110-111 SOTN Sports_muk.qxp_NEW LSB 2008 GRID 14/12/2017 12:05 Page 111
STATE OF THE NATION: SPORTS
Topps marks 25 years of the Premier League To celebrate the 25th edition of the Official Merlin sticker collection, Topps is offering sports fans the chance to get their hands on some very special instant win prizes. Topps is giving away 2,500 prizes signed by some of the biggest stars to Above: Topps is looking to score with its instant win prizes. ever grace the Premier League. In total, an estimated 27,000,000 collectors have eagerly ripped open paper packets in search of their football heroes since Merlin first published the Premier League collection in 1994. To show its appreciation, Topps is giving back to avid collectors and football fans with this once in a lifetime opportunity. Rod Pearson, marketing director for Topps, said: "We're really excited for the upcoming release of our Premier League sticker collection; it's great we are able to celebrate 25 fantastic years of Premier League history. All our prizes have been personally hand-signed by some of the greatest footballers to ever play in the Premier League. It's a real who’s-who of the history of the Premier League covering the likes of Alan Shearer, Didier Drogba and Frank Lampard.”
Manchester City joins Merchmaker team
The Evode Group has announced its acquisition of a global licence for a range of Manchester City print on demand, personalised products. As part of the agreement, Merchmaker will be offering personalised and customised products covering apparel, accessories, homeware and gifting. Kim Rowles, retail and licensing executive at Man City, said: "The print on demand business is an exciting model that offers many benefits to brand owners. The Evode Group are leaders in the development of this business in the UK and internationally and we're delighted to be partnering with them for this range of products". Left: Initial sales of the Bawbags line have been promising.
Scottish FA goes undercover The Scottish FA has announced the launch of branded underwear. Steven Romeo, head of retail advises that one of its new licensees, Bawbags, has worked in conjunction with the Scottish FA to create a range of fun, branded underwear. “Our fans have embraced this new range and initial sales have been extremely promising. I am delighted to add Bawbags to the ever-growing Scottish FA licensee portfolio,” Steven commented. Colin Reid, director at Bawbags, is equally excited, saying: “We are super excited to be working with the Scotland National Team and look forward to a successful relationship for many years to come. We have been very pleased with the reaction to the three styles of Bawbags underwear we have launched.” Below: A raft of new Juventus product will launch in 2018.
Juventus expands global presence Juventus is expanding its global presence with a range of new licensed product collections in Japan, China and Australia. IMG, Juventus’ licensing representative in Asian territories, Australia and New Zealand has brokered the deals and will add apparel, gadgets, car accessories and luggage product categories already in the market. In addition to an exclusive branded luggage collection and apparel lines already in market in China, two new apparel collections will be available in Japan by the beginning of 2018. One will feature animated Juventus illustrations, while the other will consist of specially designed jackets, shirts, sweatshirts and polo shirts. The brand is also set to launch car accessories including seat covers, cushions and sun shades in Japan, as well as game cards, phone cases, keychains, wallets and mugs. Juventus products are available on major e-commerce platforms, such as VIP.com, and in popular multi-brand stores in select shopping malls.
LICENSING SOURCE BOOK EUROPE 2018
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