Kawada Japan and Key Distribution announce the formation of a new joint venture Kawada Australia.
Melbourne, July 1, 2017 - Kawada Japan - Japan’s largest independent toy wholesaler and creator of the popular nanoblock® brand - today announced to establish a new joint venture named Kawada Australia with Key Distribution, their longstanding distribution partner in Australia and New Zealand. The operation and team of Key Distribution will merge into Kawada Australia.
This joint venture establishes Kawada Australia as the first regional office of the Tokyo-based toy giant. Tsuyoshi Kawano from Kawada Japan’s head office will relocate to Melbourne to be the CEO of Kawada Australia. Kawano is a senior toy executive with over 20 years’ experience in the Japanese and United States markets.
"We're excited to join the Kawada family today. We share a commitment to creative play and wowing our customers with amazing product. With over 1 million customers reached to date we are focused on bringing moments of joy to the next million” said Key Distribution Director Edmund Griffith.
"We are excited about the opportunity and look forward to working directly within the Australian market to build on the successes of Kawada Australia" said Tsuyoshi Kawano.
About Kawada Japan
Founded in 1962, Kawada Japan is Japan’s largest independent toy wholesaler employing over 370 people with an annual revenue over $320m in 2016. Kawada is the creator and manufacturer of popular brands including nanoblock®, papernano® and terablock®, which are sold in over 35 countries.
About Key Distribution
Key Distribution is a leading toy and gift distributor based in Melbourne. Founded in 2010, Key Distribution’s focus has been to “wow” customers through unique products. Key Distribution has worked with successful brands including nanoblock®, Kinetic Sand® and PowerUp®. Key Distribution’s ‘product first’ strategy saw the company enjoy a period of compounding annualised growth, at a rate of 225% for 5 consecutive years. In 2017 the company announced its sale to Kawada Japan and the formation of a joint venture Kawada Australia.