Artiwood Australia has been sourcing and supplying quality, imaginative and playful educational toys since 1999. Toy Universe recently caught up with Andrew McGregor, one of the company joint owners, as it gears up for this year’s Christmas season.
McGregor and his business partner, Garry Smith, bought Artiwood from John Daniels, its founding owner in 2015. McGregor says the business began as a personal passion. For many years Daniels helped small family-owned manufacturers in rural Sri Lanka take their products to market.
“The same commitment to ethically sourced, quality products remains at the heart of our business 25 years later. We’re still committed to sourcing safe, eco-friendly, premium quality toys that are ethically and sustainably made.”
This ethos is reflected in the latest additions to Artiwood’s growing catalogue. It recently launched an eco-friendly range of games and toys for active play from Dutch brand BS Toys, along with a new range of quality jigsaw puzzles by House of Puzzles, crafted from FSC-certified art board.
BS Toys is the brainchild of Buiten Speel BV. Buiten Speel means ‘outdoor play’ in Dutch. However, today the company makes award-winning products for play inside and outside the home. McGregor says samples are on display at this year’s Sydney Mid Year Toy Preview, and again at Reed Gift Fair in Melbourne in August.
McGregor says Artiwood’s first House of Puzzles shipment arrives in late-June. “We’ve experienced unprecedented interest in this impressive British brand since announcing our appointment as its Australian distributor earlier in the year. The range hits all the sweet spots for dedicated puzzlers, with piece sizes ranging from 250 to 1000 pieces. For retailers, its recently refreshed packaging delivers impressive shelf appeal that instantly sells the puzzle inside.”
This article originally appeared in Edition 16 of The Toy Universe Magazine
