Resource Partners has acquired a 40% stake in COBI, a specialty brick manufacturer from Poland that produces building sets featuring vehicles and military history.
“I’m proud that COBI has been recognized and become a favorite toy and passion for millions of adults and children around the world,” said Robert Podleś, founder and president of COBI. “This is a huge achievement for me. Cooperation with resource partners is a key step for the further development of our company. I believe that the experience and resources brought by Resource Partners will provide important support to achieve our common goals, allowing COBI to develop faster and more dynamically, and consolidate our efforts. Position among the world’s leading manufacturers of construction bricks.
Podleś will continue in his leadership role at the company. The new partnership will focus on expansion in Poland and internationally, particularly direct-to-consumer sales to adult collectors.
The investment in COBI is fully consistent with Resource Partners’ strategy and is another example of our interest in companies that have established strong positions in niche market areas. We fully believe in the further growth potential of COBI in the historical niche, but we also see huge opportunities in transferring experience and expertise from this area to other niches with large communities of fans and enthusiasts. Additionally, we see growing potential in the “kid” market, where adults buy toys for themselves as a hobby, which is becoming a new and important category in the toy market. We believe COBI is a perfect fit for this trend and the brand’s products are well suited for direct-to-consumer sales, particularly in the online segment which we view as a key growth channel.
Wojciech Pociecha, partner at Resource Partner, said: “We have been impressed by COBI’s achievements to date and the consistent vision pursued by the owners, and we are delighted to support the company in its ambitious further growth strategy.” “The COBI team Already occupying a strong position in the building blocks market, we believe that through our cooperation, the company will be able to achieve faster development, and we will work together to further strengthen COBI’s influence in the global market.”
COBI has licensing partnerships with brands like Boeing, NASA, Lockheed Martin, Top Gun, Maserati, Fiat and more.
