Belgian game manufacturing powerhouse Cartamundi has reached an agreement to acquire The United States Playing Card Company, the company announced.  The transaction to acquire the Newell Brands subsidiary includes two manufacturing plants, in Erlanger, Kentucky and Vitoria, Spain; and the Bicycle, Bee, Hoyle, and Fournier brands, including games sold under the Bicycle brand (such as the upcoming Tattoo Stories, see "Players Get Inked in ‘Tattoo Stories’").  The company has 350 employees, and had sales of around $118 million in 2018.

"The segments in which USPC operates are perfectly complementary to those of Cartamundi," Cartamundi CEO Stefaan Merckx said of the acquisition.  "This investment will further deliver on Cartamundi’s purpose of sharing the magic of playing together towards consumers worldwide."

"We are delighted about the prospect to join forces with Cartamundi and leverage both companies' rich history and passion of card making, as well as our complementary global presence, USPC CEO Michael Slaughter said.

Cartamundi acquired two manufacturing plants previously owned by Hasbro, including one in the U.S., back in 2015 (see "Hasbro Exits Game Manufacturing").