Cartamundi

Summary

Cartamundi Group is a company based in Turnhout, Belgium, that manufactures, produces, and sells board games, card games, collectible card games, packages, and playing cards through its manufacturing and sales subsidiaries. The name of the company in Latin means cards for the world.[1] It is one of the world's largest playing card manufacturers.

Cartamundi Group
Company typePrivate
IndustryCasino, Collectibles, Games, Trading Cards, Packaging and Retail
FoundedTurnhout, Belgium (1970)
Headquarters,
Number of locations
11 plants (2017)[1]
Key people
Stefaan Merckx (CEO),[1]
Istvan Lagaert (CFO)
ProductsBoard Games, Card Games, Collectible Card Games, Packages and Playing Cards
Revenue€387 million (2016[1])
Number of employees
2,200 (2017)[1]
Websitecartamundi.com

The company also maintains manufacturing facilities in Canvey Island (UK), Altenburg (Germany), Saint-Max (France), Kraków (Poland), Mumbai (India), Sōka (Japan), and Dallas (Texas, United States). In 2015, the company acquired Hasbro's board game factories in Waterford, Ireland now closing with the loss of 235 jobs by August 2023 , and East Longmeadow, Massachusetts.[2]

In the early-to-mid 1990s, Cartamundi produced collectible card games for other companies. Their Belgian factory printed early editions of Magic: The Gathering for Wizards of the Coast, and Decipher, Inc.'s Star Trek Customizable Card Game and Star Wars Customizable Card Game, and currently prints non-English language editions of Magic. English Magic sets are printed in Dallas.[3]

History edit

 
Cartamundi's booth at the 2016 Nuremberg International Toy Fair.

The company was founded in 1970 as a joint venture among Biermans, Brepols, and Van Genechten.

Cartamundi has established over a dozen international sales branches throughout the world since 1970; France in 1993, U.S. in 1994, the Netherlands and Sweden in 1999, Hungary in 2000, Singapore and Spain in 2002, Austria in 2005, Italy in 2010, and Turkey in 2011. The other branches were established through acquiring other companies. Cartamundi acquired AGMüller (Switzerland) in 1999, Altenburger und Stralsunder Spielkarten (Germany) in 2000, Spielkartenfabrik Altenburg (Germany) in 2002, Games & Print Services, Ltd (U.K.) in 2003, Dertor (Poland) and Copag (Brazil) in 2005, Yaquinto Printing Company (U.S.) in 2007, 50% of Parksons Games & Sports (India) in 2010, Marigó (Spain) in 2011, France Cartes in 2014,[4] Naipes Heraclio Fournier (Spain) and the United States Playing Card Company in 2019.[5][6]

References edit

  1. ^ a b c d e f Kinney, Jim (July 14, 2015). "Hasbro to sell East Longmeadow plant to Belgian playing cards and games manufacturer". MassLive. The Republican. Retrieved July 14, 2015.
  2. ^ Acquisition of Hasbro facilities finalized Archived September 15, 2015, at the Wayback Machine
  3. ^ Trading card games - Magic: the Gathering. Cartamundi.
  4. ^ Boelen, Carole (7 July 2014). "Cartamundi reprend France Cartes". www.gondola.be. Retrieved 18 December 2018.
  5. ^ Cartamundi Announces Closing of The United States Playing Card Company (USPC) Aquisition [sic] at Cartamundi. Retrieved 2 January 2020.
  6. ^ "European firm acquires one of Greater Cincinnati's oldest companies". Cincinnati Business Courier. December 31, 2019. Retrieved 2022-01-28.

Further reading edit

  • "Inside Carta Mundi". Scrye. No. 8. July–August 1995. pp. 86–87.

External links edit

  • Official website