BRIO

BRIO was established at the end of the 19th century when a young Swedish entrepreneur took a consignment of baskets to resell in Copenhagen, and eventually did well enough to be able to build a company. Historically BRIO was a trading company, which later in the 20th century succeeded in marketing a line of high quality toys and other products aimed at children and infants. Toys became the product that built the company name. As the toy industry has become dominated by production in low wage economies, BRIO has suffered badly.

The very idea of childhood has changed. Children focus on computers, media and music, rather than traditional toys. They get older younger. Product cycles have shortened as toys have become increasingly tied to TV and movie characters. There is a huge pressure on price. With up to two thirds of toys now made in China, McDonald’s as the largest distributor of toys in the world, and Wal-Mart moving ahead of Toys “R” Us to become the largest retailer, the mass market has taken over.

BRIO has to find its own way of doing things if it is to survive. As Proventus sees it, BRIO cannot compete on price; its future is to differentiate on the basis of offering a more innovative and appealing product range. It has a strong platform to build on, with a very well-known name internationally, which commands intense loyalty, not least from parents who see the company’s products as a way to reconnect with their own childhoods.

BRIO’s name communicates quality, educational value, safety and reliability in a market that is increasingly characterised by disposability. The company’s brand retains its aura intact: but BRIO has not yet put that history to effective use. Today’s parents are even keener than earlier generations to give their children an emotionally and materially secure start in life. While their parents and grandparents could see widening prosperity across society, the future is no longer viewed with the same optimism. Parents now worry that their children will not have the same opportunities as they had. As a result they invest in their children’s wellbeing when they have the chance, suggesting that there is a strong market for children’s products with the values that BRIO embodies. Contemporary parenthood has become a choice rather than an inevitable phase in most adult lives. Parents now want to maintain their own way of life rather than find that their world is completely transformed by children, so they attach increasing value on style and mobility in their purchases of children’s products.

BRIO has under Proventus’ ownership taken full control of the company’s identity by buying out licensees and invested in the development of new products, while living up to the heritage. It is in a process of change that will both modernise the organisation and make operations much more efficient. The new strategy involves building a family brand by expanding beyond toys into a wider range of products including pushchairs, car seats and children’s furniture, building on BRIO’s expertise at educational value, quality and child safety.

An important part of the strategy has been the development of a coherent position for its products in the market. BRIO is aiming at parents who see themselves as embracing socially responsible values rather than presenting itself as a luxury toymaker. The company’s products are designed to appeal to the kind of parents who worry that their children may already have too many toys, and that they do not engage with them in a constructive way. Modern children travel abroad, they go to restaurants, while their parents believe that parenthood will not change their lives. BRIO will offer children’s products that reflect that reality and support that lifestyle.

Read more:
Play Days 
BRIO introduces next generation of family products
BRIO Network 1.0 launched 2006: watch the Networkers in action 
BRIO Awards
A year with BRIO
BRIO at the International Toy Fair in Nürnberg