Overview
- Ravensburger agreed to acquire a majority stake in the plush-toy maker Steiff in a joint announcement dated Wednesday, June 17, 2026, with the seller identified as the Steiff Beteiligungsgesellschaft owned by the founder’s heirs.
- Steiff will continue to be run independently from its Giengen an der Brenz headquarters and the founding family will remain a significant shareholder, but the exact stake size and the purchase price were not disclosed.
- The transaction is conditional on cartel and antitrust approval, so the timetable and final ownership split will depend on regulators’ clearance.
- Ravensburger reported a revenue drop from €790 million in 2024 to €742 million in 2025 and has signalled cost cuts including a lower double-digit reduction in staff, facts company leaders cited as background for expanding their portfolio.
- Steiff posted about €94 million in revenue and a €416,000 loss in 2023, and executives say the deal is meant to secure the brand’s long-term future, unlock international growth, and preserve jobs and heritage in the short term while investors watch whether Ravensburger can restore steady profitability.