The Grant family, owners of UK high street toy chain The Entertainer, are transferring 100% ownership of the company to an Employee Ownership Trust (EOT), a transfer that’s due to complete in September 2025 and means staff share in the profits of The Entertainer and brings to an end 44 years of Grant family ownership after the company was founded in 1981 by Gary and Catherine Grant.
Teal Group Holdings – owner of The Entertainer, Early Learning Centre and Addo Play – has today announced that the Grant family is transferring its 100% ownership to an Employee Ownership Trust (EOT). This transfer is due to complete in September 2025.
This decision is the culmination of a long-term succession plan and will ensure the group remains independent with its employees as beneficiaries, while preserving both the family’s legacy and the family feel of the business.
Founded in 1981 by Gary and Catherine Grant, The Entertainer has grown from just one shop to a multichannel international toy business. The company says the key to its success lies in the commitment, driving force and hard work of its employees who create affordable joy and unforgettable moments for customers, which is why the family has chosen an EOT structure.
As beneficiaries of the Trust, employees will be rewarded through tax free bonuses based on the amount of profit the business generates in the future and will have influence over the future direction of the group, sharing both the responsibility and the rewards of having a stake in the business’ success. A newly created Colleague Advisory Board will help shape policies, share colleague sentiment and ideas and have a representative that will sit on the three person Trust Board.