Bambini Partners, IJW & Co. Team Up to Aid Toy Industry Mergers and Acquisitions

Montreal-based boutique investment bank IJW & Co. Ltd. entered into an exclusive affiliate partnership with Bambini Partners LLC of Boca Raton, Florida to expand its toy industry mergers and acquisitions and strategic advisory practice.

As the wave of toy industry consolidation continues to grow, the alliance between the two companies seeks “to provide unique global access to capital and strategic partnership solutions for growth and liquidity needs, with a focus on the play, leisure, and early learning industries.”

“I am delighted to see this partnership between IJW and Bambini Partners come to fruition,” says Richard Yanofsky, CEO, WowWee Toys. “I have had the privilege to work closely with the principals of both firms and can say that our industry needs what this collaboration brings to the table.”

Ian Wooden, CEO of IJW & Co. says that the partnership is perfect due to the experience of Bambini Partners’ John Lee.

“John brings decades of real-world toy industry operating experience as former CEO and co-founder of Learning Curve International, now part of TOMY,” Wooden says. “This hands-on experience, combined with John’s extensive industry-wide network formed through a variety of board appointments and strategic advisory work, makes Bambini Partners the right choice for this alliance.”

About the author

James Zahn

James Zahn, AKA The Rock Father, is Editor-in-Chief of The Toy Book, a Senior Editor at The Toy Insider and The Pop Insider, and Editor of The Toy Report, The Toy Book‘s weekly industry newsletter. As a pop culture and toy industry expert, Zahn has appeared as a panelist and guest at events including Comic-Con International: San Diego (SDCC) Wizard World Chicago, and the ASTRA Marketplace & Academy. Zahn has more than 30 years of experience in the entertainment, retail, and publishing industries, and is frequently called upon to offer expert commentary for publications such as Forbes, Marketwatch, the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, USA Today, Reuters, the Washington Post, and more. James has appeared on History Channel’s Modern Marvels, was interviewed by Larry King and Anderson Cooper, and has been seen on Yahoo! Finance, CNN, CNBC, FOX Business, NBC, ABC, CBS, WGN, The CW, and more. Zahn joined the Adventure Media & Events family in 2016, initially serving as a member of the Parent Advisory Board after penning articles for the Netflix Stream Team, Fandango Family, PBS KIDS, Sprout Parents (now Universal Kids), PopSugar, and Chicago Parent. He eventually joined the company full time as a Senior Editor and moved up the ranks to Deputy Editor and Editor-in-Chief.