Diono Gets A Lifeline
UPDATE: March 11, 2025
Diono has been resurrected, thanks to a new owner and new leadership. The company was purchased by Transtec Group, a global company based in China that owns the Apramo brand of juvenile products sold in the UK. Diono products were made in China prior to the new ownership and these products will continue to be made in China, meaning that they will be subject to the new tariffs. Unfortunately for consumers in the US, this likely means a 20% increase in prices once the production of Diono products resumes.
Steep price increases on imports to the US, coupled with updated federal safety standards and some bad publicity recently from Consumer Reports will definitely challenge the success of this relaunch, but we wish them good luck!
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Original article published February 5, 2025
Is Diono the first casualty of updated federal safety standards taking effect in 2025? It seems likely at this point since many of their employees, including the CEO, head of engineering, CPS Advocate and many others have been laid off at the end of 2024.
We don’t have a crystal ball to predict the future, so anything is possible but it’s not looking good for Diono right now. The current owner, Winona Capital, is a private equity firm, and they could be looking to sell all or part of the company, or maybe restructure their debt. Only time will tell what the future holds.
While we’re not ready to announce “RIP Diono” just yet - if you’ve been holding off on buying something from this brand (like maybe a skinny booster), you might not want to wait too long.
Just be aware that customer service and support may cease to be available at some point in the future if Diono goes out of business for good. This probably won’t be a major issue for something simple like a booster, but you should consider yourself warned.
Unfortunately, this news may be just the tip of the iceberg as 2025 is expected to be a very bumpy ride for the car seat industry. Buckle up and let us be your tour guides!
