PLANTATION, Fla., Feb. 12, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Alliance Entertainment Holding Corporation (NASDAQ: AENT), a leading distributor and omnichannel fulfillment partner for entertainment and pop culture collectibles, announced today that it will exhibit at the New York Toy Fair (NYTF), taking place February 14–17, 2026 at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York City. The Company will showcase its expanding licensed collectibles portfolio, including a featured presentation of Handmade by Robots™, its distinctive vinyl figure brand known for its proprietary “knit-look” aesthetic.

Alliance Entertainment: Powering Collectibles Across Channels

Alliance Entertainment serves more than 35,000 retail and e-commerce storefronts, providing a highly scaled distribution platform for music, video, gaming, and licensed collectibles. With a catalog exceeding 340,000 unique SKUs, the Company offers one of the industry’s broadest assortments, enabling licensors and manufacturers to efficiently reach mass, specialty, and direct-to-consumer channels.

Recent strategic initiatives include expanded partnerships and exclusive distribution arrangements with premium collectibles brands such as Weta Workshop, Super7, Master Replicas, Hiya Toys, and Good Smile, further strengthening Alliance’s position as a preferred partner for IP owners and retailers seeking differentiated product and reliable fulfillment.

Handmade by Robots™: A Differentiated Owned Brand

Acquired by Alliance in late 2024, Handmade by Robots has quickly become a meaningful contributor to the Company’s owned-brand strategy. The brand’s vinyl figures—designed to resemble hand-knitted characters—combine distinctive visual appeal with broad fan recognition, creating strong sell-through across multiple retail channels.

At NYTF 2026, Handmade by Robots will debut new figures tied to globally recognized franchises including Sanrio®, Wicked, Peanuts, Sonic the Hedgehog, SpongeBob SquarePants, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, along with limited-edition chase variants and new product formats designed to expand average order value and collector engagement.

Endstate Authentic: Next-Generation Authentication for Collectibles

Endstate Authentic, Alliance Entertainment’s recently launched authentication and digital product identity platform, will also be in attendance at the 2026 New York Toy Fair. The Endstate Authentic team will be on site to meet with forward-thinking toy companies, collectible brands, licensors, and industry partners exploring next-generation authentication, serialized collectibles, and secure secondary-market participation.

Endstate Authentic is Alliance’s dedicated platform for NFC-enabled product authentication, digital certificates of authenticity, and lifecycle tracking for physical collectibles. By embedding secure NFC technology directly into products and linking each item to a persistent digital identifier, Endstate Authentic enables real-time authentication, counterfeit prevention, ownership verification, and authenticated resale—without requiring custom hardware or changes to existing manufacturing, fulfillment, or commerce workflows.

As the collectibles ecosystem continues to evolve toward greater transparency, provenance, and secondary-market engagement, Endstate Authentic is designed to support the full lifecycle of premium physical goods, from initial sale through verified resale. At NYTF 2026, the team looks forward to connecting with grading companies, resale platforms, rights holders, and brands interested in secure authentication, serialized collectibles, and new revenue opportunities across both primary and secondary markets.

Visit Alliance Entertainment at Booth #5451

Alliance Entertainment and Handmade by Robots will exhibit at Booth #5451 on the lower level of the Javits Center. The booth will feature a dedicated meeting area for retail partners, licensors, and prospective customers. Highlights will include:

• Exclusive Previews: First looks at upcoming Handmade by Robots figures and Alliance-exclusive collectibles.
• Licensing Partnerships: Expanded partnerships across entertainment franchises, fueling fresh product innovation.
• Retail Solutions: Alliance’s omnichannel capabilities designed to help retailers scale assortments and meet collector demand.
• Authentication & Serialized Collectibles: Endstate Authentic’s NFC-enabled platform for secure authentication, digital certificates of authenticity, and lifecycle tracking.

“New York Toy Fair is the ultimate stage for showcasing creativity and connecting with both new and long-standing customers,” said Mike Schimmel, SVP Collectibles at Alliance Entertainment. “We’re excited to present Handmade by Robots alongside our broader portfolio, reinforcing our commitment to delivering unique, high-quality collectibles to fans everywhere.”

Schedule a Meeting Today
To book an appointment with our team during NYTF, please reach out to AccountDevelopment@aent.com. Secure your spot now and discover how Alliance can help grow your collectibles business.

For more information, visit https://www.aent.com and www.handmadebyrobots.com.

About Alliance Entertainment

Alliance Entertainment (NASDAQ: AENT) is a premier distributor and fulfillment partner for the entertainment and pop culture collectibles industry. With more than 340,000 unique in-stock SKUs — including over 57,300 exclusive titles across compact discs, vinyl LPs, DVDs, Blu-rays, and video games — Alliance offers the largest selection of physical media in the market. Our vast catalog also includes licensed merchandise, toys, retro gaming products, and collectibles, serving over 35,000 retail locations and powering e-commerce fulfillment for leading retailers. Alliance also owns and operates proprietary collectibles brands, including Handmade by Robots™, a stylized vinyl figure line featuring licensed characters from leading entertainment franchises, and Alliance Authentic™, a premium platform for authentic, certified, and individually numbered entertainment collectibles. In addition, Alliance operates Endstate Authentic, a dedicated NFC-enabled authentication and digital product identity platform supporting authenticated collectibles, resale, and brand protection. Leveraging decades of operational expertise, exclusive sourcing relationships, and a capital-light, scalable infrastructure, Alliance connects fans and collectors to the products, franchises, and experiences they value across formats and generations. For more information, visit www.aent.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements included in this Press Release that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements for purposes of the safe harbor provisions under the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements generally are accompanied by words such as “believe,” “may,” “will,” “estimate,” “continue,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “expect,” “should,” “would,” “plan,” “predict,” “potential,” “seem,” “seek,” “future,” “outlook,” and similar expressions that predict or indicate future events or trends or that are not statements of historical matters. These forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding estimates and forecasts of other financial and performance metrics and projections of market opportunity. These statements are based on various assumptions, whether identified in this Press Release, and on the current expectations of Alliance’s management and are not predictions of actual performance. These forward-looking statements are provided for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to serve as and must not be relied on by an investor as, a guarantee, an assurance, a prediction, or a definitive statement of fact or probability. Actual events and circumstances are difficult or impossible to predict and will differ from assumptions. Many actual events and circumstances are beyond the control of Alliance. These forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, including risks relating to the anticipated growth rates and market opportunities; changes in applicable laws or regulations; the ability of Alliance to execute its business model, including market acceptance of its systems and related services; Alliance’s reliance on a concentration of suppliers for its products and services; increases in Alliance’s costs, disruption of supply, or shortage of products and materials; Alliance’s dependence on a concentration of customers, and failure to add new customers or expand sales to Alliance’s existing customers; increased Alliance inventory and risk of obsolescence; Alliance’s significant amount of indebtedness; our ability to refinance our existing indebtedness; our ability to continue as a going concern absent access to sources of liquidity; risks that a breach of the revolving credit facility could result in the lender declaring a default and that the full outstanding amount under the revolving credit facility could be immediately due in full, which would have severe adverse consequences for the Company; known or future litigation and regulatory enforcement risks, including the diversion of time and attention and the additional costs and demands on Alliance’s resources; Alliance’s business being adversely affected by increased inflation, uncertainty regarding tariffs, higher interest rates and other adverse economic, business, and/or competitive factors; geopolitical risk and changes in applicable laws or regulations; as well as our financial condition and results of operations; substantial regulations, which are evolving, and unfavorable changes or failure by Alliance to comply with these regulations; product liability claims, which could harm Alliance’s financial condition and liquidity if Alliance is not able to successfully defend or insure against such claims; availability of additional capital to support business growth; and the inability of Alliance to develop and maintain effective internal controls.

For investor inquiries, please contact:

Dave Gentry
RedChip Companies, Inc.
1-800-REDCHIP (733-2447)
1-407-644-4256
AENT@redchip.com