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WINNING WAYS: SANTORO
be found in over 1,000 Together as a team, Lucio and locations across the UK,” Meera pushed the company continues Jo. forward. From its paper“There has been a major engineered Swing Cards, to the investment and roll out of building of the iconic Bang on shop in shop corners in El the Door to the now global Corte Ingles and a separate sensation Gorjuss brand, the BTS campaign running last company’s success has summer within the apparel culminated in winning the sector where they hold a prestigious Queen’s Award DTR licence for Gorjuss.” for Enterprise. Since BLE 2017, over 40 Commenting on why she feels new licensing contracts the company was chosen, have been executed. In the Meera says: “I feel that Santoro, last 12 months, many new having been enjoying a steady Gorjuss products have been financial growth for the past developed ranging from three years, which is one of the beachwear, bottled water, criteria for this award, has now corn snacks, dolls prams, officially been recognised as a plush dolls, beach towels, company that is flying the flag Above: Meera Santoro meeting Prince Charles at the recent Awards event. EDT, footwear, cosmetics, for British export. In fact, we are Below: Gorjuss plush doll. picnic ware and cake now allowed to literally fly a flag decorations and there have been new product on the side of our Head Office building with the launches from UK partners Sequin Queen’s Award emblem.” Art, Cooneen, Bothy Threads and At the Buckingham Palace reception, Design Objectives. Meera recalls she felt “immense pride at While existing brands are reaching such an achievement”. dizzying new heights, there are also “What a privilege to have gone from those new kids on the starting blocks at humble postcards, where the closest to Santoro. Meera enthuses that the anything ‘royal’ in our lives was the Queen’s company’s latest brand, Poppi image on the stamps in the top right-hand Loves, is “showing all the signs of corners, to meeting Prince Charles himself heading down the same road of and gaining Her Majesty the Queen’s success as Gorjuss”. stamp of approval?” she muses. “We always make very considered Jo Campbell, general manager, design choices for each of our brands,” reveals that the past year has she adds. “It’s too easy to slap images on been the biggest growth year for standard products. For example, all the Poppi art a lynchpin Santoro brand, Gorjuss. is actually painted on wood. So, with each With Gorjuss now available at over 35,000 POS product and card range we develop we try to across 93 countries worldwide, the brand continues bring in that element where possible to preserve to gain a considerable international following. Jo and channel the essence of the original art.” explains: “The ability for Gorjuss to successfully Meera also reveals that the company is straddle the high-end and mass market retail developing and licensing ‘Santoro’ as a brand, channels is behind this.” without characters “due to the image, Having steadily grown for the past five years, positioning and respect that Santoro has earned Gorjuss now has a retail value of USD172million and in the industry”. a strong retail presence in premium stores such as “I believe this is because product quality, design, Hamley’s, Selfridges, El Corte Ingles, Harrods and and appeal has always been the key to Benetton to name a few. everything we do at Santoro and this is “The brand has experienced a major growth since universally recognised,” says Meera. 2016 both internationally and in the UK. There has BLE Stand E2 and E5 been a growth of UK distribution with products to LICENSING SOURCE BOOK EUROPE 2018
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