By Allison Watkinson
TLL Reporter
Jazwares has announced plans to open a new wholly-owned office in Bilbao, Spain as part of the company’s European expansion initiative.
Scheduled to open in 2025, the new Jazwares office location will be responsible for servicing the company’s retail partners throughout the Iberian market using a direct supply retail operations model.
To support the development of the direct-to-retail supply model, Jazwares has appointed experienced industry executive Santiago Guerra Lopez as the new managing director for its Jazwares Iberia division.
Prior to joining Jazwares, Lopez served for over 18 years as executive vice president for the popular Spanish toy company, Bizak.
“I am both delighted and proud to join Jazwares and lead the operations in Iberia; the opportunity to grow our business within the region is significant,” said Jazwares Iberia MD, Santiago Guerra Lopez. “Jazwares is enjoying huge success worldwide as one of the fastest-growing global toy companies. With the strength of our product portfolio, highly talented team, and strategic plans, it’s an exciting time to join.”
The appointment of Lopez and opening of the new Jazwares office in Bilbao is intended as a step forward in the company’s ongoing European development and expansion project.
This new Jazwares Iberia expansion also marks the company’s first direct-to-retail supply model for the southern Europe region.
“Iberia is an incredibly valuable European market,” said Jazwares Europe SVP, Jonny Taylor. “We have built a solid business to date and we are very thankful for our distributor Toy Partner’s work in distributing Jazwares’ products to this point. With a clear focus on European growth, now is the right time to transition to a direct-to-retail supply model in the region.”
“We are thrilled to welcome Santiago aboard to spearhead operations for Iberia,” added Taylor. “His proven track record and local market expertise combined with Jazwares’ world-class product portfolio, means we are well positioned to take our Iberian business to the next level.”
Owned by the multinational Berkshire Hathaway Holdings conglomerate, Jazwares is a global toy and game company that develops, manufactures and distributes products for a broad portfolio of wholly-owned and licensed entertainment and pop-culture brands.
Initially founded in 1997, Jazwares has since expanded its products and offerings to include a range of categories such as virtual games, costumes, and pet products.