PROXY

What PROXY does

PROXY (legal entity: Proxy AS) is a Nordic distributor of major toy brands, headquartered at Gothersgade 14, 3rd floor, Copenhagen, Denmark, and operating as a wholly-owned subsidiary of The Character Group, a diversified toy conglomerate with offices in London, Manchester, Denmark, Hong Kong, and China. Founded in 2013 and employing 11-50 people, the company positions itself as the exclusive link between global toy-brand owners and Nordic retailers, distributing licensed brands including Funko, Pokémon, Heroes of Goo Jit Zu, Little Live Pets, ChillFactor, Smart, Shimmer N Sparkle, Stay Active, Strikesphere, and The Squeeze Ball Creator across Denmark, Sweden, Norway, and Finland to more than 25 retailers spanning supermarkets, hypermarkets, and speciality stores.

PROXY's offering is a full-stack distribution service rather than a technology product. Capabilities span four pillars: (1) sourcing through a network of international suppliers and partners, with exclusive Nordic sales rights on distributed lines; (2) sales management with all major Nordic accounts serviced in-house by the company's sales team and smaller accounts via distribution partners; (3) marketing, executed by an in-house team in collaboration with Nordic kids creative agencies; and (4) distribution and logistics, with distribution managed in-house and fulfillment outsourced to Posti. A stated differentiator is the in-house Brand & Marketing and Compliance team that handles regulatory, brand, and POSM responsibilities for global suppliers. The company maintains a Squarespace-hosted marketing site and a dedicated B2B portal at proxyb2b.toys; no proprietary software platform, mobile application, API, SDK, or AI/ML capability is disclosed or evident.

The business model is B2B hardware distribution, generating revenue by purchasing branded toy inventory from global suppliers and reselling at negotiated margins to Nordic retailers on a quote-based pricing structure that is not publicly disclosed. Pricing is relationship-driven rather than standardized, and there is no disclosed subscription, SaaS, marketplace, or transaction-fee component. Go-to-market is hybrid: direct in-house sales for major retail accounts combined with channel-partner reach for smaller accounts, supported by brand-led marketing investments. Revenue magnitude, customer-by-customer concentration, contract terms, and financial performance are not disclosed in available sources.

Name

PROXY

Legal name

Proxy AS

Website

https://proxy.toys

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

PROXY (Proxy AS) is a Copenhagen-based Nordic distributor of major toy brands including Funko, Pokémon, and Heroes of Goo Jit Zu. It serves more than 25 retailers across Denmark, Sweden, Norway, and Finland as a subsidiary of The Character Group.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Copenhagen

HQ country

Denmark

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Toy Distribution: PROXY generates revenue by distributing major toy brands to Nordic retailers, acting as the link between global brand owners/suppliers and Nordic retailers. They handle sourcing, sales, distribution and marketing for their brand portfolio.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

PROXY is a Nordic distributor of major toy brands, acting as the exclusive link between global brand owners/suppliers and Nordic retailers. The company sources toy brands through its international supplier network, manages all Nordic retail accounts through its in-house sales team, handles marketing via its in-house brand team and Nordic kids creative agencies, and coordinates logistics with outsourced fulfillment partner Posti. They distribute brands such as Funko, Pokémon, Heroes of Goo Jit Zu, Little Live Pets, ChillFactor, Smart, Shimmer N Sparkle, Stay Active, Strikesphere, and The Squeeze Ball Creator across the Nordic region.

Product overview

PROXY is a Nordic toy distribution company that operates as the exclusive link between global toy brand suppliers and Nordic retailers. Rather than offering a software platform or technology product, PROXY distributes major toy brands including Funko, Heroes of Goo Jit Zu, Little Live Pets, Pokémon, ChillFactor, Smart, Shimmer N Sparkle, Stay Active, Strikesphere, and The Squeeze Ball Creator. The company provides comprehensive distribution services including sourcing, in-house sales team management, marketing support through Nordic creative agencies, and logistics coordination with fulfillment partner Posti. Their core business model centers on brand management and retail distribution across more than 25 Nordic retailers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Funko Major toy brand distributed by PROXY in the Nordic region, known for pop culture figurines and collectibles. Sold exclusively by PROXY in the Nordic territory.
• Heroes of Goo Jit Zu Popular toy brand featuring stretchy, goo-filled action figures distributed by PROXY in the Nordic region.
• Little Live Pets Toy brand featuring interactive electronic pets and animal toys distributed by PROXY in the Nordic region.
• Pokémon Popular Pokémon franchise merchandise including toys and collectibles distributed by PROXY in the Nordic region.
• ChillFactor Toy brand featuring innovative play products including slime and sensory toys distributed by PROXY in the Nordic region.
• Smart Toy brand featuring creative and educational toys including Smart Sketcher, Pixelator 2.0, and Tap Tap products distributed by PROXY in the Nordic region.
• Shimmer N Sparkle Toy brand featuring craft and jewelry-making products including sewing machines and beauty toys distributed by PROXY in the Nordic region.
• Stay Active Toy brand featuring active play products including the Hot Dog Drop Game and Level Out balance board distributed by PROXY in the Nordic region.
• Strikesphere Toy brand featuring soccer-themed play products including SoccerBot, Soccer Launcher, Speedball, and Soccer Dash distributed by PROXY in the Nordic region.
• The Squeeze Ball Creator Toy brand featuring creative ball-making products including the Disney Stitch Squeeze Ball Creator distributed by PROXY in the Nordic region.
• Nordic Toy Distribution Services Comprehensive B2B distribution service including sourcing from international suppliers, in-house Nordic sales team management, marketing through Nordic kids creative agencies, and logistics coordination with fulfillment partner Posti. Targeted at global toy brand owners/suppliers seeking to launch or grow presence in the Nordic region.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered parent_company and operational.

• The Character Groupparent_companyOthersPROXY AS is a subsidiary of The Character Group, which has offices in London, Manchester, Denmark, Hong Kong and China. The Character Group is the parent company of PROXY.
• PostioperationalOthersPosti handles fulfillment operations for PROXY as an outsourced logistics partner. PROXY's in-house logistics team oversees distribution while fulfillment is outsourced to Posti.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• The Character Group: UK-listed parent of PROXY and itself a toy, gift and hobby product distributor/importer. Closest direct peer — same business model (wholesale distribution of licensed third-party toy brands to retailers) and partially overlapping geography.
• Flair (Flair Leisure Products): UK & Ireland distributor of toy and leisure brands including LEGO, MGA, Funko and others. Direct peer: same model of exclusive brand distribution to retail chains across a defined European territory.
• Toynamics Europe: European toy distributor (Germany/Austria/Switzerland). Direct peer: regional multi-brand toy wholesaler serving mass-market retailers with marketing and logistics support.
• Vivid Toy Group: UK-based toy and gift product company specialising in licensed and own-IP brands across multiple categories. Direct peer: multi-category toy distribution and product development to retailers.
• Bandai UK: UK arm of Bandai Namco, distributing Pokémon and other branded toy/collectible lines. Direct peer: handles some of the same mega-brands (notably Pokémon) that PROXY distributes in the Nordic region.

Broad incumbents

• Simba Dickie Group: Large German-based toy manufacturer and distributor with a broad portfolio spanning own brands and licensed properties. Comparable as a European toy distribution platform, but operates at much larger scale and manufactures as well as distributes.
• LEGO Group: Danish-headquartered global toy giant. Not a direct competitor (it is a brand owner/supplier to PROXY's retailers), but a relevant incumbent benchmark for the Nordic toy market in which PROXY operates.
• Mattel: Global toy manufacturer and licensor (Barbie, Hot Wheels, etc.) with worldwide distribution. Supplier-side counterpart to PROXY rather than a direct competitor, but defines the toy distribution ecosystem PROXY operates in.
• Hasbro: Global toy and games giant (NERF, Play-Doh, Magic: The Gathering). Functions as a brand owner whose products flow through channels PROXY serves; relevant incumbent shaping category demand in the Nordic toy market.

Emerging players

• Moose Toys: Australian-origin toy company behind brands like Heroes of Goo Jit Zu — one of the brands PROXY distributes in the Nordics. Supplier-side counterpart; representative of the type of emerging-brand IP owner that PROXY adds to its Nordic exclusive portfolio.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about PROXY