A Powys garden toys company has been taken over by a European sales giant with the promise of millions of pounds worth of investment in the area.

Outdoor Toys, based between Welshpool and Llanymynech, has been taken over by sheds and saunas business A-Z Gartenhaus, which is based in Hamburg in Germany, and which is in turn part of investment giant 3i.

And the company is promising to invest 56 million euros (£47 million) of additional capital in the business.

Founded in 2006 by James Owen and based at Penrhos, Outdoor Toys is among the largest outdoor garden toys specialists in the UK, selling more than 1,000 products.

It specialises in "modular toys" such as swing sets, slides and climbing frames, plus ride-on toys, trampolines, sandpits and accessories. The company has arms which cover design, manufacture, customer service, logistics and online sales.

The move means that Gartenhaus, which currently sells garden items such as saunas and sheds, has another aspect to its business, and gives Outdoor Toys greater international sales opportunities.

The company has delivered sales growth of 70 per cent a year since 2019 and shipped over 1 million items in the last twelve months.

James Owen, founder and chief executive of Outdoor Toys, said: “We are delighted to be joining forces with GartenHaus to bring our award winning products to even more customers across Europe.

"We are excited for the future and look forward to continuing to grow Outdoor Toys whilst benefitting from the know-how of GartenHaus and its strong platform.”

Sebastian Arendt, CEO of GartenHaus commented: “I would like to welcome James and the Outdoor Toys team to GartenHaus. There is a strong fit between our businesses and we look forward to working together as we continue our growth. 3i’s backing and international network have been instrumental in our achievements to date and we are excited to look ahead at further international expansion.”

The deal is the second for GartenHaus since 3i’s investment in September 2020 and follows the addition of Polhus, a Scandinavian business that sells garden houses and related products, last year.

Last year Outdoor Toys was involved in a wrangle with Powys Council over a retrospective planning application for a new warehouse at its site at Penrhos.