Yoto makes screen-free audio more accessible with its retail debut

  • Yoto launches its first major retail partnership in Australia, with products available in Kmart and the Memo stores and online from October 2025.
  • Since launching in Australia in July 2024, the company has sold a player every 5 minutes, experiencing 300% growth YoY with plans to double the business in 2026
  • Following its rapid success in Australia, expanding into retail reflects Yoto’s commitment to making screen-free storytelling accessible to more Australian children - wherever their parents choose to shop.
  • With children spending an average of 2.6 hours per day on screens (equivalent to nearly two full years by the age of 18), the demand for engaging, screen-free alternatives has never been greater.

Sydney Australia, Monday 13 September 2025 – Today, Yoto, the kids’ audio platform inspiring creativity and imagination worldwide, backed by Zuckerberg and Sir Paul McCartney, launches its first major retail partnership in Australia. From 27 October, its award-winning players and story cards are available at Kmart and The Memo, bringing screen-free storytelling and play directly to Aussie families.

Founded to tackle the universal challenge of children’s screen time, Yoto has grown into a global success over the past decade. Since launching in Australia in July 2024, Yoto has sold a player every 5 minutes, quickly making Australia one of Yoto’s most exciting markets, with the number of Australian families using Yoto growing over 300% year-on-year. With its first retail expansion in the country, families can now discover a screen-free way to explore stories, music, and play - helping kids learn, imagine, and create without relying on devices.

Yoto’s latest research shows that children spend an average of 2.6 hours per day on screens (equivalent to nearly two full years by the age of 18), highlighting the growing demand for engaging, screen-free alternatives. Following its rapid success in Australia, expanding into retail reflects Yoto’s commitment to making screen-free storytelling accessible to more Australian children - wherever their parents choose to shop.

Sharina Simnett, AU Country Manager at Yoto, said: “We’re excited by retail’s potential, combining major retailers with trusted family destinations. It’s a simple but powerful way to meet families in their everyday lives and invite them into Yoto’s screen-free world of stories, music, and imagination they can touch, try, and take home the joy of Yoto.”

By bringing interactive audio directly into two leading Australian retailers, Yoto continues to support children’s imagination, learning, and independent play — providing a meaningful alternative to screen-based entertainment.

Yoto players and cards will be available in all Kmart and The Memo’s stores nation-wide from 27 October 2025.


Notes to editor:

Yoto is backed by investors, including the Roald Dahl family and Sir Paul McCartney. Yoto has raised over $54 million to date, including a $17M Series A in 2021, a $22M Series B in 2023 led by the philanthropic Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, and a $15M funding package from HSBC UK in 2024 to support continued global growth and scale manufacturing.

As of June 2025 - Yoto families have listened to over 500 million hours of listening - that’s 57,000 years.

About Kmart

Kmart is a leading retailer in Australia and New Zealand, operating over 300 stores and serving millions of customers each year. Founded in 1969 in Burwood East, Victoria, Kmart has grown into a trusted national brand, committed to providing families with quality products at low prices.

The business is supported by more than 44,000 team members across retail, distribution, and corporate operations, with a focus on designing, sourcing, and delivering products that meet the everyday needs of customers. Kmart designs and produces over 80% of the products available in its stores and online, leveraging long-standing supplier relationships to offer exceptional value.

About The Memo

The Memo is a trusted Australian parenting destination, providing curated products, expert advice, and resources to support parents through pregnancy, birth, and early parenthood. Founded to simplify the journey for new and expecting parents, The Memo delivers carefully selected, high-quality products and services that help families make informed choices with confidence.

The Memo offers a range of complimentary services, including education, gift registry support, and convenient shopping options such as free delivery over $199, price matching, easy returns, and Click & Collect. Committed to supporting parents at every stage, The Memo combines expertise with accessibility to create a reliable and feel-good shopping experience for Australian families.

About Yoto

Yoto is an interactive audio platform for kids. Yoto offers a catalogue of over 1,200 stories, songs, activities and more to inspire creative play and learning without a screen. The carefully connected audio players, Yoto Player (3rd Generation) and Yoto Mini, put kids safely in control. No cameras. No microphones. No ads.

Inspired by Montessori principles, Ben Drury and Filip Denker founded Yoto in 2017. Yoto Player was designed with renowned design agency, Pentagram, and launched in early 2020. Yoto Mini, the portable audio player, launched in late 2021. The new and improved third generation Yoto Player arrived in summer 2023.

Available worldwide, Yoto has won awards and accolades from critics, parents and children alike. TIME Magazine even named it one of the Best Inventions of 2020 and Yoto Mini won a prestigious D&AD Pencil in 2022. Yoto was named one of Bloomberg's Top Start Ups to watch, and was named the second fastest growing tech company by Deloitte in 2023.

Yoto's platform features both award-winning original content and audio that has been licensed or co-created with partners. These partners include PRH, Macmillan, Universal Music Group, Sony, Warner Music, Mattel, Pottermore Publishing, Roald Dahl Story Company, HarperCollins, Hachette, Bonnier and Scholastic.

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