Nick Thomas, Vivid’s general manager, and Emma Weber, marketing and licensing director, spoke to Toy World’s John Baulch and Rachael Simpson-Jones.
Nick Thomas.
Following its acquisition by games specialist Goliath in November 2018, Vivid has been immersed in what the company calls a “remarkably smooth” transition period. The full function of Vivid’s Guildford office has been retained, and there have been no redundancies – a great start to the new partnership.
“We were previously owned by a private equity company who we had a great relationship with, but Goliath, like Vivid, is very entrepreneurial,” explains Emma Weber, marketing and licensing director at Vivid. “Working with Goliath is hugely exciting as not only does it understand the market, it’s a games specialist that now owns a toy specialist and the people there seem to be really enjoying learning our side of the business.”
The only changes expected as a result of the takeover are positive ones; an expanded footprint across international markets, a much stronger own-IP portfolio, better distribution deals and continued company growth. Vivid is currently seeing success with a number of lines including Ryan’s World – which Nick Thomas, general manager says is ‘flying’ – alongside Crayola, Boomtrix and Nestlings. In addition, the company is to release 20 new games this year, most of which will be supported with TV advertising.
Emma Weber.
While acknowledging the challenges of being a distribution-led business, Nick and Emma are both excited about the new opportunities the Goliath takeover has presented.
“We’ve had a tough three or four years, but we’re definitely in an upswing now,” says Nick. “The Goliath acquisition takes us into a different area – we are the company that can buy companies now, and we’ve got a lot of extra skill and expertise at our fingertips. As well and Emma and I, there are a lot of people that have been here a long time. We’re a loyal bunch, and we’re all feeling really positive about the future of the company.”
To read the full interview, which was published in the March issue of Toy World, click here.
