98-99-100-101 LSB 2020 M&H_muk.qxp_NEW LSB 2008 GRID 15/09/2020 10:37 Page 100
MUSEUM & HERITAGE FEEDBACK
Declan McCarthy, head of publishing and licensing, The Ashmolean “The single most significant event was signing up Start Licensing as our exclusive agency partner at the start of 2020. We also launched a very high-end box set of facsimile Raphael drawings with one of our Italian partners, exclusively for their domestic market. Lockdown was extraordinarily challenging. We
Above: A high-end box set of facsimile Raphael drawings was a key launch in Italy for The Ashmolean. Above: The Science Museum brand continues to do well in a very challenging market, says Zuzi.
Zuzi Wojciechowska, senior account manager, brand licensing, Science Museum “Science Museum started off very strong in 2020, with exciting plans for retailer promos and new launches in the categories of stationery and confectionery. Unfortunately, COVID-19 has really changed some of our plans and several launches have been postponed to 2021, as well as any retailer events. Having said that, there is still a lot going on and our brand continues to do well in a very challenging market. For Flying Scotsman, 2020 was all about planning for the centenary of the locomotive, which takes place in 2023. We have actually had quite a lot of interest already from high profile partners, and luckily as this is a long-term opportunity the pandemic hasn't affected those conversations. What came as a big surprise was that our licensed products seemed to perform well in the past months, and our key licensees, such as Clementoni and Hornby have reported strong sales, some even up on last year. Another interesting effect has been the popularity of certain categories that we are now developing with our current partners. These include puzzles, games and craft kits. Hopefully these will be available from the beginning of 2021. Unfortunately, we did lose a couple of deals and some have been postponed, which was a massive shame. But we have been able to progress with our confectionery deal with Kinnerton for M&S, as well as several renewals for calendars, posters and wall art. Again, homewares have seemingly outperformed expectations.”
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LICENSING SOURCE BOOK EUROPE 2020
had just opened our major spring show - Young Rembrandt - two weeks before we had to close the doors. This has had a major impact on our income in retail, catering, events and ticketing. We reopened to the public on August 10, with social distancing measures in place and mandatory mask-wearing. I think all our licensees were affected to one degree or another, and for some we have agreed deferred royalties. One of our partners produces an Ashmolean Gin (The Oxford Artisan Distillery), and with restaurants and bars closed, their ability to sell significant quantities was severely impacted. In a nice twist however, they turned to making hand sanitiser for the NHS and local hospitals. We are talking to as many people as possible, in as wide a market as we think would be relevant. We know we are not as big a name in the heritage licensing sector, so it felt futile to try standing ‘toe to toe’ with the bigger names. We are looking for some of the less obvious options, but we also have a huge plus in that we are largely an untapped source at present so there are a huge number of possibilities for licensees to consider. This was always going to be the approach with Start, so we see no reason to adjust significantly. We are also nurturing our existing licensees and promoting their products wherever we can.”