David Mordecai, CEO of the company formally known as Tobar/H. Grossman, tells Toy World what the move means for the business, its past challenges and future opportunities.

Nearly four years after acquiring H. Grossman, Tobar unveiled a major rebrand, complete with a name change – One For Fun – and new logo, that has brought all its best-selling brands under one roof. “It’s fair to say there’s been some trials and tribulations over the past four years, but now, with this name change, we feel we’ve taken a massive step in what we’ve wanted to achieve for a long time now,” says David Mordecai.

As David explains, the change stems back to the acquisition of H. Grossman in April 2018, a move bolstered by the purchase of educational company Kit for Kids in March the following year. With Martin Grossman, founder of H. Grossman, leaving the company in 2019, Tobar began to look in earnest at bringing each individual entity all under one roof for the first time. The first big step towards achieving this was taken at the start of 2020, when the companies moved under the H. Grossman Ltd. trading name. But while the name is well known within the trade, David felt that it didn’t reflect what the company stood for or where it was going.

He explains: “We sat down and came up with a new name that we believe completely mirrors who we are and what we do as a company. We’ve also shut the Norwich office; Glasgow is our HQ now, that’s where our showroom is and all our products. All along, I’ve been saying we’re one company, and I’m pleased our name now reinforces that too.”

Having decided on a name, the strapline ‘The fun starts at one’ soon followed, as did a colour scheme and a corporate logo that would further enmesh all its brands – owned brands HGL, Ozbozz, Tobar and Kit for Kids, and distribution brands Maisto, Bburago and Zuru – under the new One for Fun banner.

The timing of the rebrand coincides with the opening of London Toy Fair. The company will be exhibiting under its new name on stand E39, meaning existing and prospective customers alike will be able to drop by, say hello, and find out about the toys it offers.

To read Toy World’s full interview with David, in which he reveals more about the One For Fun rebrand, the company’s international growth plans and how the Covid-19 pandemic has shaped the future running of the business, click here.