Stadlbauer Marketing + Vertrieb GmbH

With 95% market share, Carrera is the number-one slot car racing track in the German- speaking world

Stadtlbauer is an internationally operating leisure, entertainment and lifestyle group with many category-leading brands in its portfolio, including Carrera, Nintendo and Timex. The company was founded as a wholesale business by Hermann Stadlbauer in 1953 and is celebrating its 60th anniversary this year.

“In the mid-1990s, we started producing our own products,” explains Managing Partner Andreas Stadlbauer. The next milestone in the company’s transition from distributor to manufacturer is marked by the year 1999 when Stadlbauer acquired Carrera.

In 2005, Stadlbauer brought the strong toy brand to the USA and established Carrera of America. “60% of our present sales come from products manufactured by ourselves,” says Mr. Stadlbauer. Today, the family business presents itself as a global player, with headquarters in Salzburg, which is responsible for all private and licensed brands, wholly owned subsidiaries in Barcelona, Budapest and Warsaw, and distribution partners in most other Central and Eastern European countries, the Pustefix bubble soap company in Tübingen, Germany, and overseas operations in Cranbury, New Jersey, USA, and Hong Kong.

The flagship brand in the comprehensive range is Carrera. Worldwide, over one million car racing sets with at least two slot cars each are sold every year, plus more than three million individual slot cars. Carrera car racing sets stand apart through their use of the latest technology, exclusive reproduction licences, outstanding authenticity and excellent spare parts and accessories service.

In 2010, Stadlbauer introduced a new line of remote-controlled vehicles, Carrera RC. “Carrera and Carrera RC are targeted to a very broad age group, from 8 to 95,” says Mr. Stadlbauer. “They provide fun for young and old.”

The leisure and entertainment range is complemented by a wide selection of other category-leading toy brands. In addition, Stadlbauer, through its subsidiary STS-Toptime, markets Timex, Guess and GC watches.