Announces Partnerships with Leading
Retailers Toys“R”Us® and Barnes & Noble to Sell Its
Award-Winning Kits
London-based company Kano, creator of the first computer anyone
can build and code, announced its retail expansion into the United
States today through partnerships with the world’s leading
dedicated toy retailer, Toys“R”Us, and the country’s largest retail
bookseller, Barnes & Noble. Kano’s award-winning Computer Kit
and Screen Kit for ages 6 and up is now available for purchase
online at Toysrus.com and Barnesandnoble.com for $149.99 each. The
kits will arrive in all Toys“R”Us stores and 640 Barnes & Noble
locations nationwide this fall. This is the first brick-and-mortar
presence for Kano in the United States.
“As screen time becomes all-the-time, still, only a fraction of
us know what is happening below the surface of the devices we often
take for granted. Our award-winning Computer Kit allows consumers
to build their own computer, and teaches them to create art, music,
apps, and games with code, demystifying a sealed world that is
usually only for 'experts’,” said Alex Klein, CEO and cofounder of
Kano. “The natural next step was for us to partner with retail
leaders Toys“R”Us and Barnes & Noble who support our mission
and have the ability to share Kano’s innovative products with
children and adults alike nationwide.”
Kano’s kits and apps are currently used in more than 500
education programs and 200 clubs across North America, Europe, Asia
and Africa. Armed with tools and support from Kano, educators
around the world are able to combine the company’s suite of
products with unique curriculums that set the stage for a new kind
of computational learning in the classroom, one that encourages
learning through making.
“We are incredibly excited to add Kano to the growing assortment
of STEM-related offerings at Toys“R”Us , especially at a time where
the next generation is more immersed in technology and parents are
looking for ways to marry education, play and real life skills that
can truly impact their children’s future,” said Richard Barry,
Executive Vice President, Global Chief Merchandising Officer,
Toys“R”Us. “This category is an important one on both a national
and global scale and we look forward to introducing the world of
coding to our U.S. customers who are looking for products that
offer brain-boosting fun.”
This expansion with U.S. retailers alongside rapid growth into
education systems and beyond is supported by the appointment of a
new Chairman to Kano’s Board of Directors, John Makinson, also
Chairman of Penguin Random House. The company has also hired a new
VP of Marketing, Tim Grimsditch, previously Director of Global
Product & Performance Marketing at Spotify.
“This is an incredible time for Kano, a time that not only
speaks to the company’s rapid global expansion, but also to the new
channels of opportunity that arise from partnering with leaders
like Toys“R”Us and Barnes & Noble,” said John Makinson,
Chairman of Kano. “Through unique storytelling and physical
building, Kano cultivates environments for creativity, play and
learning like no other company provides.”
“Kano is a natural extension of Barnes & Noble’s ‘learning
through doing’ offering and we are thrilled it will be a featured
item this fall at our 2nd Annual Mini Maker Faire,” said Kathleen
Campisano, Vice President of Toys & Games at Barnes &
Noble. “Products like this help to further our commitment to
encouraging tech literacy across the country at a time when it’s
more important than ever.”
Kano launched its record-breaking Kickstarter campaign, the
first “computer anyone can make,” in November 2013, beating its
original goal 15-fold and raising $1.5 million from more than
13,000 backers. To date, the company has shipped nearly 100,000
kits to people in 86 countries. Its playful design, universal
products and social platform, Kano World, have inspired the
creation of physical and digital artwork, games and music, all
brought to life with code.
About Kano
Kano is a London-based company empowering people of all ages to
create with computing with its series of kits and open coding
platform. Its first “computer anyone can make” has shipped to 86
countries around the world to people, ages 6 to 81, who have used
it to make PCs, screens, radios, artwork, music, games, Minecraft
hacks and more. More than 15 million lines of code have been shared
in its online community, Kano World, where anyone can try out
Kano’s apps for free. Kano was founded by Alex Klein, Yonatan
Raz-Fridman and Saul Klein and has raised $19 million in funding,
from its initial record-breaking Kickstarter campaign to investors
that include Jim Breyer, Marc Benioff, Martin Sorrell, Index
Ventures, James Higa, Troy Carter and Shana Fisher, among others.
To learn more, please visit: http://kano.me or follow @TeamKano on
Twitter and Kano Computing on Facebook.
About Toys“R”Us, Inc.
Toys“R”Us, Inc. is the world’s leading dedicated toy and baby
products retailer, offering a differentiated shopping experience
through its family of brands. Merchandise is sold in 871 Toys“R”Us
and Babies“R”Us stores in the United States, Puerto Rico and Guam,
and in more than 755 international stores and 250 licensed stores
in 37 countries and jurisdictions. With its strong portfolio of
e-commerce sites including Toysrus.com and Babiesrus.com, the
company provides shoppers with a broad online selection of
distinctive toy and baby products. Toys“R”Us, Inc. is headquartered
in Wayne, NJ, and has an annual workforce of approximately 62,000
employees worldwide. The company is committed to serving its
communities as a caring and reputable neighbor through programs
dedicated to keeping kids safe and helping them in times of need.
For more information, visit Toysrusinc.com or follow @ToysRUsNews
on Twitter. Follow Toys“R”Us and Babies“R”Us on Facebook at
Facebook.com/Toysrus and Facebook.com/Babiesrus and on Twitter at
Twitter.com/Toysrus and Twitter.com/Babiesrus.
About Barnes & Noble, Inc.
Barnes & Noble, Inc. (NYSE:BKS) is a Fortune 500 company,
the nation’s largest retail bookseller, and a leading retailer of
content, digital media and educational products. The Company
operates 640 Barnes & Noble bookstores in 50 states, and one of
the Web’s premier e-commerce sites, BN.com (www.bn.com). The Nook
Digital business offers a lineup of popular NOOK® tablets and
eReaders and an expansive collection of digital reading and
entertainment content through the NOOK Store®. The NOOK Store
features more than 4 million digital books in the US
(www.nook.com), plus periodicals and comics, and offers the ability
to enjoy content across a wide array of popular devices through
Free NOOK Reading Apps™ available for Android™, iOS® and
Windows®.
General information on Barnes & Noble, Inc. can be obtained
by visiting the Company's corporate website at
www.barnesandnobleinc.com.
Barnes & Noble®, Barnes & Noble Booksellers®, Barnes
& Noble.com® and Discover Great New Writers® are trademarks of
Barnes & Noble, Inc. or its affiliates. NOOK® and the NOOK
logos are trademarks of Nook Digital, LLC or its affiliates.
For more information on Barnes & Noble, follow us on
Twitter, Instagram and Tumblr, and like us on Facebook. For more
information on NOOK, follow us on Twitter and like us on
Facebook.
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version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160726005508/en/
BrewCourtney Klosterman646-517-7549kanopr@brewpr.com
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