Character World Brands, a division of Bioworld, has acquired Danish home textiles specialist Björna and French home textiles company Chaulnes Textile Industries, or CTI, as it expands its presence and capabilities across Europe.
The acquisitions were announced alongside Brand Licensing Europe in London and are intended to strengthen Character World Brands’ regional expertise, retail relationships and product development capabilities across European markets.
Character World Brands has delivered year-over-year growth of more than 40% since becoming part of Bioworld in March 2025.
The company said the addition of Björna and CTI will build on that momentum by combining the businesses’ local market expertise with Bioworld’s broader sourcing, distribution and commercial infrastructure.
Both acquired companies have previously worked with Character World Brands.
Björna brings established relationships with retailers across the Nordic region, along with sourcing and design capabilities focused on the home textiles market.
CTI contributes more than four decades of experience in bedding and home accessories in France.
The French company also has a portfolio of licensed products and operates its own award-winning textile brand, Matt & Rose.
By bringing the companies together, Character World Brands expects to strengthen its ability to develop broader home collections and reach additional retailers and consumers across Europe.
The expanded organization will combine design and licensing expertise with established routes to market throughout the European Union.
For licensing partners and brand owners, the company expects the acquisitions to create opportunities to develop more comprehensive home product offerings across additional territories while adapting collections to local consumer preferences and retail requirements.
Retailers are also expected to gain access to a wider set of product capabilities and additional resources for developing and delivering collections at greater scale and speed.
Character World Brands plans to continue investing in Bioworld’s technology and operating processes, which it said have contributed to the division’s recent growth.
The acquisitions are also intended to provide a stronger European platform for collaboration with Bioworld’s U.S. operations.
That connection could support the introduction of products and licensing relationships to additional audiences on both sides of the Atlantic.
Character World Brands was founded in 1998 and is headquartered in the United Kingdom. The business develops licensed home and lifestyle collections around entertainment, gaming and sports brands.
Bioworld acquired Character World Brands in March 2025 as part of its broader Brand Growth Platform strategy.
That strategy combines creative, commercial, operational and financial resources intended to help brands grow across categories, distribution channels and geographic markets.
Bioworld operates across the United States, United Kingdom, Europe, Canada, China and India and develops consumer products spanning more than 30 categories.
KEY QUOTES:
“Since joining Bioworld, we’ve been able to invest in our ambitions and move faster on opportunities for our partners. Björna and CTI are both market-leading businesses we know well, with talented teams who understand their markets and customers. Bringing our capabilities together will help us develop stronger collections, serve more retailers, and give our licensing partners greater reach across Europe. We will continue to invest in the technology and processes from Bioworld that have helped enable more than 40% growth this year.”
James Walker, CEO of Character World Brands
“Björna and CTI bring the local knowledge, relationships, and capabilities that are essential to building a global business. Our approach is to back strong teams with the resources to do more. Together with Character World Brands, these businesses give us a stronger foundation in Europe and more ways to help our brand and retail partners grow.”
Matt Alexander, VP of Corporate Development for Bioworld
