Thames & Kosmos UK

Thames & Kosmos UK: board games and STEM kits for the British market

Thames & Kosmos UK operates as a distributor of Kosmos products in the United Kingdom. Its catalogue combines bestselling board games, among which the EXIT series features prominently, with science kits designed to bring parents and children into the world of STEM through hands-on experimentation. The company also states that it distributes English-language Kosmos products globally, with the exception of North and South America.

Beyond its own Kosmos lines, the site indicates that the company distributes in the UK for Devir and FoxMind. Orders from outside the UK are handled directly on request rather than through the standard online flow.

From Science Shop to a Kosmos subsidiary

The business was founded in 2009 by Stephen O'Connor and Joanna Drage under the name Science Shop. The pair identified a gap for well-designed quality science kits while buying toys for their own children, and began selling Kosmos kits as an online retailer. Order volumes grew to the point where they could buy directly from the supplier, Franckh-Kosmos Verlags-GmbH & Co. KG, known as Kosmos, which granted them the UK distributorship and gave rise to Thames & Kosmos UK.

In 2013, Kosmos — based in Stuttgart, Germany, and founded in 1822 — acquired 80% of Thames & Kosmos UK, turning it into a subsidiary. The company frames this link as a way for British children to access the same science kits that generations of German children have grown up with. In 2015 the portfolio expanded to board games through Kosmos Games, drawing on established authors and the Kosmos editorial team, and magic kits and globes were added shortly afterwards.

Games: EXIT, family titles and strategy releases

The games catalogue is organised around several commercial groupings. New releases and forthcoming titles listed on the site include Wildblooms, Temple Twist, Ace of Spades, The Game of Birds and Orloj: The Prague Astronomical Clock, alongside EXIT titles such as The Circus Mystery and the Family line entry The Trophy Case, Night at the Carnival. A best-selling section gathers titles such as Match Madness, Rock Hard: 1977, The White Castle: Matcha, The Gang and the Hydroponics Lab kit.

Seasonal advent calendars form a distinct line, with several EXIT: The Game calendars — The Magic of Christmas, The Missing Hollywood Star and The Silent Storm — and the Thames & Kosmos Science Advent Calendar Vol. 4.

Science, craft and discovery kits

The science side of the catalogue is grouped by subject, covering biology, physics, chemistry, nature, engineering and alternative energy, plus robotics and programming through the Rebotz line. Other ranges include the Gecko Run series, Spy Labs and Three Detectives, Magic, MBE kits, Signature Series, Essential STEM tools, and fun and educational activity kits.

Recent science and craft additions shown on the site include a digital microscope with HD imaging and LCD display, a Harry Potter Magic Wands craft kit, Spy Labs Digital Snake Scope and Invisible Ink Pen with UV light, and Green Engineering: Clean Energy & Sustainable Living. Craft kits and jigsaws and nature discovery lines such as My Discovery complete the offer.

Trade accounts and purchasing

The website provides for trade account applications alongside individual customer accounts, and the shop displays prices in pounds sterling with product variants selectable at purchase. The company describes itself as a non-political and inclusive organisation. Practical sections of the site cover FAQs, a returns policy, safety information, terms and conditions, and privacy and cookie policies.