Bakugan Battle Brawlers and current hit PAW Patrol, which is broadcast in over 160 countries and territories globally. Spin Master employs over 1,600 people globally with offices in Canada, United States, Mexico, France, Italy, United Kingdom, Slovakia, Poland, Germany, Sweden, the Netherlands, Mainland China, Hong Kong, Japan, Vietnam and Australia.
About Alibaba Group
Alibaba Group's mission is to make it easy to do business anywhere. The company aims to build the future infrastructure of commerce. It envisions that its customers will meet, work and live at Alibaba, and that it will be a company that lasts at least 102 years. For more information and corporate b-roll visit Alizila.com.
Media: Tara Tucker, VP, Global Marketing Communications, mediarelations@spinmaster.com; Investors: Karoline Hunter, Senior Director and Associate General Counsel, KarolineH@spinmaster.com
