Evolver steps in as majority owner in Toyrock

News

Evolver Fund I has on 23 May 2022 acquired a controlling interest in Turku-based Toyrock Oy, a leading importer, marketer and distributor of toys, games and family leisure products in Finland. Toyrock’s founder and CEO, Mika Kalpamaa, remains a significant co-owner and continues as the company’s CEO.

Toyrock, established in 2014, is a family-owned importer, marketer and distributor of toys, games and family leisure products in the Finnish market. With a turnover exceeding €23m and servicing more than 1,500 points of sale, including hypermarkets, discounters, specialty stores, duty frees and e-tailers across Finland, the company has established itself as a highly valued one-stop-shop partner by both customers and principals. Key drivers behind Toyrock’s success have been a growing and carefully selected product portfolio comprising popular global toy brands as well as proprietary house brands, innovative omnichannel marketing, and fast and reliable delivery.

As a trusted partner for the largest toy retailers in Finland, we want to be innovative, responsible and constantly developing. Joining forces with Evolver provides us with the complementary tools and resources we need to accelerate our growth and internationalization, but also to further strengthen our relevance in the market and our relationships with customers and principals”, comments Mika Kalpamaa.

”Toyrock has built a position as a national champion in connecting global toy suppliers with Finnish retailers, while at the same time considerably outperforming market growth. Evolver’s strategy is to partner with talented entrepreneurs and invest in high-performing, growth-oriented companies. We are impressed by what Mika and his team have achieved and see Toyrock as an excellent platform for continued organic growth and industry consolidation. We are thrilled to team up with them as their first external owner and together take the company to a new level”, says Lasse Kittelsen, Managing Partner at Evolver.

Toyrock is Evolver Fund I’s fourth investment.

Further information:   

  • Mika Kalpamaa, CEO, Toyrock Oy, tel. +358 50 514 7031, mika@toyrock.fi
  • Lasse Kittelsen, Managing Partner, Evolver Equity Ab, tel. +358 40762 1230, lasse.kittelsen@evolverequity.com

About Toyrock

ToyRock is a Finnish family business founded in 2014, focusing on agency, import and wholesale of products related to children’s toys and children’s family leisure activities.ToyRock’s mission is to serve retailers with value-adding one-stop-shop services and create playful moments for children of all ages. The brand name reflects the reliable partnerships Toyrock seeks to develop with both customers and principals. The company employs 14 people in Turku (HQ), Espoo and Vantaa with a turnover of €23.1m in 2021.

www.toyrock.fi

About Evolver

Evolver Equity is a Finnish private equity investor specialized in Nordic small-cap buyouts. Evolver’s mission is to help owner-led companies realize their potential in a sustainable way, by contributing with know-how, tools and capital. Since foundation in 2009, Evolver has completed more than 30 transactions. Typical investment situations are industry consolidation, geographic expansion and acceleration of organic growth. Evolver is a re- gistered Alternative Investment Fund Manager under the supervision of the Finnish Financial Supervisory Authority and a member of the Finnish Venture Capital Association. The investors in Evolver Fund I are leading Finnish institutional investors.

www.evolverequity.com

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