LSB Europe Summer 2020

THE LICENSING SOURCE BOOK EUROPE

Summer 2020

SUMMER 2020 For further details on our complete corporate & lifestyle portfolio contact : victoria.whellans@cplg.com

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The Product Award Categories

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Best Licensed Toys or Games Range Best Licensed Dress-up or Partywear Range Best Licensed Preschool Apparel Range Best Licensed Childrens Apparel Range Best Licensed Adult Apparel Range Best Licensed Written, Listening or Learning Range Best Licensed Paper Products or Stationery Range Best Licensed Giftware Range, Home Decor Range, Tableware or Housewares Range Best Licensed Food or Drink Range The Innovation Award The Sustainability Award

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The Licensed Property Categories

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Best Pre-School Licensed Property (age group 0-5) Best Children’s or Tween Licensed Property (age group 5-12) Best Teen or Adult Licensed Property (age group 12 or above) Best Film Licensed Property Best Music or Celebrity Licensed Property Best Sports Licensed Property Best Classic Licensed Property Best Gaming Licensed property

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Other Awards

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UK Rising Star Award Best Licensed Promotions Campaign Honorary Achievement Award Best Licensed Live Event

category sponsors include

Misirli

©2020 HASBRO.

creating essentials with flair

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(Clockwise from top left): LSB’s Samantha Loveday, Rob Willis, Jakki Brown and Ian Hyder.

Leader R

warehouses comply with new safety measures.

Lockdown has shown that many arms of our business can operate in new ways. And, crucially, talks regarding new launches and initiatives for AW20 and SS21 have eading back through the spring edition of continued – and there have been some corking new LSB, it almost seems impossible that so deals done, too. In such a constantly evolving situation, much has changed in such a short space of it’s not necessarily about adapting to the ‘new normal’ time. Back in January, it was the Brexit deadline either; it’s more like meeting the requirements of the which was on everyone’s minds and we reported ‘now normal’. that many licensees had planned for ‘all We’ve also needed to adapt, moving the dates of possible outcomes’… the Brand & Lifestyle Licensing Awards and the Of course, no one had planned Sustainability in the Licensing for the situation that the world has NEW DATES FOR YOUR DIARY Conference to November, while Brand & Lifestyle Licensing Awards faced over the past four months.

The Licensing Awards has the (Hilton Park Lane) – Monday November 9 What we have been encouraged Sustainability in Licensing Conference potential to be the greatest (British Library) – Wednesday November 25 by is how the licensing industry, Christmas party ever with its new The Licensing Awards (The Grosvenor House on a global basis, has once again date of December 16.

Hotel) – Wednesday December 16 pulled together.

For this edition of LSB, we wanted Many of the licensees we spoke to said that to include as many voices as possible, from across all licensors and agents had been flexible and categories, sectors and countries, as everyone’s understanding – highlighting that our business is experience will be different. We hope that you enjoy built on strong partnerships. Meanwhile, ecommerce the issue… from our homes, to yours. brands and businesses have seen a sharp acceleration in consumers switching to online, but Samantha Loveday, Jakki Brown, Ian Hyder and face their own issues when it comes to stock levels Rob Willis. due to supply chains and making sure factories and The LSB Team

Samantha Loveday - Editor Ian Hyder - Joint Managing Director Jakki Brown - Joint Managing Director and Editorial Director Rob Willis Publishing Director Tel: 020 7700 6740 E-mail: hello@max-publishing.co.uk Copyright 2020. The publishers cannot accept legal liability for any errors or omissions, nor can they accept responsibility for the standing of advertisers nor any organisation mentioned in the text.

ISSN 1234 567.

@licensingsource

PUBLISHERS OF

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CONTENTS

What’s Inside?

8-13

State of the Nation: Corporate Happenings

16-19

Licensee Feedback

20-21

Kids Insights

24-25

The Big Interview: Hasbro

26-27

The Big Interview: Online Retailer Success Stories

30-31

Retail Round-up

32-33

In Conversation With… WildBrain CPLG

34-35

Licensor Feedback

37-39

Industry Trend: Sustainability

40-41

Downes & Out by Start Licensing’s Ian Downes

64-65

Event Review: Licensing

42-43

Focus on… Publishing

46-47

In Conversation With…

66-69

State of the Nation: Brands

John McInnerny

70-71

In Conversation With… Mad

48-53

55

Week Virtual

The International View:

Beauty

Overseas Brand Owners &

74-75

Brand Focus: Emoji

Agents Speak to LSB

76-77

What Now for Sports Licensing?

Pink Key Licensing’s Richard Pink

80-97

The Licensed Properties Section

Talks Nostalgia

98-129

The Licensees’ Showcase

58-59

In Conversation With… Brands In

62-63

In Conversation With… Tinderbox

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STATE OF THE NATION: CORPORATE

The past few months have almost certainly been the strangest and most challenging of many professional lives. Despite this, the licensing industry has shown resolve, ingenuity and adaptability when it comes to keeping business going.

LSB highlights just some of what’s been happening.

Business

concerns

Costume change at Rainbow Productions

Costume character company, Rainbow Productions has seen a change in managing director and owner, with Simon Foulkes, previously sales and marketing director, taking up the reins following the retirement of David Scott.

“I am enormously proud of Rainbow’s achievements in my time at the company and am grateful to all our staff for their loyalty, support and willingness to do whatever is necessary to deliver top quality results for all our licensors and clients,” commented David.

“Simon unquestionably has the energy and vision to drive the business forward and take advantage of the opportunities that will arise as the global economy opens up.”

Simon – who has been with Rainbow Productions for over 25 years – continued: “David is an

Game for a Laugh

Inset: MDR says it is a “real honour” to be partnering with Amy Winehouse’s family and inner circle.

Below left: Simon (left) has taken up the reins at Rainbow Productions after David’s retirement.

MDR tunes up with Amy

Ambitious MDR Brand Management has secured a brace of key deals, including partnering with Amy Winehouse’s family to celebrate and protect her legacy.

MDR will be looking to work with partners that share Amy’s style cues and aesthetics across categories such as hair, beauty, fashion, tech and publishing.

In addition, the partnership will also support the work of the Amy Winehouse Foundation, which was set up in Amy’s memory in 2011.

"Amy touched so many people with her music, her sense of style and her authenticity,” said Daniel Avener, ceo of MDR Brand Management. “It is a real honour for us to be partnering with Amy's family and inner circle to build on her legacy and showcase her incredible talent and fun-loving personality to her existing fans and new audiences, while giving back to the Amy Winehouse Foundation."

Elsewhere, MDR will also be helping to expand baby and toddler brand, Sophie la girafe across the UK, Germany and Austria. The agency will be looking at categories including nursery, FMCG, apparel and textiles, dental, bath and body.

exceptional business leader and under his watch Rainbow has developed an established global reputation becoming one of the most admired costume character companies in the world.

“David has always put our clients at the heart of our strategy and I, and the exceptional team at Rainbow, look forward to building upon this philosophy. It has been a great pleasure to work with David for over a quarter of a century and it is an honour to succeed him.”

David will continue to serve as a trustee and treasurer of industry charity, The Light Fund.

Left: 2021 will see The Laughing Cow turn 100.

The Laughing Cow licensing programme - La Vache Qui Rit to the native speakers – has a number of partners put in place ready for when we can all smile a bit more.

Among these will be a partnership with a leading toy company – due to be announced shortly – which will include The Laughing Cow and other brands from the broader Bel Group range. This comes on the heels of apparel deals signed with Bioworld – which already has a Babybel t-shirt on Boohoo – in the UK and Erve in Europe where, once things have opened up, new concepts and distribution into major European fashion retailers is expected.

Other proposals are also in the works including a charity partnership, a direct to retail deal with a major global retailer (where concepts are currently being agreed) and a housewares licensee which is planning to launch storage, ceramics and glassware into key European retailers. 2021 will also see The Laughing Cow turn 100.

The Laughing Cow brand is owned by the Bel Group and is licensed in the UK, Europe and Middle East by Pink Key Licensing.

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STATE OF THE NATION: CORPORATE

Deal duo for Riverside Brands Riverside Brands – which was founded last year by Ashley Holman – has partnered with The Entertainer to lead its brand extension strategy for Early Learning Centre.

The heritage of the ELC brand and the characters within its brand portfolio lend it to wider brand extensions into categories such as Ashley apparel, nightwear, health and beauty, Above: Holman’s Riverside Brands has secured publishing, nursery and experiences, deals for Early particularly Happyland and the core Learning Centre and RLWC 2021.

ELC brand.

“With such a strong heritage as an iconic part of early years development, we are confident there is more opportunity for the brand to be an even bigger part of children’s early years by giving them greater access to the characters through carefully selected brand extensions,” said Stuart Grant, global sourcing officer of The Entertainer. “We are confident that Riverside Brands is the right partner to achieve this.”

Ashley Holman added: “Children love these characters, they’re an important part of their early years and we’re looking forward to making them available in categories which will complement the core toy ranges.”

In further good news for Riverside Brands, it has also been appointed the exclusive licensing agent for the Rugby League World Cup 2021. It will create innovative third-party collaborations and licensing agreements for next year’s tournament.

Aardman promotes Rob Goodchild Aardman has made a brace of new promotions, including Rob Goodchild being made commercial director.

The two newly created roles in the sales and marketing arm of the business form part of a departmental restructuring to consolidate all the studio’s sales, marketing and brand management expertise.

Rob joined Aardman as UK licensing manager in 2008 before progressing to head of licensing. He will now assume strategic responsibility for the

Asgard Media back in the spotlight

Kelvyn Gardner is ‘reintroducing’ his company, Asgard Media, back into the licensing industry spotlight.

Kelvyn – who originally founded Asgard Media in 1998, eight years before he become involved with Licensing International (or LIMA as it was then known) – has a mission to bring new companies into the licensing fold “by showing that licensing is easy to understand, economical in practice and profitable in outcome”.

The company has a number of clients, such as Yoplait and Finsbury Foods, which have been with Asgard Media Above: Kelvyn originally founded Asgard Media in 1998. for over 20 years, which Kelvyn is now looking to “do even more business” for in the future.

However, he has also issued a call to action for the licensing industry as a whole.

“The vast majority of UK manufacturing companies do not currently utilise licensing as part of their marketing mix,” he commented. “It’s important that we bring new blood into the industry. By making those connections, and by demystifying licensing, we will make that happen. What is good business for Asgard Media should be good business for licensing, full stop.”

A series of short videos has been created, which Kelvyn hopes paint an “enticing picture” of licensing as a valuable marketing tool.

selling and marketing of the studio’s services including third party commercials and short films, the rights exploitation for all Aardman brands, as well as defining new business opportunities such as the development of IP and animated content for third party brands, theme parks and attractions.

He will be tasked with delivering revenue across different categories and markets, influencing growth in key territories across Europe and Asia. Rob also directs the development of Aardman’s branded interactive business.

In addition, Alison Taylor – previously head of sales and acquisitions – has been promoted to director of distribution and business development. She will be responsible for driving the financing, distribution and long-term content exploitation strategy for each brand.

Both Rob and Alison will report to Sean Clarke, md of Aardman.

Left: Rob joined Aardman as UK licensing manager in 2008.

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STATE OF THE NATION: CORPORATE

Difuzed brings to life Assassin’s Creed Valhalla

Difuzed is continuing its successful relationship with Ubisoft and Assassin’s Creed, readying a new collection for the eagerly awaited upcoming instalment of the video games franchise.

Assassin’s Creed Valhalla is launching in time for Christmas 2020, focusing on an epic journey where Viking and Norse mythology are brought to life in 9th century England.

In turn, Difuzed has brought the world of ancient warriors to life in a contemporary collection of t-shirts, hoodies, beanies, baseball caps, bags, backpacks, wallets, jewellery and wristbands for men and women.

The collection has proven so popular that EMP – one of Europe’s leading ecommerce companies in rock and entertainment merchandising – posted an exclusively designed t-shirt on its social media challenges on May 1 and it immediately became its bestselling t-shirt for three weeks in a row. The post reached over 234,000 people and had more than 10,000 interactions in the first week alone.

The Assassin’s Creed Valhalla collection – which will hit retail alongside the game – is one of the largest created by Difuzed in its history with the franchise.

Above: The Assassin’s Creed Valhalla collection is one of the largest created by Difuzed in its history with the franchise.

The Point.1888 scrums down

Toy Aid raises over £140,000

The British & Irish Lions has appointed The Point.1888 to create a range of new products for the tour to South Africa in 2021.

Two licensees are already on board – underwear supplier, OddBalls, Above: Two licensees are and Game on Glove, which will already on board with the Lions programme. produce a range of supporters’ merchandise. The Point.1888 will also be considering categories including kids and adult apparel, fitness accessories, publishing, charity partnership ranges, fashion accessories, experiential, homeware, stationery, gifting and collectables.

“We are very excited to be collaborating with one of the most iconic brands in sport,” said Will Stewart, md of The Point.1888. “Next year’s summer of sport is set to be the most meaningful and memorable ever, and we couldn’t be more overjoyed to be partnering with the Lions for this tour.”

The charitable initiative set up by Wow Stuff’s Richard North and Joel Silverman from KidsKnowBest, Toy Aid has raised £143,075 as part of Global’s Make Some Noise.

The aim of the initiative was to raise money for charities that support disadvantaged children, young people and their families during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Companies across the toy and licensing industries have pledged support via monies from the sale of ‘Toy Aid-able’ toys, video games and entertainment products, as well as licensing fees and business services.

Joel, ceo and co-founder of KidsKnowBest, commented: “Now Toy Aid is complete, I really hope everyone has positive times ahead and the toy industry as a whole is remembered for the support they gave in a time of need for many families.

“I never in my wildest dreams thought this would reach £10,000, so to raise over £140,000 is just fantastic.”

Above: Toy Aid has raised £143,075.

Grants available for small businesses

Licensing International has launched the Small Business Global Grants Fund, designed to help small business employers in the licensing sector which are struggling due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The fund will provide $5,000 grants (in local currency) to as many Above: The programme is small employers internationally as possible to create and maintain safe, healthy and sustainable being funded by donations work environments in response to the global pandemic. made to Licensing The programme is being funded by donations made to Licensing International’s foundation with International’s foundation. companies able to contribute in two ways: by purchasing an ad in the 2020 Licensing International Excellence Awards programme or by making a direct donation.

Further details can be found at www.licensinginternational.org with the deadline to apply being September 15, 2020.

The news comes as Licensing International revealed that global sales revenue of licensed merchandise and services grew to $292.8 billion in 2019, a 4.5% increase over the $280.3 billion generated in 2018.

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STATE OF THE NATION: CORPORATE

Men’s Health gets the Thumbs Up

Golden Goose has secured a deal with Thumbs Up which will see the company create a Christmas 2020 gifting range inspired by the Men’s Health brand.

Boasting a combination of toiletries and gift products, the range consists of body washes, deodorants and shower gels. Gift lines will include the likes of sports bottles, sports headphones and sports armbands.

The collection is targeting the growing number of consumers who regularly exercise, with it hitting shelves of two major high street retailers in August and October.

Right: The new range will include toiletries and gift lines.

Smiles all round

Below: The Pull&Bear line paid homage to Smiley’s status as a

leading cultural icon.

The busy Smiley brand has kept active with a number of fashion and retailer collaborations over the past few months.

Pull&Bear launched a limited edition streetwear capsule, which pays homage to Smiley’s status as one of the leading cultural icons of the last century. The range includes t-shirts, sweatshirts, denim twin sets, viscose shirts, plus accessories such as bucket hats, Smiley rings, necklaces and socks.

It aims to celebrate the brand’s deep roots in art, graphic design and subculture symbolism, with the launch being supported by a range of marketing activations.

Meanwhile, French retailer Celio teamed with the brand to launch a campaign which celebrated positivity. The men’s capsule line plays on Smiley’s good vibes heritage, with positive and uplifting slogans, including ‘Have a Nice Day’ and ‘Thank You’ played out on a range of tshirts, hoodies, shirts and socks.

While at retail, the campaign is supported by a high profile marketing campaign including Smiley videos instore and bespoke window displays.

Agent brace for Kraft Heinz

Kraft Heinz has appointed Metrostar and Brand Central to manage its brand licensing programme in the UK and Ireland.

The campaign will explore product extensions such as new food categories, merchandise partnerships and collaborations with leading lifestyle brands for its flagship brands – Heinz, HP Sauce, Lea & Perrins, Amoy (under Above: Metrostar will explore product licence from Amoy Foods) extensions for key Kraft and Bull’s-Eye. Heinz brands.

The programme will build upon Brand Central’s representation of Kraft Heinz brands in the US and Canada.

Metrostar and Brand Central will jointly manage the programme, with Metrostar taking the lead in prospecting and licensee management.

The two companies previously partnered on the UK licensing campaign for Krispy Kreme doughnuts.

Call for action on Black Lives Matter The licensing industry is being encouraged to take steps to help drive forward the Black Lives Matter message.

Saphia Maxamed, founder of agency London Entertainment Inc, is taking the lead on calling for the industry to open up the conversation Above: The industry is on racial equality and start collectively being urged to use its making positive changes. platform to support “Brands have the power to change things,” the movement’s Saphia commented. “This is the chance to message. open up conversations which the industry – which I love for its embracing and collaborative nature – can tackle together. We are the pioneers of consumer products and, therefore, we are in a great position to send messages through our expertise.”

Saphia is looking to coordinate a collective effort for all areas of the industry to have a platform to support the movement and help to implement change.

Encouraging dialogue has been started with licensees, while industry charity The Light Fund has also been approached to help provide a means for companies to place donations for specific Black Lives Matter projects.

Bioworld International is actively talking to retailers about the potential, while LEI itself is in talks with black celebrity ambassadors including stars from Love Island and The Circle, plus grime artists and black actors.

Saphia is also keen for retailers to support the movement by stocking Black Lives Matter lines from licensees.

Bulldog adds King Features Bulldog Licensing has been confirmed as the new UK and Ireland agent for King Features.

The agency will now be looking to continue the momentum of King Features’ brands throughout the territories, further expanding the reach of Popeye, Betty Boop, Cuphead, Flash Gordon and The Phantom.

The appointment follows the semi-retirement of John McInnerny, founder of Allsorts Licensing, King Features’ long-term UK agent.

Bulldog Licensing will look to build upon the success of the established licensing programme in the UK and Ireland, with representation for these classic characters across merchandising categories.

LICENSING SOURCE BOOK EUROPE 2020

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DISCOVER THE WIDEST RANGE OF BRANDS AVAILABLE FOR LICENSE IN EUROPE Find out more about Brand Licensing Europe today.

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STATE OF THE NATION: CORPORATE

‘Staycation’ boom to boost North Coast 500 brand

The North Coast 500 - the 517mile road trip from Inverness and around the coastline of the Northern Highlands of Scotland - is looking to benefit from the increased level of local tourism this summer, with a brace of licensees joining the programme.

A recent survey of 4,000 people to gauge appetite for the route once the pandemic subsides, showed that 80% were still keen to tour the Highlands once restrictions are lifted. In 2019, it was estimated that the NC500 boosted the economy by Above: A new brand identity and style £22.89 million within the Northern guide has been created for NC500.

Highlands region which helped create 179 new jobs.

"It's extremely encouraging to see that a significant number of visitors are already rescheduling their plans to visit the NC500 this summer, into 2021 and beyond,” said Tom Campbell, executive chairman of NC500. “We are proud of the financial impact we have made to the region. To continue to increase this key component of our strategy, we have invested in new brand identity along with a comprehensive style guide to allow partners, licensees and others to get involved and work with us on the longer term vision.”

Licensing Link Europe, which handles the NC500 licensing programme, has recently welcomed Star Editions - which has signed a personalisation deal for the route - while local artist Roy Anstey will be creating holiday keepsakes and souvenirs.

William Morris inspires nursery line

Morris & Co is collaborating with juvenile lifestyle brand DockATot and Aristot on a new range of baby and home products.

The new collection will arrive globally in October and will include DockATot covers, loungers, sleepwear, sleepsacks, pillows, Moses baskets, nursing pillows, Aristot ottoman, swaddles and bedding.

“I have always admired the works of William Morris,” said Lisa Furuland Kotsianis, the founder and designer of DockATot and Aristot. “His ornately beautiful fabrics and furnishings were at the epicentre of the arts and crafts movement, a time period in design that I think lends itself perfectly to a family-friendly home.”

NEWS IN BRIEF

l Character-led lifestyle brand, Phat Kandi has been building up its roster of licensing agents. Licensing Link Europe is on board to handle the UK and Eire, while Empire Multimedia has been appointed for the EASIA territory and Brand Licensing Studio di Ambra Farioli will cover Italy. l Numberblocks has partnered with Learning Resources – with a new activity set due to launch based on the toy company’s existing best selling MathLink Cubes brand, allowing children to play along with episodes and engage in further learning opportunities. The deal was brokered by Larkshead Media. l Millimages’ Molang has launched five in-game looks in video game hit, Animal Crossing: New Horizons as part of the brand’s global strategy to reach Millennials and Gen Z audiences. The player accessories are available in the official shop, with free download friend codes hosted on Molang’s official Facebook, Instagram and YouTube channels. l Endemol Shine Group has revealed that the Simon’s Cat brand has partnered with Lidl for a brand pet product range. Products will launch in stores this summer in the US and across 16 territories in Europe.

Lines will include a scratcher and bed for cats, each in three different colours. l Licensing Link Europe is continuing to build up the consumer products programme for the PEZ brand across the UK and Eire – securing Bioworld International as the latest partner. The licensee has created a range of clothing, bags and accessories inspired by the confectionery brand.

Mighty deal for This Is Iris

This Is Iris has picked up the UK licensing for TeamTo’s comedy series starring ‘refined and sophisticated’ pug, Mighty Mike.

The agreement follows on from a publishing deal in Italy with Play Press for sticker, colouring and activity books sold in kiosks nationwide.

This Is Iris joins existing agents for the brand including Surge Licensing (US), France Télévisions (France) and UYoung (China). Mighty Mike has enjoyed solid ratings on Universal Kids (US), CBC & Family Channel (Canada), Boomerang (EMEA, Asia Pacific, Latam), France Télévisions, ABC (Australia), Super RTL (Germany), and Tencent (China).

The show sees the pug, who longs for a quiet life, constantly having to defend his house from a bunch of furry intruders and maddening pets.

Right: Mighty Mike is looking to build presence in the UK.

Above: The DockATot and Aristot collaboration is inspired by William Morris.

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LICENSEE FEEDBACK

United front LSB catches up with a selection of licensees across key categories to ask them how their businesses have been impacted by COVID-19 and what conversations the industry needs to be having to aid recovery.

Simon Foulkes, md, Rainbow Productions “There are a number of dates which have been indelibly inked into my business brain. June 24, 2016 – boarding a plane back from Las Vegas in shock as the industry discovered the UK had voted to leave the EU - and March 23, 2020, when Boris Johnson announced the lockdown. On both occasions we had to adapt, and quickly, to ensure our order book could be teased open.

We know that costume character appearances are in demand. Taking away the personal interaction and the increase in visitor numbers, which COVID-19 did, we had to quickly reassess our offering to ensure it was engaging, entertaining and customer enhancing without any drop in integrity or experience. We created an Adapted Character Engagement programme which added to the customer engagement and still ensured that the customer walked away with that mantel-pieceenhancing memento. Each ACE could be adapted to our client’s venue and available space also ensuring that we were in control of the experience and it was bespoke to their requirements.

With the restrictions on social distancing and reduced capacities, Rainbow has currently had to cease offering character appearances to retailers.

But, the entertainment factor that the ACE programme can bring to shopping centres which can accommodate the increased footprint has certainly been well received.

However, licensing is an ideas industry and the likes of Zoom/Teams can’t hold a candle to this need for physical interaction.”

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Below left: Rainbow has created an Adapted Character Engagement programme, says Simon.

Ben Lowe, account manager, Roy Lowe & Sons “After a tough few months of lockdown, it was great to see the demand for licensed gifts was still there for Father’s Day. I think the current global situation has accelerated everyone’s online and digital strategies, as the retail landscape takes a huge shift.

What this landscape will look like in 2021 is the biggest question on everyone’s minds.

It has been great to see support from a lot of licensors over this period, and I think remaining as agile as possible will be key to getting back on track through the tough times that lie ahead.”

Above: It was good to see demand for licensed gifts for Father’s Day, says Ben.

Left: Charlie says GB eye has found licensors and agents to be flexible and understanding.

Charlie Chester, md, GB eye

“Business was impacted for us from mid-March; at that point we had already started planning for lockdown which seemed inevitable. Initially we decided to keep trading with a skeleton staff however, due to our strong online presence, sales have been better than expected. We have had month-on-month growth in poster, mugs and frame sales, all of which we manufacture in-house so can manage the process safely and quickly.

We have found licensors and agents to be very flexible and understanding, really highlighting the fact that our business is built on strong partnerships. COVID-19 has affected all businesses large and small. We have been in business for over 35 years and our long-term relationships with licensors, suppliers and customers are vital. We have been pleased how everyone has pulled together to ensure that these deals and relationships continue and hope this will be the case for years to come.”

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LICENSEE FEEDBACK

Helen Genia, senior manager, consumer products, Mattel “It certainly has been a challenging time - from a very stuttering March and April where the key Easter period was lost for some of our key partners, to what now I think is becoming a more positive outlook with retail starting to open up, with people learning to readjust to the new normal. There have certainly been some categories that have benefitted and some that have struggled.

At the beginning of the crisis and as we continue to adjust, we had a very clear objective to support our partners and to have open conversations, so that we could all navigate this situation as efficiently and effectively as possible.

This is an evolving situation, so being nimble and following the consumer is key. Online retailing has been a major factor in some categories’ success, so partners will now have to bring more focus to this area of their business from marketing to retail. Ensuring propositions online are robust and in line with the rest of the market, has become what consumers expect as normal now, so it will need to become even more of a priority for some businesses.”

Lisa Shand, md, Blueprint Collections “Sales have reduced rapidly as outstanding orders were cancelled by customers as soon as lockdown was announced. We have had to delay orders with our suppliers and re-phase them to arrive during the autumn.

Licensors in the main have been good and have helped where possible. We have renewed a few licences during lockdown on realistic terms. In our category, which in the kids’ area is impulse purchase, it may take a little longer to build [at retail] as people are still shopping alone. Online sales have grown, but this is from a relatively small base as our category is not a massive online seller.

We will need to assess what stockholdings customers have and what the re-forecasted demand will be moving forward. Many retailers will have the wrong season’s stock in-store - hopefully our stock will sell-through over back to school and customers will need to re-stock for the autumn. [Conversations are needed on] reducing the entry cost to a new licence to encourage newness and product development. Lower royalty rates and small or no advance payments will help licensees invest in newness for the future.”

Above: Some categories have benefitted and some have struggled, says Helen.

Left: Lower royalty rates and small or no advance payments will help licensees invest in newness, says Lisa.

Kim Bown, director, Misirli “Generally the ongoing conversations with our key retailers and licensors have been very supportive and, because of that we have not had a particularly difficult time through lockdown. With the furlough scheme we have so far safeguarded our employees’ jobs. Some retailers have been exemplary in trading with us through this time - big shout out to Tesco. Unfortunately, some Above: Ultimately we have felt that the supply base have need to work different priorities in keeping afloat. all together, says Kim. I think it is still too early to call how the retail landscape will be short to medium-term, but I think the lockdown has shown many arms of our sector can operate in new ways, with more flexibility and a real commitment to partnerships.

I think we have all seen a different perspective with our lives, from true business relationships, the passion and determination of our key workforce in keeping things running and appreciation of our family and friends, where unfortunately many have seen how short life can be.

All business matters, whether it be licensor, supplier or retailer; ultimately we all need to work together.”

Danny Schweiger, joint md, Character World “As most organisations restructure to make themselves relevant to the new world, all businesses will need to re-prioritise and work smarter than ever before.

We are all also facing many threats over the coming months including a potential second wave, future lockdowns and let’s not forget Brexit developments. Probably the biggest concern will be when government furlough support ends.

Coming together as a licensing community in person at exhibitions might be a challenge in the next 12 months, which won’t help as there is no replacement for face to face meetings.

Besides learning more flexible effective ways of Zoom working, I have really enjoyed the opportunity to get to know people better as they relax in their own homes.

From a business point of view the huge challenges we have all faced have created a more empathetic culture, while personally it is has been a fantastic opportunity to enjoy living at a slower pace while recalibrating the balance to my life.”

Right: The challenges we’ve faced have created a more empathetic culture, says Danny.

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LICENSEE FEEDBACK

Mark Tomlin, md, Bespoke 77 Innovations “We saw a huge spike in demand from online customers through our ‘Pick and Pack’ operation, such as Carluccio’s Italian Larder, Vytronix & Bespoke77.

We have been dispatching up to 8,000 packages per week. Our warehouse is large and the team have been able to support our clients safely by socially distancing and following government guidelines with anti-bacterial cleaning and hand washing.

Business with licensors has been fine, but from a retail perspective, the shutters have come down. We have had to find our own routes to retail and explore some new opportunities and collaborations such as a grow bag range with Spear & Jackson.

I think lead times will be a challenge, we have recognised this and have more local sources but will retail pay for this? Minimising the carbon footprint comes with a cost. The quality is superior but are we all prepared to pay? We should be. It’s going to take time before the public feel safe returning to public areas to shop. Lockdown has introduced a generation of internet shoppers and I wonder if this will strengthen the desire to continue to shop from home.

Conversations we were having prior to lockdown are now more important than ever.

Innovation, working partnerships, superior quality, long lasting, sustainable, desirable and a fair supply chain is our future.”

Left: Bespoke 77 has explored new collaborations such as a grow bag range with Spear & Jackson.

Faye-Louise Jobbins, md, Tikiboo “There have been two sides to this: on the one hand, we have seen an increase in customers as during lockdown a lot of people have turned to fitness and embracing home workouts.

On the other hand, we have experienced stock issues due to supply chain closures and have had to adapt the items we sell based on what we can physically make internally. We have still kept in touch with the majority of partners.

Obviously, with factory closures, we have not been able to make any new products, but we have lined up some exciting new licences during the lockdown period that we hope to

release later this year. We are lucky in the fact that we are online retailers and we have been fortunate that our fulfilment centre kept working throughout the whole lockdown period, meaning we could still sell what we currently had in stock. If we had a physical retail store, the company would have lost way too much money to continue after three months of no income.

I think now is a good time for the sector to be looking for new partners, and to explore partnerships with ecommerce-based brands, which is likely to be the future of retail for most.

We have previously experienced snobbery from certain licensed brands because we are only an online brand.

However, this mindset will need to change and adapt in this everchanging world in which we live in.”

Above: Tikiboo managed to roll out a new Care Bears collaboration during lockdown.

Rob Broadhurst, sales and licensing, Aykroyd & Sons “As most businesses will have found, there was a real challenge in trying to balance short and longer term decision making. The pausing of retail and the supply chain obviously caused an awful lot of issues in the immediacy, particularly around cash flow, staffing levels, etc. However, we also had to have an eye on development for AW20 and beyond– the government support policies were particularly helpful in this regard, particularly the furlough scheme.

One of the positives that we have found during all this, is the communication with our key partners, both retail and licensor, has been pretty much constant throughout and importantly, it has been bilateral.

Liaising with retail in the early days to manage our way through what was an extremely complicated situation, but throughout this the conversations around AW20 and SS21 development continued, which meant we were always able to look forwardrather than being mired in the day to day.

Quite a few consumer behaviour trends have been accelerated by the lockdown, particularly around online/mobile purchasing and digital consumption of media. I think the important conversations now need to be around how we bring the business model – incorporating both the product supply chain and the licensing model – up to speed to be able to service this properly.”

Left: Quite a few consumer behaviour trends have been accelerated by lockdown, says Rob.Jackson.

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LICENSEE FEEDBACK

Matt Reynolds, md, Little Brother Books “Most licensors have been pretty understanding of the challenges lockdown has brought to licensing deals this year. This has been very much appreciated. Obviously, support and understanding from both sides is Left: Most licensors needed to make sure a fair solution is have been pretty found on current licensing agreements understanding, and terms. says Matt.

Although a number of our retailers remained open during lockdown, customers were encouraged not to spend too much time in supermarkets and other specialty/value shops (and most other books retailers were closed) so they didn’t spend time ‘browsing’ for non-essential products (including most non-food categories), so therefore missing our impulse products. We also found that retailers were cautious on orders (or cancelled orders) because of this.

Minecraft and Fortnite have been our bestsellers during lockdown and we have finalised a number of new brands including O.M.G Dolls, Poopsie, 44 Cats and Kindi Kids.

It is still going to be a slow return to normal as long as government guidelines and restrictions are in place for retail. Therefore, I believe Christmas will see most retailers returning to some kind of ‘normal’.”

Maggie Calmels, owner, Licensed to Charm “We had to adopt new ways of working. Two of our small team are ‘sheltered’ so we shut our office/workshop/shop and are all working from home, and actually quite liking aspects of it. The biggest challenge has been getting our jewellery made – we are committed to UK manufacture and work with small suppliers and artisans, many of which had to close. Silver casting and gold plating have been the slowest to come back and are still not running at capacity so the lead times are longer.

Conversations [with partners] are ongoing.

We’ve had a very welcome contract extension agreed on due to the circumstances. Now we have new deals under discussion and have recently

Dan Grant, licensing director, Danilo “Like most businesses, Danilo has experienced a significant loss of turnover throughout the past three months. With the vast majority of retail stores being closed, there has been almost no demand for and also restricted supply of greeting card stocks generally. We have been fortunate that our key customers are Above: The sending the grocers and so some sales have of greeting cards has continued, albeit at a low level during been a positive uplift these testing times. during the pandemic, The flip side of this is that our online says Dan. sales have seen a massive uplift, which indicates that there is still a huge demand for greeting cards from consumers and that they are willing to use online options to source these. We are gradually seeing order levels returning to pre-lockdown levels with supermarkets restocking card fixtures and the high street retailers beginning to reopen again.

The sending of greeting cards is something that has seen a positive uplift during the pandemic, with many people sending cards to pass on messages of hope, condolence and praise to loved ones, friends or just people who have done something special during the crisis.

For me there are two big challenges ahead of us. Firstly, the return of retailers and consumers to our high streets and shopping malls. It’s difficult to know what the retail landscape will look like going forward with many retailers already struggling to survive before the crisis. The consumers will be key to this and so it will also be interesting to see if consumers are confident enough to return to shopping in bricks and mortar stores and whether they are confident enough to spend money during what is expected to be a fairly bleak few months on the job front.

Secondly, I’m keen to see how licensees will deal with the uncertainty we are experiencing at retail and once the government’s support on furloughing staff finishes.

Unfortunately, I think we will see a lot of businesses restructured across the licensing industry, so it’s important that we are all supporting each other where we can at this challenging time.”

managed a successful ‘virtual’ launch of our Miffy jewellery range with the help of our social team and the licensor.

Our shop is still shut, but we have some new ecommerce partners, and indie stores are starting to open so we are now actively looking for wholesale opportunities. A bit more flexibility on contract length and sales channels would also be welcome.”

Left: Licensed to Charm managed a successful ‘virtual’ launch of its Miffy jewellery range.

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KIDS INSIGHTS RESEARCH

Kids Insights takes a look at some of the trends which have emerged during lockdown, and what ramifications these could have on the licensing industry.

Inset: TikTok and Instagram were the number one and two apps with teens over the last three months.

Below: Animal Crossing features an open world with a strong social element which has proved popular during lockdown.

Altered images D

uring the pandemic, we have all had to adapt to many changes in our day-to-day lives. Social distance measures have meant many have had to work from home/home-school and have had to switch to online chat/video calls to keep in touch with loved ones and colleagues.

With kids the impact of COVID-19 has been significant and while we have been tracking how this has been affected in real-time, the longer term impact on them is still unknown. However, it is likely to be significant as childhood is such a critical time for shaping individuals attitudes, behaviour and consumption. And, of course, as brands and retailers innovate, bringing not only new products but in many ways new product categories, too, this means that they will be growing up with choices and options which previous generations did not have.

This will, of course, have significant impact on the licensing, merchandise and retail sectors. We track licensed related purchases across films, TV shows, gaming, sports and YouTubers. Before the COVID19 outbreak, we could see the rates which kids were purchasing licensed merchandise across all of those categories.

For instance, 31% of kids aged 3-5 were buying toys related to their favourite TV shows, 26% of 6-9s relating to their favourite movies and 20% of 13-15s buying video games relating to their favourite TV shows.

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Prior to lockdown, over three in four kids (77%) said they went to the cinema on a monthly basis and many kids were buying products relating to their favourite films; 26% of 6-9s buying toys, 18% books and 15% video games. But with cinemas having to shut their doors, many films have postponed their release date to later this year or have gone straight out to digital release.

Trolls: World Tour was the first major kids film to get released straight onto digital channels instead of the cinema. Our data shows that the title performed well, with one in ten kids watching the film since its release. As a result families are spending significantly less on the cinema experience, so is there an opportunity for studios and their licensing partners to consider a new product category which sees an integrated approach to content, merchandise and technologies to create an immersive experience for kids and parents to enjoy at home?

This year was also due to be a significant year for sports licensing with the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games and UEFA Euro 2020 due to take place. With the significant growth in esports that we have seen since the start of lockdown across all of the markets which we operate in, it will be interesting to see the impact on sports licensing

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KIDS INSIGHTS RESEARCH

Royale’, its non-combat social mode, in May after and if we will see the impact of esports on the success the month before with its live concert traditional sports and as a result the impact from a with Travis Scott and Diplo which had 12.3 million licensing, merchandise and sponsorship concurrent participants. New game Animal Crossing perspective. also features an open world with a strong social All of which means that when it comes to building element and has been popular during the fan engagement and fandom, brands need to lockdown, especially with older teen girls (seventh reconsider the engagement strategies which they most popular console game). Games that have build, and with limited resources and so many helped keep kids entertained throughout the channels to consider, defining and ultimately pandemic offering a understanding your sort of community target audience has are well placed to still never been more be popular after important. the pandemic, The R&A was thus offering ahead of the curve more opportunity when it changed to produce ‘The Open’ back licensed products to numbers rather after restrictions than years and are lifted. therefore is With many unaffected with businesses having to innovating in this postpone this situation, kids are year; could this still willing and become the new have been norm? Other buying products sporting brands relating to their have turned to favourite TV social media to shows, films and keep consumers games. Now that engaged. For we are coming instance, out of the Manchester City’s lockdown #CityzensatHome restrictions it will is providing online be interesting to fun and see what shorteducational activities for kids, Above: Lockdown has given children of all ages time to start watching a number of new TV shows. term adaptations will continue into the long-term. while Team GB’s isolation games sees athletes reOur real-time data and insights are designed to enacting personal bests on TikTok. These are great provide the most dynamic and comprehensive strategies to take with younger fans as TikTok is the view of the kid’s ecosystem, how it continues to number one app teens want to download over the evolve and what that means for brand owners, last three months, while Instagram is the second licensees and retailers to ensure that their favourite app they use. Therefore, these adaptations investments in advertising, content, licensing, are well placed to keep young fans engaged with marketing, product development and ultimately new content which always gives opportunities for sales are optimised. new licensing products. But according to our data, these might not be the right approaches.

Kids Insights, the global leader in kids’ market intelligence, surveys Video games are a popular pastime with kids pre more than 3,000 children every week, across four continents and nine countries, and more than 150,000 children a year. If you would like to and post COVID, with around 70% of kids playing download a complementary report identifying some of the changes it has seen, and with five predictions on how it thinks the kids, parents some sort of video game (either on console, PC, or and family ecosystem will change, visit www.kidsinsights.com/ac. mobile). Fortnite announced it would run ‘The Party LICENSING SOURCE BOOK EUROPE 2020

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LSB AWARDS A5 DPS Cats (NEW USE) 2020.qxp_Grid 07/07/2020 14:34 Page 22

To enter the 2020 Licensing Awards go to www.thelicensingawards.co.uk Wednesday December 16 2020 The Great Room, Grosvenor House Hotel, Park Lane, London, W1K 7TN Black Tie/Posh Frocks!

Ă“

The Awards 2020 Categories The Retail Award Categories

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Best Pre-School Retailer of Licensed Products (0-5) Best Kids Retailer of Licensed Products (5-16) Best Retailer of Adult Licensed Products The Radar Award- For retailers that have upped their Licensing activities in the last year l Best Licensed Retail Marketing Initiative l Best Overseas Retailer

For ticket information For information on reserving tickets or tables to the event please contact: Clare Hollick at Createvents Ltd using clare@createvents.co.uk or calling +44(0)1183 340085 Or if you would like to book your ticket or table online go to - www.max-tickets.net

Supported by Specialist Communication & PR Consultancy

Charity

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The Licensed Property Categories

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Best Pre-School Licensed Property (age group 0-5) Best Children’s or Tween Licensed Property (age group 5-12) Best Teen or Adult Licensed Property (age group 12 or above) Best Film Licensed Property Best Music or Celebrity Licensed Property Best Sports Licensed Property Best Classic Licensed Property Best Gaming Licensed property

Ó

l l l

Best Licensed Toys or Games Range Best Licensed Dress-up or Partywear Range Best Licensed Preschool Apparel Range Best Licensed Childrens Apparel Range Best Licensed Adult Apparel Range Best Licensed Written, Listening or Learning Range Best Licensed Paper Products or Stationery Range Best Licensed Giftware Range, Home Decor Range, Tableware or Housewares Range Best Licensed Food or Drink Range The Innovation Award The Sustainability Award

Ó

l l l l l l l l

The Product Award Categories

Other Awards

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UK Rising Star Award Best Licensed Promotions Campaign Honorary Achievement Award Best Licensed Live Event

category sponsors include

Misirli

creating essentials with flair

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THE BIG INTERVIEW: HASBRO

After the bold swoop for eOne last summer, Hasbro began 2020 by planning the integration of the two portfolios and teams – a task which would see preschool favourites such as Peppa Pig and PJ Masks become stablemates with evergreens such as Monopoly and high profile entertainment properties including Transformers.

LSB catches up with Marianne James, vp EMEA consumer products, for an update on the company’s first half of the year.

Blueprint for success

O

n December 31, 2019, Hasbro officially completed its acquisition of eOne, accelerating what chairman and ceo, Brian Goldner, referred to as the company’s ‘blueprint strategy’.

As Marianne James, vice president EMEA consumer products, explains to LSB, Hasbro now truly has something for everyone in its portfolio – from infant and preschool through to older kids, adults and families.

“We focus our consumer products activities around the Brand Blueprint, which is our strategic framework for bringing our brands to life in exciting new ways,” she says, echoing Brian’s comments from his acquisition statement. “The Brand Blueprint is our North Star to create immersive, 360-degree experiences for our audiences. We’re focused on deeper consumer engagement, innovative brand and product experiences and increasingly expansive opportunities for our portfolio.”

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LICENSING SOURCE BOOK EUROPE 2020

Inset: Marianne says that Hasbro is excited to explore preschool themes and play patterns with brands including Peppa Pig and Ricky Zoom Left: Marianne James, vice president EMEA consumer products at Hasbro.

Below left: Nerf has seen strong momentum across multiple categories, in particular across apparel and home in the UK.

Marianne continues: “Each brand activates the Blueprint differently, but every day, we work to unlock the maximum value of our brands by igniting the full Blueprint. It’s really all about leveraging these great story driven properties to deliver new ways to play for fans of all ages and creating exciting experiences both at retail and online for fans to enjoy all around the world.”

The start of 2020 began with the excitement and planning for the integration of the Hasbro and eOne portfolios. Marianne – who has a history of success working with high profile preschool brands during her tenure at Nickelodeon (now ViacomCBS Consumer Products) – tells LSB: “We’re particularly excited to drive deeper in preschool and explore themes and play patterns complementary to our existing brands. Ricky Zoom, PJ Masks and, of course, Peppa Pig, are standouts, and we have more brands in development.”

While there is no official announcement as yet on the internal structure, Marianne tells us: “We’re

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THE BIG INTERVIEW: HASBRO

Marianne offers: “With some retailers still closed now one fully integrated licensing team, operating and even when they do re-open, operating under as one, meaning we have new organisational social distancing rules, more and more consumers structure to support our expanded portfolio across will turn to online shopping and we’re ready to EMEA, with a good mix of talent brought over from embrace that with our product offering and what was the eOne team and the Hasbro team to promotional mix. make up one “As consumer behaviour powerhouse of a team changes, we are also seeing for the UK.” growth in Food, Health & As well as the eOne Wellness, Personal Care, brands, Hasbro is also Puzzles & Games, Home seeing great Goods and Classic Play from momentum with Nerf in our Vault brands like multiple categories Spirograph and Lite Brite.” across the region, and Looking at the remainder of in particular in the UK 2020 and into 2021, a key across apparel and focus is on achieving a home. In addition, “smooth and compelling” Marianne promises integration of the new some “exciting” combined portfolio into collaborations and retail, says Marianne. announcements “Our brand portfolio is our planned for later in the strength that will set us up year and through 2021 for success in 2021 to to celebrate the activate in adjacent retail Monopoly brand’s Inset: Monopoly celebrates its 85th anniversary in 2021. channels to the traditional 85th anniversary. and boldly lead the market in As consumer a 360 approach from consumer products, digital, behaviour changes due to the COVID-19 pandemic, experiential, content and brand marketing,” Marianne is keen to highlight that Hasbro she concludes. recognises the need to remain agile, diversifying its category focus and mix to address the changing needs of the world. One example of this has been Home-based fun the introduction of the Bring Home the Fun Hasbro announced the launch of Bring Home the Fun in initiative (see separate box out), while the March in response to millions of families worldwide adjusting to staying at home. company also has an eye on the ecomms and The global initiative was created to further Hasbro’s value channel.

Right: Hasbro now has something for everyone in its portfolio, says Marianne - from infant and preschool through to older kids, adults and families.

purpose to ‘make the world a better place for children and their families’ by providing parents and caregivers resources to help keep kids occupied and engaged during extended time at home and indoors.

The site – www.bringhomethefun.com - includes a raft of family-focused resources such as tips for family playtime, activity challenges, ideas for using games and toys to stimulate kids’ brains and suggestions on how to cope with emotional stress.

Hasbro’s brands and content are used to help parents and caregivers find inspiration for not only bringing the power of play into homes, but also keeping an emphasis on fun and creativity.

Crafts using Play-Doh compounds, trickshot challenges which get kids active with Nerf blasters, plus content from Transformers, Power Rangers and My Little Pony and others are all featured.

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THE BIG INTERVIEW: ONLINE RETAIL SUCCESSES

A major effect of COVID-19 has been the acceleration of online shopping. LSB spoke to three online retailers – TruffleShuffle, Character.com and Moonpig - ahead of the high streets fully re-opening to find out how business had been for them during the three months of lockdown.

Off the streets A

surge in online retail sales was one of the immediate effects of all non-essential bricks and mortar retailers being closed on March 23 when the UK entered lockdown.

For companies such as TruffleShuffle, Character.com and Moonpig, this afforded a number of opportunities alongside the challenges of how they could continue to operate safely and efficiently.

“We have been busier since lockdown started, made more challenging with social distancing and sanitation, but we feel like we’re on top of things and can happily operate at an increased level of demand for the foreseeable future,” Pat Wood, md of TruffleShuffle tells LSB. The company relocated all office staff to work from home at the beginning of March, giving more breathing space for its warehouse staff and helping to ease the pinch points of toilets and welfare areas.

“We are firmly concentrating on providing our current customers with a safe and confident

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Inset: Character.com’s Stephen Hewitt (pictured with buying director, Karen Hewitt) says conversations need to be had about the structural shift to online purchasing and how permanent that is going to be.

purchasing experience at this moment,” Pat continues. “Supply chain issues bear a big risk to us. A lot of suppliers closed down during lockdown which meant we had to make some significant supply chain changes to ensure continuity of stocks. I did an interview at the start of lockdown saying how difficult it was buying stock, and had a flurry of new suppliers contact us – so anyone reading this with relevant stock to sell to TruffleShuffle, please email me.”

Stephen Hewitt, md of Character.com, says that, as an online retailer, it is well placed to survive, but the safety and wellbeing of its staff was always front of mind. “This meant a huge shift to home working for our office-based staff and a major change in warehouse operations to incorporate social distancing and increased cleaning measures in order for us to keep operating,” he comments. “I think we have seen, over the last few months, a major change in UK retail and the way customers will shop going forward.

The push to online/home delivery has taken that final step and is now the first choice channel rather than going in store and I think this will continue post coronavirus.”

Stephen continues: “Despite pulling almost all marketing activity for the last few months Left: TruffleShuffle’s Pat Wood says that supply chain issues bear a big risk.

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THE BIG INTERVIEW: ONLINE RETAIL SUCCESSES

we have experienced very strong demand, but we have had to balance that with more limited fulfilment capacity due to social distancing procedures and more limited supply options.

Nevertheless we have continued on our long-term growth trajectory with a 40% increase in sales compared to the same period last year.”

Stephen believes that a key conversation the licensing industry should be having needs to be about the structural shift to online purchasing and how permanent that is going to be. He points out: “It's highly likely that social distancing will be in place until the end of the year including the key Christmas period and that is going to push ever more customers into the online channel - so anyone who doesn't have a strategy to maximise online sales will struggle.”

Above: Sentiment brands like Boofle have sold well for Moonpig, while Moonpig’s head of Dad’s Army and Star Wars were top performers for Father’s Day. cards and licensing, Sarah-Jane Porter says the retailer has seen a “significant increase” in customer demand since lockdown started, with people using greeting cards as a way to stay connected with loved ones. It rolled

out a number of product innovations, such as eCards to support instant greetings as well as a new stay at home range which now represents 10% of its sales. “Our app downloads have more than tripled since before the lockdown, including a period where we ranked as number one app on the app store,” S-J adds.

Moonpig’s challenge for the next few months will be retaining the new customers who tried the company for the first time during lockdown, S-J says, so it needs to offer a superior experience and range. “I think the licensing sector needs to be supporting the licensees and retailers getting back on their feet, as I'm sure they will be.

Empathy will be key while adjusting to what the new normal might look like. They will also need to explore how they can better support online businesses by facilitating conversations between their licensees and etailers to ensure an online presence.”

S-J concludes: “Business wise what we’re seeing is that the lockdown has accelerated the penetration of online greeting cards by two to three years for the industry which is very exciting for us.”

Lockdown top sellers “We’ve seen a lot of sentiment driven brands coming through since lockdown such as Me to You and Boofle with editorial such as ‘Across the miles’, as well as superhero cards,” says Moonpig’s S-J. “We had a record-breaking Mother’s Day with triple digit growth while for Father’s Day, Dad’s Army and Star Wars were the best performers.”

Over on Character.com, PAW Patrol has been especially popular, says Stephen, due to the NHS promotion: “Nick Jr approached us about collaborating on a project to raise funds for the NHS and we jumped at the chance to make a contribution. All profits from the PAW Patrol Heroes NHS t-shirt will go directly to the NHS Charities Together and we have had a fantastic response from our customers via email and on social and it's still selling very well so we should be able to make a significant contribution.” In addition, “long-term strong performers like Peppa Pig and Harry Potter continue to do well for us, as well as others such as Bing and Minecraft,” Stephen says.

TruffleShuffle’s Pat, meanwhile, tells LSB that it has been selling “lots of pyjamas” with The Lion King and Star Wars selling particularly well.

LICENSING SOURCE BOOK EUROPE 2020

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Our portfolio is broad, here's a snapshot of some of our clients...

ENTERTAINMENT

sing

LIFESTYLE

ration h Riva

SPORT

plg.com

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01/07/2020 17:15

Our Services •Global reach •Brand & Retail Strategy •Account Management •Creative Services •Product Development •Traditional & Non-Traditional Licensing

Aquafresh PAW Patrol promotion

Pink Panther creative development and design

Peanuts collaboration with Riva

For further details email us at hello@cplg.com

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01/07/2020 17:15

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RETAIL ROUND-UP

Inset: The Alice Archer collaboration includes fashion, accessories and homeware.

Below left: John has joined the Boots baby team at a key time for the business.

Although many bricks and mortar stores have been closed for the past three months, with sales moving online, activity and initiatives which have an impact on the licensing sector have still been taking place. LSB rounds up a selection.

Street fighting John Carolan takes on new role at Boots After 12 years, John Carolan has left his role at Tu clothing at Sainsbury’s Argos for a new challenge.

John – who was head of buying across menswear, womenswear and childrenswear at the grocer, dealing with a number of key licences during his tenure – has joined the team at Walgreens Boots Alliance as head of baby.

Speaking about his time at Tu, John commented: “It’s been a brilliant 12 years in which I’ve learnt loads, worked alongside so many brilliant people, and been privileged to build and lead some outstanding teams.

“Tu has been a truly great place to work, building a brand with some amazing, inspiring people, some of whom will be friends for life. I feel privileged to have worked for such a unique and iconic brand and wish everyone at Tu, Sainsbury’s, Argos and all the supply partners the very best for the future.”

Speaking about his new role, John said: “I feel really privileged to be joining a business with such heritage and focus on the customer, which is particularly key at this time of economic and environmental change.”

Anthropologie teams with Alice Archer

High street retailer Anthropologie has collaborated with British fashion designer, Alice Archer on a new 20-piece collection.

Including fashion, accessories and homeware, the collaboration has been inspired by a trip to Sissinghurst Castle and its white rose gardens and reflects Alice’s feminine and romantic style.

The fashion line features classic cotton, silks, tulle, satins and Broderie Anglaise across the likes of dresses and tulle skirts. Meanwhile, accessories include green and pink leather mules, floral scarves, hairclips, headbands and floral scrunchies.

Homeware includes a bedding set, floral dining chairs and cushions.

Gill McCulloch, buying director for Anthropologie Europe, commented: “Alice Archer is celebrated for creativity and craftsmanship, a philosophy that resonates with Anthropologie’s own ethos.

“Her creative use of colour, embroidery and print along with her elegant approach to design is a natural fit for Anthropologie and our customer.”

The Hut Group looking to float?

The Hut Group – which owns beauty brands such as ESPA, Illamasqua and Glossy Box – is reportedly eyeing up a £5 billion IPO. The Manchester-based company – which also owns Myprotein, plus fashion brands such as Coggles and AllSole – has been holding meetings with a series of high profile private investors, according to The Sunday Times, which it says is a prelude to a float.

Over the past decade, founder Matthew Moulding has grown the group through a series of acquisitions and through white labelling its technology to other beauty brands, via its THG Ingenuity arm.

Earlier in June, it reported that its sales had exceeded £1 billion in the year to Above: Founder Matthew Moulding has significantly grown The Hut Group over December 31, 2019. the past decade.

It has recently signed deals with Elemis, PZ Cussons Beauty, Burt’s Bees, Nuxe, By Terry and Revolution Beauty to power their direct to consumer strategies. The £100m partnerships add to names including Nestlé and Procter & Gamble in the THG Ingenuity roster.

In response to the latest rumours, the company stated: “Each year THG speaks to major global investors about future investment. This has always been done as a private company and this year is no different.”

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RETAIL ROUND-UP

Skinnydip bedding line makes John Lewis debut

The new Skinnydip homewares line is already proving popular with customers at John Lewis, having launched exclusively with the retailer in June.

The range of bedroom décor – which has been created by textile specialist Ashley Wilde, following a deal brokered by Attachment Licensing – has kicked off with duvet and pillow cases, with cushions also due to launch. Items feature the prints and embellishments which Skinnydip has become known for including palm leaves, peaches and cherubs.

“We wanted to bring some light-hearted fun to the bedroom with a range of bright, bold and quirky designs,” commented Zoe Stewart, John Lewis Partner and buyer of decorative bed linens, on The Evening Standard. “As soon as we saw the brand we loved it. It’s something different to what we have seen before and wanted to share this element of fun with our customers.”

Charlotte Clisby, md licensing at Attachment, added: “We are Above: Homeware is a natural fit for the Skinnydip brand. incredibly excited to have partnered Skinnydip with Ashley Wilde to develop this brilliant range.

“Homeware seemed such a natural fit for Skinnydip and something their audience was excited for. The reaction from customers since we launched exclusively with John Lewis has exceeded expectations and we are keen to explore what else Skinnydip can do in this space.”

The Entertainer opens first Far East store Below: Plans are in place for further

expansion across Malaysia before Christmas.

Ambitious toy retailer, The Entertainer has further expanded its international presence, opening its first store in the Far East.

Working with Kim Hin Joo (Malaysia) Bhd as its franchise partner for the territory, The Entertainer has opened its first store near Kuala Lumpur and plans are already in place for further expansion across Malaysia before Christmas with two more stores confirmed.

The Entertainer operates in ten other territories across the globe and the move into the Far East is a significant one for the group, with international expansion being key to its long-term growth strategy.

“We are extremely excited to have taken The Entertainer into the Far East and it marks a significant milestone for our global expansion strategy,” said Gary Grant, founder and chief executive of The Entertainer.

“We are working with a great partner who has extensive knowledge of the category and the region and we are confident that The Entertainer will achieve great things in the Far East.”

The toy retailer has also welcomed a brace of new hires during lockdown – Geoff Sheffield has joined as buying director, while Pablo Badia is now country manager for POLY, its chain of 44 toy stores in Spain.

Pineapple x The Next Step clothing dances into Next

Boat Rocker Studios’ successful tween dance drama, The Next Step, has landed online at UK fashion retailer Next, with the co-branded Pineapple X The Next Step girls dance wear range.

The range features seven skus, including bra tops, leggings, hot pants, cropped t-shirts and a hoodie. The collection is proving to be popular and exceeding sales Above: The Pineapple x TNS range expectations across the full has been selling well for Next. range. Currently leading skus include the pink crop t-shirt and black leggings.

The Pineapple x TNS range initially launched last October following the ongoing success of The Next Stepthemed workshops held at Pineapple’s famous Covent Garden studio. Products were available from Pineapple’s store and its online web shop.

“We are delighted with the performance of the Pineapple x The Next Step exclusive capsule collection of girls’ clothing, which is exceeding all expectations,” said Debbie Moore, ceo of Pineapple Dance Studios and designer of the Pineapple x TNS range. “It was a natural progression to place the collection with Next online, where our bestselling women’s and girls’ wear have already been selling well for a year.”

Kate Schlomann, evp brand management and content marketing at Boat Rocker Studios, added: “The Next Step and Pineapple Studios have fantastic synergy making perfect partners. We are delighted that Next have listed the range, and its early success is testament to the power of the partnership and popularity of both brands.”

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THE BIG INTERVIEW: WILDBRAIN CPLG

Last year saw stalwart of the licensing agency landscape, CPLG change its trading name to WildBrain CPLG, reflecting a unified and closer alignment between the agency and WildBrain’s other business units. LSB catches up with Maarten Weck, evp and md, to find out what this means, how it has coped during the COVID-19 lockdown and what the remainder of 2020 could look like.

Inset: The team at WildBrain CPLG has an “unparalleled wealth” of brand building know-how, says Maarten.

Below: The agency has extended its EMEA agreement with Spin Master to include additional IP such as Bakugan.

Centre right: Cleaningtechnology brand Kärcher has been added to the Lifestyle portfolio.

Call of the Wild

T

he past year has brought about some significant changes in the world of WildBrain CPLG. With the ceo of its parent company, Eric Ellenbogen realising the company would benefit from a unifying brand, first up was the name change, bringing it in line with the WildBrain family and underlining its close working relationship with all of the company’s business units.

Management changes have seen promotions for John Taylor and Pau Pascual to vice presidents of Northern Europe and Southern Europe respectively, while the introduction of the

Above: WildBrain owns a majority stake in the Peanuts franchise.

Inset: The multi-territory renewal with Perfetti van Melle included Chupa Chups.

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new WildBrain CPLG Lifestyle division - headed up by Victoria Whellans - has given dedicated focus to the corporate and lifestyle properties within its portfolio.

Maarten Weck, evp and md of WildBrain CPLG, explains to LSB: “Our team has made significant strides in synergising the efforts of our licensees and retailers across Europe, but it felt there would always be some differences in management style and priorities. By splitting Europe into two management regions, we feel we are better equipped to realise this and grow our offering within Europe.

“I believe this synergy equips us to think global and act local – ‘glocal’ as we like to call it. The wider WildBrain organisation is now much more joined up than ever before and we are seeing the benefits of that every day.”

Earlier this year also saw Steve Manners stepping into the role of vp business development across the WildBrain Spark (the digital kids network and studio) and WildBrain CPLG units, marking the first hybrid management position for the company.

Maarten believes that the new structure makes WildBrain CPLG much better equipped to be real brand builders. Indeed, the company has continued to build on the success it enjoyed in 2019 in key territories, firming up its portfolio in the first half of 2020.

It has extended its deal with Hasbro to include the Nordics and Benelux markets, taken on representation of YouTube superstars Vlad & Niki in

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THE BIG INTERVIEW: WILDBRAIN CPLG

a great development and indicator that our EMEA and Russia, and extended its licensees are not just waiting for better EMEA agreement with Spin days; they are actively investing in a Master to include additional IP brighter future and we are very such as Toca Boca and Bakugan. supportive of that,” says Maarten.

In addition, it secured a multiThe overarching aim for WildBrain CPLG territory renewal for Perfetti van in 2020 and into 2021 remains to maintain Melle’s confectionary brands its growth path.

Chupa Chups and Mentos, as Maarten also has a message for the well as having Smint added to wider industry: “I am hoping that its remit for Europe. everybody is safe and Additionally, it has been appointed healthy and I really to represent Sanrio’s character believe our industry will brands including Hello Kitty for come out of this COVID Iberia and Germany and secured a period stronger than new deal with Plaster Partners to before. If we support each represent the iconic 1980s fitness other as best as we can, I am confident that, in the expert Richard Simmons worldwide. long run, the vast majority of the industry will “I am very excited to announce that we have survive. While it will never be truly the same, signed a deal with The Metropolitan Museum of Art innovative thinking and a quick, flexible adaptation to exclusively represent the iconic New York to the changes will be crucial. As long institution in EMEA,” Maarten as we approach this as a joint and adds enthusiastically. collaborative effort in which we can all WildBrain CPLG has also depend on and support one another, focused on making sure it we will achieve a brighter future.” balances its portfolio with local rights. Maarten says: “For example, in the UK we The WildBrain family now represent Banijay’s popular TV brands, such as Within WildBrain, there are the following business units: The Inbetweeners and The Crystal Maze, and also WildBrain Spark, the digital kids network and studio; HarperCollins Children’s Books’ classic The Tiger WildBrain Studios based in Vancouver where animation is Who Came to Tea. And in our Lifestyle portfolio for realised, and in Toronto where the company’s development team and a live action production team are Europe, we’ve recently added cleaning-technology based; a global Distribution arm which sells first and thirdbrand Kärcher. We also are currently in final party content worldwide; and WildBrain Television, which negotiations on several other IP.” owns and operates a number of Canadian TV channels.

The business hasn’t been unaffected by the In addition, WildBrain also owns a majority stake in the Peanuts franchise, based out of New York. pandemic, however. Maarten explains that the “The breadth of WildBrain’s offering gives us company’s primary focus has been making sure deep experience and a unique, global view staff are safe and able to work from home, and across the entertainment IP market,” says it has remained fully operational. Keeping in Maarten. “This extends from the seed of a content idea, through to its production and close contact with licensors, licensees and distribution across the world, to having our own retailers has been key, and Maarten says it has linear channels, and also being able to activate been great to see the resilience of the and advertise digitally via WildBrain Spark, which averages over 3.5 billion views industry during this time. per month on YouTube. And we “After the initial shock, our complete the circle by business has bounced creating consumer back. Of course we product programmes.

We do all of this not only expect to feel some for our own brands, but impact of the closure of also for numerous thirdretail in our Q2 royalties and we party brands. This gives brand owners a unique set of options to all know that soft lines have been strategically partner with one, hit especially hard. However, we’re Inset: Above: 1980’s several, or all of the above business fitness expert Richard also seeing a very high level of new units to enhance their brand offering.”

Simmons is a new addition to the business and not only in classic brands, WildBrain CPLG roster. but in some newer brands too. For us this is LICENSING SOURCE BOOK EUROPE 2020

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LICENSOR FEEDBACK

Property matters From switching licensee presentations and workshops to Zoom, through to creating special content featuring their characters to help parents suddenly needing to home-school as well as work, licensors and IP owners have stepped up during the crisis. LSB catches up with some to get their views on the past few months.

Natalie Harvey, executive director of sales, Acamar Films “While it is an unprecedented and unusual period, our approach is ‘business as usual’ within the boundaries of what we are dealing with on a daily and weekly basis. We are still keeping all meetings (converting the physical ones into video conferences, although many of our meetings with agents were already using Zoom), and moving ahead on our various workstreams.

On top of this we are, of course, assessing the situation’s impact on our business and on our partners all the time. We have a close relationship with our agents, licensees and retail partners and feel we’re very much in this together. The benefit of being an independent and smaller company is that we can be agile.

We are so pleased to have been able to close some deals during this

period, but there are some categories of the business which are clearly affected, such as experiential.

Being a content-first business focused on our audience, we need to continue delivering. At the start of April we launched a ‘Staying at Home Together’ initiative across our social media channels and websites in the UK, Italy, Poland, Spain and the Netherlands. We want to help families keep their young children engaged and entertained and it’s been a real success, both with our audience and our partners. Retailers and experiential partners in particular have been delighted and grateful for the quick turnaround support which enables them to keep close to their own customers.”

Left: The benefit of being an independent and smaller company is that we can be agile, says Natalie.

Talia Tester, licensing manager, Carte Blanche Greetings

Inset: Me to You is a safe evergreen brand which brings people together, says Talia.

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“Maintaining constant contact with partners has been key. As we have a presence in multiple territories it has been vital for us to check-in daily with our key partners on the ground to understand the situation as it evolves in each market. For me, it has really reinforced the sense of partnership within our company and the wider industry and the mentality that whatever we face, we are all in this together.

We pride ourselves on our partnerships so we were very keen to support and strategise together, staying reactive to the ever-changing situation. While we were all (rightly) cautious at the start of lockdown, it definitely feels that there has been an optimistic shift and people are now looking ahead. The market is starting to settle and conversations regarding SS21 are progressing.

We are very fortunate that due to the seasonal nature of our core brand, Me to You, we have been able to proceed with planned cross-category events around key moments and continue to progress deals with new licensees.

With the growth of online business we have also been able to focus on promotions with our print on demand retailers and see the immediate benefits of this. Me to You is relied upon by retailers and consumers alike, it’s a safe, evergreen brand which brings people together, something which is even more important right now.”

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LICENSOR FEEDBACK

Alex Sanson, marketing executive, Magic Light Pictures “Within a few short days the majority of our marketing activations for the year were being postponed indefinitely, that meant we had to refocus our attention online. We quickly set up a new strategy to keep our fans engaged online and this strategy has been responsible for increasing our following by 30% so far.

We recently held our biannual licensee workshop via Zoom. We had to approach the event in an entirely different way, and decided to divide our licensees into four groups and run the session several times over a day. This gave each licensee greater opportunity to talk and gave us the space to hear and respond to each of them - recognising their successes and their concerns, especially in light of recent events.

Despite the pandemic many of our licensees remain positive, indeed the strength of the brand has set us in good stead and we have signed a handful of new licences in the UK, a number of renewals and a total of six new licences in Italy.

The initial shock of COVID-19 and lockdown brought a lot of nonessential purchasing to a standstill.

However, many of our licensees reported that good sales resumed after the first couple of weeks. This was especially the case for toys and games, and eventually loungewear too.

Indeed, during our recent licensee workshop a number of partners mentioned online retailers having their 'second Christmas'.”

Rikesh Desai, licensing director for merchandise and gaming, BBC Studios “On the whole, we’ve been able to continue with almost all of our long-term planning for this autumn and next spring, with the exception of a few summer initiatives which have either been cancelled, or postponed.

However, we’ve been able to press ahead with exciting new ventures, like our new multi-platform story for Doctor Who, Time Lord Victorious. We have a host of brilliant partners involved, spanning novels, audio drama, comics, live events, gaming and merchandise.

Our gaming team also announced Doctor Who: Edge of Time. We’ve expanded our existing deal with our Hey Duggee soft lines partner Aykroyd & Sons and TDP to include daywear, in addition to nightwear rights.

We’ve also signed Amscan International to create dress-up and partyware for Hey Duggee.

As the road to revenue recovery starts, the industry needs to think about how we navigate a number of major consumer shifts. These include customer’s reducing their spend and focusing more on value, with discretionary products and services being the most affected. With product demand and revenue outlook appearing uncertain, we will need to stimulate recovery through targeted offers, flexible deal terms and marketing spend optimisation.

Lockdown has nudged the world even more toward the digital space and we’ve seen some of our brands reap rewards from this.

For example, Hey Duggee’s digital presence rocketed Left: The industry during lockdown. will need to Sustainability navigate a number of major consumer needs to remain shifts, says Rikesh. firmly in everyone’s sights too as climate change isn’t going away.”

Inset: Many of The Gruffalo’s licensees remain positive, says Alex.

Venetia Davie, vice president, UK and Ireland, ViacomCBS Consumer Products

Below: The biggest unknown is around consumer confidence and spending, says Venetia.

“Our partners have been fantastic. Despite having to deal with their own supply chain challenges, staff furloughs and new market conditions on an almost daily basis, I have to credit our licensees and retail partners for being so responsive. They’ve taken the time to connect with our teams and are at once focused on maximising the short-term and planning out 2021.

The biggest unknown will be around consumer confidence and consumer spending. We’re coming out of a bubble and have seen consumers queueing around the block to get back into shops like Primark and Sports Direct. What we haven’t seen is the economic impact of people coming off furlough and the effect lockdown has had on the economy. Will consumers feel as buoyant by September and how will this impact consumer spend as we move into the allimportant Q4?

It takes a crisis to remind you of humanity. I hope that the things we’ve valued during lockdown, and the strength of our relationships as a result, remain for years to come.”

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SILC 2020 Sustainability A5 advert.qxp_Layout 1 18/06/2020 02:28 Page 20

THE FIRST EVER CONFERENCE IN THE WORLD DEDICAT A ED TO SUSTA AT T INABILITY IN LICENSING TA Breaking new ground in the licensing industry, y the Sustainability in y, Licensing Conference 2020, to be staged at The British Libra r ry (London) ra on We W dnesday 25 Nov ove ov vember 2020, is aimed at eve v ryo ve y ne in the licensing yo arena, from retailers to licensors, licensees to tra r de suppliers. ra Being launched by Max Publishing (publishers of Licensing Source Book, LicensingSource.net and organisers of The Licensing Aw A ards and the B&LLAs) along with Helena Mansell-Stopher, r experienced licensing executive and founder r, of the Products of Change group, the Sustainability in Licensing Conference (SILC 2020) will inspire and inform as to how our dynamic sector can continue to innovate and grow commercially while not costing the planet.

The cost per delegate to attend including lunch is ÂŁ245 + VA VAT AT To T o book your place you can either go online www.m max-ttickets.n net or contact Clare Hollick at Createvents Ltd using clarevents.co.uk or calling +44(0)1183 340085

For sponsorship or other enquiries contact Ian Hyder or Rob Willis on +44 (0)207 700 6740 or by email ianh@max-publishing.co.uk robw@max-publishing.co.uk

Join with SILC 2020 to help future-proof our industry and our world.

www.SustainabilityInLicensing.com

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INDUSTRY ISSUE: SUSTAINABILITY

The

change makers Helena Mansell-Stopher, founder of Products of Change as well as conference director and curator of November’s inaugural Sustainability in Licensing Conference, highlights some of the latest developments across the licensing industry, as new ways of sustainable working continue to be introduced.

I

sit here on World Environment Day (Friday June 5) looking back at the last few months.

Society and business have been disrupted beyond belief, but on the flip side of this is just how quickly we have adapted.

With us not being able to travel, the world is experiencing the sharpest drop in carbon output since records began, globally down 17% and a staggering 31% reduction for the UK. This reduction (though I understand short lived) shows that when we change our habits, we can make a positive impact on the environment.

The largest societal change we are experiencing is our working environment. For decades many have been pushing for more flexible working around families, mental health and wellbeing with companies not trusting enough to release the shackles to increase working from home. On average companies spend around 10% of annual turnover on rent; imagine if this saving could be transferred to looking at more sustainable business practices for the future.

Throughout the last three months, the Products of Change network has continued connecting and looking at how we drive sustainable change within the industry. One of our latest developments has been to create a working group within packaging signposting, to align across multiple industries, NGOs and retail. The group will form a lobbying committee direct to central government. Peter Rooke, cmo at Change Plastic for

Above: The Products of Change network has been holding regular Zoom meetings throughout lockdown.them.

Below: Lyfcycle sources and manufactures solely from recycled and or sustainable materials.

Good, is leading this group and comments: “We all have seen the positive impact that people can make when they are inspired by making a change. For all our futures we need to reduce and improve the type of packaging of all products we consume.

I’m delighted to be able to lead the packaging group of POC to ensure we provide the future insight and resources on how our industry can lead the world in reusing, recycling and biodegrading all packaging materials.”

As many are aware, fashion is the second most polluting industry: 10% of global carbon emissions stem from the industry and a staggering 85% of all clothing ends up in landfill or incinerated. There is also a severe lack of transparency; if we don’t have full LICENSING SOURCE BOOK EUROPE 2020

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INDUSTRY ISSUE: SUSTAINABILITY

transparency how can we change things? It’s a complicated fix, but there are many new innovations and solutions coming through. For example, we were very proud to invite Lyfcycle to join the POC group and present the amazing work it is driving in this space.

Lyfcycle sources and manufactures solely from recycled and or sustainable materials, all garments have recycled labels, trims and packaging. Transparency is delivered to the customer through a QR code revealing the garment’s journey from fibre source, fabric mill and garment factory. Lyfcycle’s true genius, however, is with the waste management, priding itself on a zero-waste production.

We are seeing the wave of change within the industry picking up momentum, with retail demanding more transparency and licensors looking at working closely with their partners to deliver more sustainable solutions.

Look at the Natural History Museum, BBC Earth and The Eden Project leading the way, and more traditional entertainment companies are catching up.

This movement isn’t just being led by licensors - the licensees are all looking at solutions, too.

Amscan, for example has just launched the first 100% sustainable Halloween costumes - the six designs have been made from fully recycled materials with no virgin material being used in production. The garments can also be recycled as the detailing is provided through sublimation printing. When recycling goods, you need the products to be made from as few elements as possible, as the largest issues arise when you can’t separate the materials. Amscan taking its production to the next level by enabling the product to be fully circular. Meaning no waste and products being able to go back into production through recycling is a wonderful example of how to make profitable, sustainable, regenerative products.

I have also learnt how The Ink Group is leading innovation with content creation. Its new brand

Above: Ink’s ZAFARI brand has been created using new energy saving technology.

Below: Amscan has introduced the first 100% sustainable Halloween costume.

Bottom: Natural History Museum’s sustainable capsule collaboration with Finisterre is inspired by the companies shared love of the oceans.

ZAFARI has not only been produced in alignment with the United Nations 17 Sustainable Development Goals, but has been created using new energy saving technology. Ink has worked closely with Epic Games, which won an Emmy in 2018 for the Unreal Engine, a technology that reduces energy usage in production through the rendering process. By using the technology, The Ink Group has been able to reduce the power usage by 50%.

Not only is it delivering sustainable content, but backing that up with actual energy saving.

In our last Products of Change meeting we discussed how licensors, manufacturers and retailers could work together to standardise packaging elements such as swing tags. If there was a standard size across the industry instead of multiple die-cut shapes and sizes, this would allow a licensee to save on waste at the production stage.

Do we even need swing tags as many items have two (one for the retail and a second from the brand)?

With companies now emerging into the ‘new normal’ and wanting to dedicate more time and resource to understanding better sustainable practices, maybe this is the time to build some industry standards that help us all reach our sustainability goals together.

The inaugural Sustainability in Licensing Conference is due to take place on Wednesday November 25 at The British Library in London. The oneday event is aiming to provide a framework and understanding for licensing businesses to start their sustainable journey. You can find out more and register to attend here: www.sustainabilityinlicensing.com.

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DOWNES & OUT

Ian Downes, md of Start Licensing, believes that there are a number of learnings which the licensing industry can take from the ‘age of lockdown’ – and these could potentially provide further encouragement for the future.

Inset: Primus linked with online seller Olive and Sage to help promote its Shaun the Sheep metal garden statues during lockdown.

Below: Rose Marketing created some eyecatching in-store activations with retailers like Lidl.

The

long-term view T

he business of licensing has changed dramatically in these lockdown days.

Normally when I write this article and my weekly Licensing Lookout I am able to report from the high street and comment on what I have seen in shops. As you might expect, my Looking Out has been severely curtailed and my shopping focus has been on essential shopping for my 79 year old mum.

There hasn't been much retail dwell time as I power round Sainsbury's buying Dried Apricots, Seeded Loaf (small) and Mixed Nuts (large). I can confirm that there are no examples of licensing to be found in the Dried Apricot section. Yet. I normally look for examples of good practice in licensing to champion in these pages. This has been a lot harder over the last few months. That said I do think there are a few learnings that are emerging from the ‘Age of Lockdown Licensing’ which might provide some further encouragement for the future.

One opportunity I see ahead is licensing being used by more companies as a kickstarter for their businesses. One of the principles of licensing is that a well-established licence brings with it a readymade consumer audience and a certain amount of marketing momentum. Many businesses which are

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Digital moves Being adaptable has always been a key feature of licensing. I think companies have got smarter in how they use digital marketing to support their brands and licensing partners. There have been numerous examples of companies re-purposing content and 'home filming' new content. In my work with our client Aardman we have been very active in working with licensees to promote products. In some cases licensees have linked up with online sellers. For example, Primus which markets Wallace & Gromit and Shaun the Sheep metal garden statues, linked with specialist online seller Olive and Sage to run an online promotion.

Aardman has worked hard over the years to build up its 'fan communities' on platforms like Facebook.

This investment has paid off in current times. I think there is scope for more developments in this sector for the licensing industry.

planning their strategy for recovery and looking at ways of re-building their businesses, may well be persuaded to look at licensing in a new light. For some businesses, accessing and using a wellchosen licence may well be a marketing lifeline. I think as an industry this is one of the themes we should be focusing on: how licensing can help businesses and how licensing can add value to businesses. In some cases using an established IP is

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DOWNES & OUT

FMCG success Unsurprisingly food is one of the categories that has performed well during lockdown. In most cases licensed food products aren't 'essential goods' but products like ice lollies, freeze pops and bakery goods have been available. Companies like Rose Marketing have kept communication lines open with retailers and have created some eye-catching in-store activations with retailers like Lidl. The FMCG category seems to respond well to products that are 'on brand' licensing wise. In my experience with Rose it has worked hard on product development to ensure the Tango and Robinson's products represent the core brands well, focusing on recipe, ingredients and taste profile.

Likewise we should take encouragement from promotions like Mr Kipling working with Roald Dahl. This year sees the fourth year of the onpack promotional partnership. This is a good example that a long-term licensing strategy and partnership can pay dividends. Maybe we have to think more long-term than short-term these days and also believe in the potential of licensing.

a cheaper option than developing new product lines from scratch. This should be a message we look to get across to companies. We should point to positive case studies and show how licensing can benefit businesses.

Part of this process is doing our bit to help companies use licences more easily. Maybe now is a good time to look at ways of shortening some of the timelines around the admin of licensing. Areas like contracts and product approvals could be streamlined to allow faster turnarounds. If we can speed up this side of licensing it may well encourage companies to come on board.

Clearly there are big challenges ahead and some established licensees will be pre-occupied managing stock, distribution and getting back on track retail wise. They

Inset: Rose Marketing created some eyecatching in-store activations with retailers like Lidl.

may not be in a position to look at any NPD so my feeling is we need to reach out to new companies and categories more than ever with the notion that 'licensing works and licensing sells'. Adapting the administration of licensing to encourage wider participation seems a small price to pay to attract in new businesses.

For existing licensing deals, this is the time to talk. I know some licensees are worried about meeting the financial obligations of existing deals, while licensors and agents are looking to preserve forward income streams. It is easy be quite tribal about things at the moment.

The reality is that licensing is a partnership business and all sides are dependent on each other.

Everyone is facing challenges and in my view it is better to talk about those challenges together.

Above: Mr Kipling’s partnership with Roald Dahl is now in its fourth year.

Inset: Ian believes the industry should be focusing on how licensing can help businesses and how licensing can add value to them.

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FOCUS ON… PUBLISHING

Bottom left: Creators of The Gruffalo, Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler, unveiled new images relating to these pandemic times which were turned into downloadable posters for everyone to use.

Inset and below: Usborne’s That’s not my… titles continued to perform well in lockdown as many were ranged in supermarkets.

The traditional publishing category was fast to adapt to the changes brought by lockdown, launching new digital content to aid parents with home schooling and keeping children entertained and using characters to promote key safety messages for the times. As book stores start to re-open and consumers have more freedom to browse, there are also some cautiously optimistic hopes for the autumn. LSB finds out more.

Well read

L

ike all of us, for the licensed publishing sector, ‘agile’ has been the watchword of the past few months. The sector adapted swiftly, with many companies upping their digital game, as well as engaging with consumers with clever initiatives to help keep children occupied.

Paul Black, PR and brand director at Andersen Press, tells LSB: “We’ve seen a big boost in sales for Elmer, Little Princess: I Don’t Want to Wash My Hands (for all the reasons you’d imagine) and Not Now, Bernard – all either have heritage behind them, or a COVID-related campaign we’ve been able to muster,” he says. “For Elmer we released a couple of free activity packs for families to use at

home - which have gone down a storm.”

Andersen Press launched its first merchandising range based on Not Now, Bernard in June with TruffleShuffle, which Paul says “over-performed”, while its Elmer Day activity online was such a success that it could be something the company takes forward post-pandemic for future celebrations. Its new Elmer range with Matalan, which was delayed slightly, is now due to be released later in July.

Usborne Publishing says that activity and educational books have sold strongly during lockdown, while, in terms of its licensed lines, the ‘That’s not my…’ titles have kept up a good performance as many are ranged in the supermarkets.

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FOCUS ON… PUBLISHING

Lockdown positives “A real positive to come from this period of lockdown is how it’s galvanised our entire digital offering,” says Redan’s Julie. “We have implemented an online shop and rolled out a new subscription programme, grown our contact database tenfold through hosting more online competitions on our website, launched our online newsletter, created and made available a vast array of free downloadable content and have greatly increased our social media engagement.”

Macmillan’s Stephanie says that the company has watched everyone take to social media during this time. “We have supported families, teachers and librarians to read and perform stories to their audiences online,” she says. “Early on, the creators of The Gruffalo, Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler, created new images for relating to this time of the coronavirus, and these were joyfully received by families and then called for by NHS Trusts - so we made these into downloadable posters for everyone to use.

“Working in collaboration with Julia Donaldson, we launched a weekly online broadcast on The Gruffalo Facebook with a new story performed each week.

Above: Redan has started to see a There have been over 1.32 million views so far. And we were over the moon when Michelle lift across all of its titles to where it Obama read The Gruffalo as one of her favourite stories during lockdown.” was pre-lockdown.

Usborne Publishing’s Christian adds: “Seeing which books have worked best under these conditions has sparked interesting conversations and has made us reflect on the kind of publishing and promotion we might consider for the future.”

recent sales and is starting to see a lift across all of Christian Herisson, UK commercial and sales its titles to where they were pre-lockdown. director at Usborne Publishing, says: “We have Redan also hasn’t stopped looking for new continued to receive decisions for That’s not my… properties, as Julie explains: “We have recently apparel for collections launching this autumn, and signed Gigantosaurus and are trialling Oddbods in SS21 in the retail market. both our Fun To Learn Friends and Fun To Learn “I think it will take some time for the retail Favourites titles.” environment to get anywhere near to where it was Redan will also be launching pre-lockdown. Physical Inset: Andersen Press launched its first merchandising range Fun to Learn Bing on July 15. bookstores/toy stores have based on Not Now, Bernard in June with TruffleShuffle.

Stephanie Barton, publisher procedures in place to brands at Macmillan Books, minimise the risk for their says there will be a challenge staff and customers, and around discoverability this hopefully this will increase autumn in an overcrowded consumers’ confidence to market, while the company shop as before. Online has will be looking at how to best been the winner during build smaller brands. lockdown, so the task for She says there was certainly a physical retail is to pull boost for different areas of the back those sales lost. As book market during lockdown: warehouses are not “We saw new focus and uplift operating at full capacity for activity, sticker and yet, supply chain issues colouring books across all our still need to be major brands from The Gruffalo overcome.” to The Moomins and our novelty books for younger Julie Jones, md of Redan Publishing, tells LSB that children remained popular.” The Snail and the Whale due to reductions in supply at retail, the company and Dear Zoo have also continued to notch up sales. adjusted the frequency of three of its magazine In terms of conversations going forward, titles – although these will be reinstated as things Stephanie concludes by saying this: “How can we start to pick up. After what she describes as an best listen and respond to what children and “extremely volatile” period with sales being hard to families need; that is our top focus and underpins predict from one day to the next (due to the our approach to creating new content and sporadic nature of people’s shopping habits during acquiring brands and licences.” lockdown, Julie says Redan is pleased with its most LICENSING SOURCE BOOK EUROPE 2020

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Property: Licensor:

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IN CONVERSATION WITH… JOHN MCINNERNY

The gospel of John From accountancy to licensing – via an appearance on a front cover of Mills and Boon – John McInnerny has been one of the constant presences in the business, with many coming into contact with his independent agency, Allsorts Licensing. As he moves into semi-retirement, LSB catches up with him to find out his thoughts on the business, pick his brains for advice and find out what’s next.

I

deally, chatting to Allsorts Licensing’s John McInnerny about his long career in the rights and licensing business would have taken place over a leisurely lunch. Due to COVID-19 this unfortunately wasn’t to be, but that certainly doesn’t stop his journey from accountancy firm to the licensing agent we all know and love being any less interesting.

Over the course of his career, John has worked with brands including Andy Capp, Betty Boop, Che Guevara, CowParade, David & Goliath, Dogs In Da Hood, Felix the Cat, Flash Gordon, Hagar, Hamsta World, Lassie, The Lone Ranger, The Muppets, Popeye and Olive Oyl, The Smurfs and Yoga Cats and Dogs among others.

He set up Allsorts Licensing just

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Inset: John with David Chown (left) and Russell Schooley (right) from long-standing Betty Boop licensee, C&S Collectables.

Bottom: Bershka was a key deal for Betty Boop.

over 20 years ago, telling LSB: “I was lucky as King Features and IMPS came with me, so it gave me a good base to build the business. I can remember my first deal as it was a non-deal. I was out for lunch in Huntingdon and saw a fruit machine which was a play on words with one of our brands.

The artwork was also similar. There was no admittance of guilt but a fee was agreed which was a nice first month invoice! They also agreed to discontinue the model.”

John’s relationship with King Features has endured through the years but there have been major deals throughout his career across all clients. “On Betty Boop, the deals signed long ago with Fashion UK and BB Designs were, I believe, the first licence that either company took and they have become stalwart licensees in the industry,” says John. “In the statue/figurine business, JJ Vaillant and Wade Collectors Club have longevity, with the latter having been a licensee for 25 years. Also getting listings like the one in Bershka by Park Agencies is key for any brand; it helps build the story.”

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IN CONVERSATION WITH… JOHN MCINNERNY

to fight Meanwhile, John cynicism as also highlights you get deals with James older. My Winchester, which suggestion is produced the to treat figurines for the others as you London would like to CowParade in be treated 2002 in the UK, yourself as Ireland, Holland this is a small and GAS – “they business and sold so many Inset: JJ Vaillant is a long serving Inset: Sam Jones and Brian Inset: Blue Sky Designs placed the cows” – and Blue figurine/statue licensee.

Blessed show off the Big Chief Hamsta brand into Primark helping if you do not Studios’ Flash Gordon figurines. to raise awareness. follow this rule Sky Designs, it might come back to bite you.” which sold Hamsta to Primark, “it was an important While John’s immediate plans may have had to be placement for a brand which is continuing to grow put on hold due to the pandemic, he’s hopeful he will with a new series coming”. retain his connections with the “More recently have been deals licensing business, while he has also to tie-in with the 40th anniversary of become a trustee for a UK charity the Flash Gordon Movie which which works on sanitation projects, comes up later this year,” John adds. sex education and makes hand wash There have been many changes for use in schools in Kenya (where he across the years of course, but the used to live as a boy). one mantra which John believes So, where does he see the future of licensing agents should bear in mind the rights business? He concludes: above all others has remained “The big boys have become ever constant. “Be professional at all bigger in the last few years and this times,” he says. “You are Above: The CowParade was the first art display may continue, but I hope there will still representing brands on behalf of to take to city streets in 2002. be a place for independent agents. principals and this responsibility is They bring something different to the mix - they not something you should take on lightly. This have to have talents across the industry and do not attitude will help you build the brand in your territory.” always get the respect they deserve. I have lots of And when it comes to advice for those just starting friends in this sector and have been proud to fly the out in the business, John has this to say: “When I was banner over so many years.” a young man in business an older gentleman told me

“It was either licensing or auditing forever” John joined a chartered accountants firm when he left school and one of the partners, Dennis Silverton, also ran an agency called Universum Press selling comic strips, Mills and Boon love stories and transparencies for front covers in the former Yugoslavia for a client.

“It sold cartoon strips/album material from Dargaud Editeur, Dupuis, King Features and Lombard,” John explains. “We did our first and only licensing deal for Asterix sweets. A few years in at the accountants he asked me whether I would be interested in getting involved and attending the Frankfurt Book Fair and the rest, as they say, is history. It was either that or auditing forever.”

As well as the Frankfurt and Bologna book fairs, John would also go on selling trips to Belgrade, Zagreb and Novi Sad within Yugoslavia.

John joined The Yaffa Newspaper Service in 1982, which took advantage of an active market for features, whether magazine articles, cartoons, puzzles or comic strips – the company had cartoons such as Hagar the Horrible in The Sun for many years and Tintin in the Funday Times section of The Sunday Times. It graduated to licensing in 1986, initially on an exclusive basis for King Features.

John adds: “My wife, Collette and I actually appeared on a front cover of one of the Yugoslav Mills & Boon editions with a wedding day shot. It sold 32,000 copies. We are still married as this goes to press.”

Above: John and his wife Collette were the cover stars of a Yugoslav Mills & Boon edition..

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The COVID-19 pandemic has affected every country across the globe. LSB chats to a selection of licensors and licensing agents from Europe, the US and Russia to find out more about how their businesses have been affected and how they see the rest of 2020 playing out.

OVERSEAS FEEDBACK Below: The licensing industry needs new ideas and strategies, says Hartmut.

An

international view

Italy: Hartmut Leger, founder, Garda Lakers

“We lost more than three months of business, however, we have developed some ideas for the upcoming season, sent out press releases in the B2B and B2C sectors and have undertaken some other activities.

We have changed the Garda Lakers’ slogan from ‘Wind of Victories’ to ‘Tribute to Italy’ during this time, as a symbol of solidarity in these days, weeks and months. In addition, we sent out social distance greeting cards to our partners via email to stay in contact and bring us closer together. We have also created some designs that we have donated for solidarity shirts.

However at the end of the day you need face to face meetings with your partners to push the business in the right way.

The licensing industry needs new ideas and strategies, more brave and crazy collaborations, transparency and sustainable products to build brand trust and long-term relationships with the customers and fans.”

Italy: Maurizio Distefano, founder and president, Maurizio Distefano Licensing

“Business has gone down substantially compared to Q1 and Q2 of last year due to the Above: Maurizio says he has seen resilience lockdown and retail closures. from some licensees.

However, we have seen resilience from some licensees which has helped keep the business running. The main change is the lack of face to face meetings with licensees and prospects.

During the lockdown, we have been able to progress with and wrap up both new deals with licensees, as well as new IP representations expanding our IP offer to our customers. Retailers have all resumed business albeit with some measure in regards to social distancing, etc.

Licensees have also resumed business and are eager to catch up with lost opportunities.

In terms of challenges it’s been something of a chicken and egg story. In general, retailers are delaying payments to their suppliers including licensees, hence licensees are delaying their

Spain and Portugal: Guillem Rey, Caravanserai Partners

“In Spain and Portugal it has caused an enormous impact at all levels. Obviously, the fact that everything stopped all of a sudden has collapsed the market for almost three months. It‘s only now that we can start to see movement because the people are allowed to move and stores have opened again under severe restrictions. All activities related to tourism are suffering a lot, while others have been able to manage it somehow.

A high percentage of companies were forced to reduce staff thanks to a special law that allowed them to do it to reduce costs. Others have simply closed. Limited amount of companies have been able to pass through without damage.

Our activity has not stopped, as working from home is easy for us. We have been dealing with all partners, trying to help and find solutions to payments, renewals pending specific situations and so on. I am happy to say that all our licensors have proven to be helpful and positive and we have not left anyone behind.

We have to learn from our medical staff and how they reacted and faced the problem without the proper tools.

We have to do the same and I am fully convinced that licensing, one way or the other, will be as important as it used to be, even if it is under new rules and parameters.” Above: Activity at Caravanserai Partners has not stopped, says Guillem.

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OVERSEAS FEEDBACK

France: Patrick Tamburlin, global licensing manager, Bel Licensing “At Bel Licensing we generate direct revenue through ecommerce, but we had to stop this side of the business almost immediately to refocus on more middle to long-term projects, such as the 100th anniversary of The Laughing Cow next year.

There was no change regarding our conversations with agents – such as Pink Key Licensing – and they tried to maintain ‘business as usual’ as much as they could. Discussions with licensees have been more hectic as some of them were able to continue business, even in a limited way, whereas others had to put their activity on hold.

On the other hand, we have been able to start conversations and projects with major licensees, plus have finalised deals in the US with our new agent, Design Plus Licensing.

We will need to act as a team through the coming months. We all need each other to maintain and develop business; we need to be comprehensive and adapt a lot of our processes and ways of working.”

Inset: We all need to act as a team in the coming months, believes Patrick.

Good communications has always been one of our agency hallmarks so Spotlight has been working hard to stay in touch with our clients and licensees regarding approvals, renewals and plans for the future.

Even amid all the uncertainty, we were able to move forward with deals for Downton Abbey, Little House on the Prairie, Call the Midwife, The Last Kingdom and US: Carole Postal, president, Precious Moments (some new Spotlight Licensing deals and others already in “Being a New York-based agency, we were progress before the pandemic). impacted dramatically by the pandemic.

This pandemic has been an Although we miss the ease and camaraderie unprecedented challenge and we’re all in it of being in an office together, we know NYC together. One of the keys to getting things back will probably be among the last places to in full swing will be figuring out ways to help return to normal (or the new normal), but licensees who’ve been hit hard because of the good news is that we’ve proven we production and shipping delays or the loss of can adapt with the help of retail windows and opportunities. That may technologies and practices that make Inset: Little House on mean delaying or being more flexible on the Prairie is one of the work from home effective so we are brands Spotlight has receipt of royalties from licensees who are been able to move prepared to keep working remotely as forward with new struggling and need more time to recover.” long as necessary. deals, says Carole. payments to IP owners or agents. This cash flow issue is, in my opinion, one of the major threats in Italy as regards business in general and licensing in particular. I think IP owners and licensees need to hear each others needs and compromise to allow business to continue until the general business situation has stabilised.”

France: Capucine Humblot, head of licensing and merchandising, Xilam Animation “In a business where, even before the crisis, it was important to take nothing for granted, this sentiment feels even more relevant today. We need to always maintain awareness of the risks posed at every level of our industry - for brand owners, licensees and retailers - and ensure we have systems in place to anticipate and react to any unexpected obstacles and challenges. I think this crisis has seen the different sectors of the international licensing market become more connected than ever before as we try to limit the impact together and I hope this collaborative approach is something that will continue in the long-term.

This time has also been an opportunity to learn, gain new insights, expand our knowledge and enjoy new experiences thanks to the webinars hosted by many partners such as Licensing International. The chance to be in direct contact with the global licensing industry and discuss our concerns, perspectives and plans for the future has been hugely valuable.

This is a challenging period for everyone but I’m confident it offers a unique chance for everyone to take stock, innovate and come out of this stronger than ever. At Xilam, we’re using this period to rethink the way we build and forge brand strategies, particularly in relation to sustainability, and to look at how we build sustainable brands, with sustainable products from sustainable partners for the long-term.”

Right: Xilam is using this period to rethink the way it builds and forges brand strategies, says Capucine.

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OVERSEAS FEEDBACK

US: Ilana Wilensky, president, Jewel Branding & Licensing

“We have been actively connecting with licensees to see how they’re doing and to touch base on how we can be of service. There has been continued interest in our creative services, trend direction and new artwork.

With consumers spending more time at home, they are looking for ways to decorate their spaces and purchase activitybased products that can be enjoyed at home. We have signed several new partners in home textiles including bedding, kitchen textiles and towels. We’ve also seen interest in Inset: Ilana is categories including puzzles, colouring books, paint by number and diamond painting. anticipating that a recovery at Traffic in the stores varies depending on the retailer and state regulations, but generally retail will take there seems to be an increase in store traffic. The shift to online retail has greatly some time. accelerated due to the pandemic and we anticipate that trend to continue.

We think the biggest challenge to overcome will be a decrease in sales and royalty revenue that resulted from store closures, lack of spending and overall economic uncertainty from the pandemic. Even with the recent reopening of stores, we anticipate a recovery will take some time. Retailers have canceled orders and delayed payments to their vendors which creates challenges for licensees. The good news is we are hearing from many of our licensees that retailers are ready to see new presentations which is a very good sign.

I think there are several conversations the licensing industry needs to be having, with key points being the rapid shift to a digital marketplace, an increase in cause-based licensing partnerships and the need to re-evaluate what products people are going to be inclined to buy in the future.”

US: Lloyd Mintz, svp global consumer products, Genius Brands “After the initial challenge of the sudden shift to working from home, everything has been full steam ahead. In fact, I would say that the entire company has been busier than ever. While we are mindful of the new situation under which we are all currently living and working, we are also hopeful that we will all collectively emerge in the relatively near to mid-term, and we want to be poised to move aggressively in the back half of 2020 into 2021.

Everyone is going to want and need to make up for lost momentum, and we have made every effort to position Genius Brands to sprint out of the gate and maintain that pace for the foreseeable future.

We have maintained a steady dialogue with all of our partners. I think everyone has been understanding and respectful of each

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other’s need to re-orient and get back on their feet. It was a staggering shock to the system, so to speak, but it seems as though everyone is poised to bounce back pretty aggressively. We have negotiated and closed some deals during this time and expect the pace will pick up as retail reopens and people start looking toward 2021.

The greatest challenge is the inventory backlogue that retailers will need to work through at their stores and the next hurdle will be people feeling comfortable leaving their homes and visiting retailers and shopping.”

Below: New licensees have recently come on board for Llama Llama.

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OVERSEAS FEEDBACK

US: Natalie Setton, vp commercial, content distribution and licensing, Herschend Entertainment Studios

Above: Kirsty, pictured on one of her first trips out after Spain relaxed its restrictions, photographing a small mountain crest in the Parque Natural del Garraf.

Spain: Kirsty Satchel, licensing manager, Art Ask Agency “Virtually all aspects of business have been affected. Our initial approach with any of our contacts is first to listen. Then we look at alternatives and possible ways forward together. We have been in the licensing business for a long time and we all need each other in order to survive, so we stay very open minded when faced with barriers due to COVID-19.

We’ve been able Above: IA London – The Art of to move forward on quite Fashion is one of the lifestyle licences a few deals. We also had represented by Art Ask Agency. new deals where conversations started in the darkest moments of COVID lockdown here in Spain, which is amazing. Some of the brand new ones came from Italy, if you can believe that. Italians are so courageous.

This is the strangest professional year of my life so far, so making predictions is very difficult.

Everything depends. Having said that, as we represent lifestyle licences that are not tied to launch dates or particular events, we are pretty confident that we will be able to ride the storm and come out the other side. When it comes down to it, we are selling dreams. Consumers will always have desires and want to identify themselves with certain brands and licences. We just need to keep offering what they desire.

Industry conversation-wise, a key one I think is to look to the future of virtual trade shows. Whether that be licensing trade shows or product trade shows. We all really need to ramp up in this area and achieve something that gives attendees and exhibitors the buzz that happens at the physical shows.”

“We’re fully focused on the brand re-launch for Chuggington, and conversations with licensees and retailers have been as active as ever. We have been able to maximize this time to schedule quality meetings with partners. It’s mixed in terms of how COVID-19 has affected them. There are clearly some winners in this depending on the product category and for online sales as people’s lifestyles and needs have changed. However, there is an evident enthusiasm for business to resume, and we have been fortunate to have been able to meet virtually with a lot of partners.

The remainder of 2020 is still very uncertain for many and the industry as a whole. The gradual re-openings across the US and Europe are encouraging, but it is not clear yet how shopping habits may have and will continue to evolve. The impact on consumers’ propensity to browse or make impulse purchasing decisions is not yet known. This leads to a natural challenge in planning, budgeting and forecasting for all sectors of the licensing industry and, ultimately, cautiousness.

As we look toward autumn, I think there will be further disruption and challenges to the trade shows and buying season environments. Previews will likely continue to take place virtually, so finding ways to present a brand or product line that will grab the attention of retailers, distributors, and licensees, will become all the more critical. Planning and pressure to tighten up the video conferencing process, product demonstrations, and openness to rethink the rulebook and collaboration ideas will be essential.

That said, this can bring exciting opportunities to smaller companies and allow them to develop new ways of doing business with retail by leading with their excellent product.

There will also be a bottleneck of new movie franchises launching in 2021 with delayed launches in 2020, and this could present challenges as retail space becomes even more competitive. Still, there certainly seems to be a demand and continued captured audiences around the world for new content and properties.

This will need to be accompanied by more evergreen, trusted IPs.” Above: Evergreen IP such as Chuggington will be key going forward, says Natalie.

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OVERSEAS FEEDBACK

France: Marina Narishkin, director, TF1 Licences “There has been a serious work increase despite the business decrease to prepare post lockdown, as soon as the Chinese factories reopened. The licensing trade is a ‘chameleon business’ which is obliged to constantly change and adapt through many fields of the changing economy: online retail switch, e-commerce, new businesses, mergers in the production world and toys and games sectors, etc. Unfortunately, some small businesses have been negatively impacted, but some sectors have done quite well. Our sister company, TF1 Games/Dujardin experienced a real boom for its board games, especially grassroots family games such as Mille Bornes.

Because licensees are agile and our business is all about a long-term proposition, we have managed to avoid a big impact on negotiations in progress. The French government has also protected the companies with financial contributions which were welcomed to support the economy. The Q1 and Q2 royalties from on permanent lines will be impacted, but the moderately good news is that the Q1/Q2 are not the big income drivers, the main royalties in entertainment is expected in Q3 and Q4. If lockdown had taken place at Christmas, the licensing economy would have been massively impacted. Since many agents make 30% of their business Q1/Q2, it is always better to do 50% of 30% than 50% of 70%.

The work levels and pressure on employees will increase while companies play ‘catch up’ to recuperate a maximum amount of loss of business. Unfortunately, we are going to see some bankruptcies, but a couple of major challenges will be the retail environment that is trusted by some massive companies like Amazon. In our environment, companies who survive today are either big and merging/buying companies or small and agile. We need to watch out for oversized companies and licensors who might monopolise business and kill opportunity.”

Left: Work levels and pressure on employees will increase as companies play catch up, says Marina.

Russia: Anna Artyukhova, md, Russia and CIS, WildBrain CPLG Russia “The situation is starting to improve. In early June, we saw some stores begin opening their doors following two and half months of lockdown. It is still a little early to talk about when retail may get back to up its previous level here, as not all restrictions on movement have been completely lifted yet. Also, as retailers now have new operating conditions and requirements they need to comply with, foot traffic in stores is still relatively low but there is an upward trend expected.

While bricks and mortar will need some time to recover, we’re feeling positive impacts from the online shopping habits consumers have picked up since being in lockdown, especially in larger cities. During quarantine, for example, many nationwide grocery retailers have significantly improved their product delivery platforms which will be beneficial for consumers in the long-term. Additionally, we’re seeing retailers team up with major shipping operators such as Yandex, Delivery and others to increase the efficiency of their online offering.

The summer is going to be quiet, but we expect to see the market start to come back from autumn onwards.

Right now, we’re seeing business in Russia becoming more cautious which is largely due to the uncertainty of the local economy. Among the main factors cited by manufacturers in a recent Nielsen Group survey as negatively impacting the licensing industry is the devaluation of the Russia rouble, problems with payment discipline and lower demand for the goods they produce.

Although we expect companies to delay any new licensing collaborations and launches until at least September, we do anticipate a surge in interest for brand licensing later on in the year. After a long lockdown, consumers will be looking for comfort and positivity in brands they already know and love.”

France: Veronique Pichon, president, Sagoo “As yet it's too early to say or to figure out what the market will look like in 2021. Zoom has been the perfect media for us… we took the quieter time as an opportunity to meditate and approach new licensors for future development.

We will be challenging ourselves by looking for local development and manufacturers in order to be more reactive with smaller quantities and better quality. Sagoo is not impacted as much as the entertainment industry because we represent arts/music artists and celebrities, as well as classic established evergreen characters.

There needs to be conversations about being more flexible in order to be close to licensees’ future demands and listening to what the consumers are now looking for - more local, green… we need to be reactive and pro-active along with licensors to respond.”

Above: Veronique says Sagoo has used the time to approach new licensors for future development.

Right: Consumers will be looking for comfort and positivity in brands they already know, says Anna.

LICENSING SOURCE BOOK EUROPE 2020

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FOR LICENSING OPPORTUNITIES CONTACT: EUROPE, MIDDLE EAST & AFRICA:

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NOSTALGIA TRENDS

Richard Pink, md of Pink Key Licensing, reveals why his answer has now changed when he’s asked if there are any new style guides being released for the Kellogg Vintage programme.

Vintage eras Y ou should have seen my face drop.

For years I’ve been proudly representing the Kellogg Vintage programme and I’d got used to reeling out the same story ‘the archive only really goes up to about 1987…’

In reality, when we started it covered primarily the 1920s-50s. But here we were with some whippersnapper telling me that they were looking for vintage artwork from the 1990s… If the 1990’s are vintage now, what does that make me?

We have always said that the reason we don’t use Kellogg artwork past about 1990 is that most of the characters haven’t really changed their appearance since then. It’s not wholly accurate, but by and large it’s true. The Tony and Coco you see then are not a million miles from the ones you see now.

However there is a Inset: Coco the Monkey is bit of difference Kellogg’s most popular character. between the characters that we have been representing for the last eight years and their more up to date counterparts, and an awful lot of the personnel of our partners (and crucially retailers) have a much greater affinity with the more modern versions.

For the first time we’ve been able to access the more up to date versions of the Kellogg characters, and because they haven’t changed a lot we are able to use the ones that are currently in the market.

It means that we are very much open to requests to use these characters in designs where we would have otherwise had to substitute in older versions.

One added bonus is that it allows us to focus a little for the very first time on Kellogg’s must popular character, Coco the Monkey, who until this point has

Right: The programme will continue to focus on adult product.

Left: Richard Pink, md, Pink Key Licensing.

been off-limits to Pink Key as he is very much a 1990’s kind of guy (what’s more he has group of jungle friends, too).

We’ve also been allowed access to the sensational art that started appearing on Kellogg packs at the back end of last year.

Currently we are working our way through the additional art to see what is available to us. As a very minimum it looks like that we are going to be able to offer all the modern and up to date versions of both the packs and the characters for all the Kellogg brands.

Going forward this will allow us to reflect the trend in apparel when it inevitably moves through the Nineties, Noughties and beyond.

We also think that our licensees and potentially retailers will be very interested in the new set of pack designs that appeared on supermarket shelves last year - they are simple, clear and bold and a really strong design.

Although the Kellogg programme has gone from strength to strength in the last couple of years, we are continually being asked ‘Do you have any new style guides coming out?’

We can now say ‘yes we do’ and although the programme will continue to be focused on adult product, we are looking forward to seeing what our existing licensees are able to do with this development and hopefully welcoming some new licensees on board.

LICENSING SOURCE BOOK EUROPE 2020

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IN CONVERSATION WITH… BRANDS IN

Thanks to its strong relationship with Amazon, Brands In has seen sales driven up during the pandemic, and it has now developed similar quick-to-market partnerships with other key online retailers such as Pretty Little Thing and Character.com. LSB catches up with md Rick Lowe to find out more.

Inset: The company’s ‘never-out-of-stock’ programmes on apparel are backed up by in-house print on demand and a drop shop facility.

Below: “We are always looking for the right growth opportunities,” says Rick.

Bottom: Brands In also works with music brands, bands and artists.

Fashion forward

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f there was one company which was well placed to be able to nimbly work its way through a pandemic, Brands In is certainly a very good example.

Prior to lockdown, the company already had a strong relationship with Amazon – indeed, Brands In has been working with the online retailer for around eight years, initially selling directly to it via the Vendor programme. The importance of this relationship has been further underlined by the acceleration of online shopping due to the physical retail shut down.

Since lockdown, the Londonbased company has also developed similar quick-tomarket relationships with other retailers including Character.com, Boohoo and Pretty Little Thing. The company’s slick – and ecofriendly - production process, its ‘never-out-stock’ ethos, in-house print on demand and drop ship facility, combined with a vast library of licences has won the business numerous fans and means it is a hot ticket in the licensing business right now.

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Rick Lowe, md of the company, tells LSB: “Lockdown has impacted us positively in our relationship with Amazon as more consumers have gone online. This has driven our sales up during the pandemic. We are a relatively new supplier [to Character.com, Boohoo and PLT] and the fact that we are vertical is the reason we are growing with them. We have the licences, design prowess and we are vertical. Speed matters and we have proven to be able to deliver on this requirement.”

Disney is an evergreen for the company when it comes to popular licences, with Rick also highlighting Disney+ hit The Mandalorian among its recent successes. Brands In also has a solid relationship with Warner Bros.

Consumer Products – notably it was awarded TV Product of the Year for its Riverdale apparel by the licensor last year, while 2019 also saw it expand into accessories with both Riverdale and Friends.

Despite the pandemic, Rick believes there is still growth to be had – and international is certainly a key part of Brands In’s plans.

“There are some great opportunities for the companies

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IN CONVERSATION WITH… BRANDS IN

which are agile and courageous,” he says. “We are always looking for the right growth opportunities, but we are mindful of spreading ourselves too thin. For now we are staying firmly planted in being a quick response licensee in jersey apparel as that is our USP.” While footfall is slowly returning to the high street, Rick admits that things certainly aren’t the same, acknowledging that consumers are wanting “fresh approaches and speed which is driving closer-tohome sourcing”.

He asserts: “The switch to online shopping has been fast tracked five years - including the trend of sustainability. Every licensing business needs to understand the drivers that are creating the 'new normal' and position themselves to deliver.”

When it comes to Amazon in particular, Rick says that Brands In had its best Christmas period ever last year “by understanding where we can increase pricing to drive margin”. Kids categories provided the most growth, with the company adding new categories such as headwear and tee and short sets to further broaden the offer, bringing further benefits to the business.

Talking about demonstrating best practice in building a strong partnership with Amazon, Rick advises: “Be competitive, list great quality product

and spend valuable time keeping a clean catalogue that is constantly being updated and extended, in order to drive growth.”

Rick admits that the company has to constantly be on top of its game, but it sounds like he thrives on this. When asked what his single biggest positive take-away from the past few months has been, both personally and on a business level, he concludes: “Nobody owes me a living, therefore always remain hungry.

Every day will be a challenge and an opportunity.”

Above (top) and right: Brands In has built up a strong partnership with Warner Bros. Consumer Products.

Above centre: Disney is an evergreen for the company.

Brands In: Need to know Founded by Rick Lowe and Lee Craze, who have three decades of experience in licensing, production, distribution and retail, Brands In has built a solid team of experienced industry professionals – including Sue Stanley as licensing director – supported by a European sales team and fuelled by the latest tech.

The company prides itself on its approach of ‘never out of stock’ programmes on apparel, backed up by an in-house print on demand and drop ship facility. This means that any retailer has full flexibility on choice and rapid delivery of orders, however large or small.

“Our business is focused on jersey – tees and sweats for men, women and kids predominantly,” Rick explains. “We are currently now trialling headwear and more growth in the kids’ category, as we identify this as an area for further growth.”

The company’s ambition is to be the leading supplier across Europe for all licensed apparel and accessories across men’s, women’s and children’s categories. It also places sustainability high on its list – digital printing goes a long way to reducing environmental impact, with the company’s Kornit print machines having a 100% water less process, with no pre-treatments, steaming or washing required.

In addition, biodegradable ink and its energy saving process make Brands In’s production an eco-friendly printing solution.

LICENSING SOURCE BOOK EUROPE 2020

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BOOKING FORM These annual awards reward excellence in product innovation, brand licensing management as well as retail execution.

The 2020 awards will take place during a lunch time ceremony at the luxurious London Hilton on Park Lane, London. The awards afternoon takes place on Monday 9 November 2020 where the winners will be announced at a spectacular awards lunch that includes a cocktail reception, lunch, the awards ceremony and entertainment.

To confirm your attendance, please carefully complete this booking form and return to Createvents.

Allocation of tables are made on a first come first served basis.

For table bookings & event logistics: Contact: Clare Hollick, 01183 340085 Email: clare@createvents.co.uk

Please reserve the following:

For entry nominations & sponsorship enquiries: Contact: Ian Hyder, +44 (0) 207 700 6740 Email: ian@max-publishing.co.uk Visit: http://www.thebrandlicensingawards.co.uk Please note that tickets will not be sent out Until payment has been received.

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Please note: price includes drinks reception, three course lunch and celebrity hosted awards ceremony. All other beverages including table wines are additional which are ordered with and charged by the venue directly. Full details in your confirmation email which will be provided following receipt of a signed booking form.

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Bookings will be confirmed upon receipt of a completed booking form. By signing this form you authorise Createvents on behalf of Max Publishing Ltd to proceed with your booking, and you acknowledge and understand the cancellation policy as follows:  Notification of cancellation must be made in writing to: The B&LLA Awards, c/o Createvents Ltd, 450 Brook Drive, Reading RG2 6UU  No refund will be made/full payment will be required for Cancellations received after 12 October 2020.  Cancellations received on or before the 12 October 2020 will be accepted and refunds will be given less a 15% administration charge.

Max Publishing Limited will use your information for administrative purposes and analysis. We may share your information with carefully selected third parties. We, or they, may send you details of other goods and services which may be of interest to you. The information may be provided by letter, telephone or other reasonable method of communication. [ ] Please tick this box if you do not want your details to be shared with carefully selected third parties. Max Publishing, United House, North Road, London N7 9DP

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The only awards totally dedicated to award brand and lifestyle licensing The 2020 winners will be unveiled on Monday 9 November 2020 A lavish afternoon event at Hilton Park Lane, London The B&LLAs bring together retailers, licensees, brand owners and representatives to celebrate excellence in brand and lifestyle licensing.

For information on reserving tickets or tables to the event, please contact:

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IN CONVERSATION WITH… TINDERBOX

The specialist Tinderbox division of Beanstalk enjoyed a record breaking 2019 and, with thousands more people discovering gaming during lockdown, the company sees an opportunity for retail to build on the momentum. LSB checks in with head of Tinderbox, Dave Tovey, to find out more.

Box fresh

Tinderbox is certainly in a prime position to activate this. The division enjoyed its biggest year yet in 2019. It successfully launched Xbox merchandise in speciality channels and this year will see it expand into multiple categories and mass retail for the first time – thanks to the scheduled release of new console Xbox Series X, momentum for the brand has never been stronger, says Dave.

Legendary Xbox franchise, Halo, also returns in 2020, with the release of Halo Infinite across the lready one of the fastest entire family of Xbox devices. Tinderbox is planning growing areas of licensed a licensing programme to support the game release merchandise, the from autumn/winter. Activision’s Call of Duty amount of people which have Above: Dave Tovey, director, brand development, franchise also continues to go from strength to discovered, re-discovered or head of Tinderbox. strength. Dave comments: “To coincide with the further developed their love for Top: Xbox merchandise was successfully launched in launch of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare last year, games – console, PC, mobile or speciality channels in 2019 with this year bringing an we established successful fashion partners and esports – during the enforced expansion into multiple activations across high-end and mass retail stay at home period, mean there categories and mass retail. channels, with DRKN and Fashion UK. In 2020 we is now a big opportunity in the space. have built upon this success, expanding Call of Duty “With millions more people discovering gaming, consumer products into further categories and we see this an opportunity for retail to build upon retail channels across the UK and Europe.” their current gaming success, to expand across Across the rest of its portfolio, Tinderbox has categories and into a deeper range of video game found success for titles such as Sea of Thieves, Ori IP,” Dave Tovey, director, brand development, head and Banjo-Kazooie by partnering with pop culture of Tinderbox, tells LSB. or collectable licensees.

“As consumers look for ways to stay socially connected, gaming is more important than ever,” says Dave. “The business has certainly not been immune to the COVID-19 fallout and we have had to adapt to the ever-changing developments, however it feels like there is now light at the end of the tunnel with retail re-opening.”

Dave continues: “When the high street Inset: DRKN was one of the fashion was in lockdown, we also increasingly partners and activations secured looked to ecommerce and print on

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IN CONVERSATION WITH… TINDERBOX

demand platforms. We see Tinderbox: Need to know a great growth opportunity Tinderbox is a specialist division at Beanstalk, here in the future.” focused on brand representation for video games, esports, new media and the digital Moving forward, there are entertainment space. It manages some of the plans for a host of new biggest gaming franchises in the world including Call of Duty, Xbox, Halo, Crash products and activations, Bandicoot, Spyro the Dragon, Sea of Thieves, Banjo-Kazooie, Ori and ESL. Dave explains: “Across the With dedicated teams across London, New York and other key international territories, Tinderbox was created over five years ago in response to the increasing Activision portfolio, building popularity of gaming. 2019 was the biggest year yet for the division, securing first on the huge success of Call class consumer products programmes and retail activations across its clients. of Duty and Crash “Through our long-term partnerships, we have demonstrated how to successfully take video game franchises to retail, delivering product to mass and hardcore fan Bandicoot consumer accounts,” says Dave. products in 2019, we have been able to expand these brands into further categories such as gaming chairs, gifting and collectables with product coming later this year.

“From the summer onwards, the Microsoft focus will be on supporting the new Xbox console and Halo Infinite. Outside of traditional retail, we have also focused on ecommerce platforms as Inset: ESL is a trusted brand in the esports world. our partners often have a passionate fanbase who they consumers will be made aware of the products.” can directly communicate with via social media or Like all of us, Dave and the Tinderbox team are through the game itself. A great example of this is looking forward to once again catching up face to with our client Rare - the iconic Xbox game studio is face with industry colleagues, clients and new home to some of the most popular video game partners. He concludes: “2020 has bought many franchises, and by working with The Hut Group we challenges to the industry which we are working launched a dedicated branded store giving fans the through chance to get their hands together. on exclusive or limited Although, with edition product.” the sudden Tinderbox has also been shift in working with the world’s consumer biggest esports league, habits you can ESL, since 2018 and is already see working hard on securing that lockdown partners across consumer has accelerated electronics, peripherals, retailers’ publishing and Inset: The Hut Group launched a dedicated branded store for Rare, giving ecommerce fashion/collaborations. fans the chance to get hold of exclusive or limited edition product. plans or given During the pandemic, a platform for licensees with D2C business to drive Dave admits that Tinderbox has been fortunate to sales here. work with brands such as Xbox and Halo that “This will open up wider distribution channels for have a clear focus on the fourth quarter. “While the industry with potential growth and Tinderbox are dwell-time will be a reduced focus for retail, we already exploring these new platforms through the are confident that, through marketing activity power of our client’s brands.” from the brands and from the retailers, LICENSING SOURCE BOOK EUROPE 2020

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EVENT REVIEW: LICENSING WEEK VIRTUAL

Virtual reality

The licensing industry is built from connections and, with Licensing Expo postponed until 2021, there was a gap in the calendar where traditionally executives from across the globe would be getting together, strengthening existing partnerships and forging new ones.

Enter Licensing Week Virtual. LSB finds out how the industry’s first digital conference and exhibition united the business.

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t a time when physical networking and real face-toface deal-making isn’t really possible, Global Licensing Group – organiser of Licensing Expo and Brand Licensing Europe – recognised the importance of having an event which could still bring the global licensing community together.

So, in the space of ten weeks, the idea for Licensing Week Virtual was conceived, built and – across June 15-19 – successfully executed.

The virtual conference

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Above: 4,477 attendees logged in to Licensing Week Virtual over the course of the five days.

Below: The week saw 2,933 meetings coordinated through the Matchmaking Service.

and exhibition – organised in partnership with Licensing International – attracted 4,477 attendees over the course of the five days, with the top five countries represented, including the US, UK, Mexico, Brazil and Japan.

In terms of retailers, key names participating included Build-A-Bear Workshop, C&A, El Corte Ingles, Guess, John Lewis, Moonpig, Primark, Selfridges, Steve Madden, Target and Toy R Us among others.

Notably, the week saw 2,933 meetings coordinated through the Matchmaking Service – nearly parallel to the number of meetings which took place at the last live Licensing Expo.

“This business is built from connections and the fact that the number of meetings coordinated during the event virtually mirrors the number set up in-person at our live events showcases the industry’s immense need for Inset: Anna Knight says the team is connections and learning,” says Anna pleased with the Knight, vp Global Licensing Group at results of Licensing Week Virtual.

Informa Markets.

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EVENT REVIEW: LICENSING WEEK VIRTUAL

Most attendees also engaged with seven pieces of content and averaged 23 hours and 23 minutes.

Each day of the event featured content mirroring the experiences and content commonly found at Licensing Expo and Brand Licensing Europe, organised into different categories: Brands & Lifestyle, Character & Entertainment, Art & Design and Emerging Categories. A number of key industry trends emerged from each day.

Brands & Lifestyle – consumer brands such as Kraft Heinz experienced net sale growth of 3.3% during the first three months of the COVID-19 pandemic, as nostalgia inspired Millennials and younger consumers to look to familiar brands for support and direction. The value of ‘purpose’ is now also popular among corporate and lifestyle brands that are being embraced by younger generations.

Brands which showcase humility and values with conviction and stand for causes such as human rights and sustainability – supported with strategic licensing partnerships – can expect to see an increased interest from a new set of conscious consumers.

Character & Entertainment – video streaming is projected to reach $27.1 billion in 2020. As the number of streaming subscription services expands, coupled with traditional cinemas unable to open, more streaming properties have opened the door to significant licensing potential. Viewers are consuming more content and establishing deeper connections with new properties.

The shift to ecommerce during the pandemic also

means that direct to consumer opportunities will be a larger segment, even with retailers beginning to open up.

Art & Design – licensing affords artists the opportunity to extend their brand to a wider audience through products that fall outside of their traditional product domain. Categories crucial to the art and design sector include home décor, footwear and accessories.

Emerging Categories – interest in esports and video games influencers continue to rise.

Companies which have managed to leverage the huge fan bases are enjoying significant success Anna sums up: “The most critical part of setting up a virtual event Inset: Content at the event such as this was was organised into Brands & Lifestyle, Character & keeping our Entertainment, Art & Design community and Emerging Categories. needs at top-ofmind - also realising that not every single element of a live trade show can transfer over to a digital event beat-for-beat. We’re pleased with the results of Licensing Week Virtual and will continue to complement live events with digital offerings to continue to reach the broad and agile licensing community.”

Sharing her views of the event, Maura Regan, president of Licensing International, believes that the success of Licensing Week Virtual “marks the next step in the licensing landscape”.

She adds: “Providing the licensing community with a platform to continue to build successful and influential brand partnerships is more critical than ever as consumer behaviours shift.”

Event feedback “Neopets (owned by JumpStart Games) had an excellent experience as one of the first Gold Sponsors of Licensing Week Virtual,” says Carlin West, licensing agent for the Neopets brand. “The entire show staff was extremely helpful in setting up our virtual booth, Matchmaking meetings and PR. The quality and quantity of the meetings and connections we made was outstanding. We would totally recommend this as an alternative or adjunct to anyone that could not attend a live event.”

Meanwhile, Tony DiIoia, co-founder of AMGI Animation Studios, called the event “first class”. He commented: “The implementation of Licensing Week Virtual provided an opportunity for my company to open up new doors. The week provided a new platform to explore many new business opportunities that would have been difficult to pursue in the current work from home environment.

“It’s impossible to replace the social power of face-to-face meetings but the event presents a new medium with opportunities to get business done - as a real-time alternative to physically being on-site.”

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STATE OF THE NATION: BRANDS Left: The collaboration with Little Greene Paint continues for its third year.

The brand and lifestyle licensing sector, while certainly not untouched by the restrictions of the past months, has been continuing to innovate. A host of new deals have been done – many under lockdown – which bodes well for further growth in the latter half of 2020. LSB rounds up some of the latest activity.

Brand matters Trio sign for Van Gogh Museum

National Trust marks 125 years With 2020 marking the 125th anniversary of the National Trust, Sanderson has launched a collection of fabrics inspired by the places and landscapes in the charity’s care.

The range features five design themes – Under the Greenwood Tree, The Lookout, The Fens, Country House and The Secret Garden – which are represented across seven embroideries, two weaves and 11 prints in a wide colour palette.

Meanwhile, the collaboration with Little Greene Paint continues for its third year. Both the paint and wallpapers have drawn their inspiration from the places in the charity’s care, with the green range capturing 20 colours seen in buildings, paintings, costumes and gardens at a number of different locations in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The wallpaper collection comprises seven designs and represents 200 years of pattern, from the early 18th to the early 20th century. Each wallpaper has been recreated from originals in National Trust places.

Licensing Link Europe has secured deals with three new partners across key categories for Van Gogh Museum.

Blueprint Collections will create a range of stationery, gifts and selected homewares for EMEA. Due to launch for autumn/winter 2020, the products will feature iconic art including Sunflowers, Almond Blossom and Self Portrait with Pipe and Straw Hat, combined with Van Gogh’s handwritten letters.

Signare has been signed up to create a range of tapestry bags and accessories, with the aim to launch for spring/summer 2021 at Spring Fair Above: Blueprint Collections in Birmingham. Finally, Bespoke 77 will launch a comprehensive range of stationery, gifts and Innovations is on board for a Van select homewares.

Gogh Museum homewares collection comprising ceramic collector plates, mugs, trinket boxes, aprons, tea towels and drinking glasses for the UK and Eire.

The new licensees join existing UK partners including The Collective, Wooden Postcard Company and Ecoffee Cup, with Licensing Link Europe continuing to target additional categories such as fashion collaborations, accessories and food gifting.

National Gallery teams with KFC

The National Gallery Company and its master licensee Alfilo Brands are continuing to raise awareness and expand reach to new audiences in China.

A new promotional licensing collaboration with KFC is running until August, including limited edition family buckets and ice creams with Impressionist-themed packaging designs. Other activity has included Impressionists-themed dessert stores and promotional accessories.

There are more than 5,800 KFC restaurants in over 1,200 cities in China with a loyalty base of over 180 million members.

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Left: Impressionist-themed packaging is being used on key KFC products.

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Below: NHM’s tie-up with The Royal Mint saw dinosaurs feature on UK coins for the first time.

STATE OF THE NATION: BRANDS

Perry Ellis relaunches Gotcha surf brand

Culture in lockdown Despite its recent closure due to the COVID-19 restrictions, there has still been a host of activity happening behind the scenes at the Natural History Museum.

Its ‘Virtual Museum’ has been offering online visitors the chance to delve into the iconic building, with access to 300,000 specimens and 14 digital exhibitions. There has also been a special Lates Online, while the Nature Live team has been holding live, interactive talks with the Museum’s scientists.

In addition, the licensing programme has continued to grow throughout spring, with significant launches across key categories. The team’s collaboration with The Royal Mint saw dinosaurs featured on UK coins for the first time, while the capsule with Finisterre – which was inspired by themes of sea travel and exploration – included swimwear built with recycled polyester and recycled yarn, recovered from marine waste and discarded fishing nets.

On top of this, the Museum also partnered with UNIQLO to develop a series of gender neutral t-shirts for children that featured dinosaurs, insects, marine life and more.

Strong start to summer for IPR IPR Licensing has been appointed to support the Natural History Museum’s licensing programme, developing opportunities specifically within the homewares, food and drink, children’s games and arts and crafts categories.

In addition, the busy agency has also expanded the Spear & Jackson licensing offer during the lockdown period.

V&A continues to inspire

Perry Ellis International has teamed with No Chaos for men’s, women’s and children’s Above: The Gotcha heritage surf brand apparel, bags and sliders under the was originally Gotcha heritage surf brand in the UK, founded in 1978.

Ireland and Germany.

The collection will stay true to the founders’ original concept for the brand – which was founded in 1978 in Laguna Beach – with designs being vibrant and bold. It will launch online in July, followed by bricks and mortar stores for spring/summer 2021.

Meanwhile, Perry Ellis International has secured a deal with Corsair for men’s grooming products under the An Original Penguin by Munsingwear brand in Europe. The range will launch in August in Superdrug and will include deodorant, shampoo and conditioner, body wash, hair comb and socks.

Below: Assured Products will be launching Spear & Jackson bird seed and feed in July.

Bespoke 77 has secured a licence for a range of garden pots which is due to expand through other gardenrelated products by year-end. The first products from the deal will launch this summer. Meanwhile, Assured Products – which is an existing licensee for the outdoor cleaning category – has signed a separate licence to cover bird seed and feed. The first retail product release will be through Amazon in July.

Right: The Michaa collaboration includes dresses, separates, t-shirts and accessories.

Busy V&A has revealed a number of new collections across key categories and territories.

A collaboration with Korean womenswear retailer Michaa will see the launch of 22 garments inspired by the designs of British potter and novelist, William De Morgan, who made original works in the field of decorative tiles in the 19th century. The collection includes romantic dresses, separates, contemporary t-shirts and accessories.

Meanwhile, after a strong reaction to the Blinds2go range in the UK, V&A has confirmed a launch in Japan this summer with Tuiss Décor Japan. Inspired by the Museum’s collection of wallpapers and textiles by William Morris, the new range is a contemporary adaptation of the original designs. It includes made to measure blinds and curtains featuring eight patterns with a stylish series of colourways.

Other summer arrivals will include a quirky series of Alice in Wonderland-inspired ceramics – such as teacups, teapots, plates and a vase - in China from new licensee, Joyye. There will also be a collaboration with British manufacturer Cherry Glass Designs including printed glass radiator covers, shower panel artworks, kitchen splashbacks and glass art panels for the home. The products will be available in a selection of designs from the V&A archives.

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FOR LICENSING OPPORTUNITIES CONTACT: Jason Rice

Toby Rayfield

Director of Brand Licensing Email: jason.rice@sega.co.uk Tel: +44 (0) 208 996 4568

Senior Licensing Manager Email: toby.rayfield@sega.co.uk Tel: +44 (0) 208 996 4494

© Copyright Games Workshop Limited 2018. Warhammer, the Warhammer logo, GW, Games Workshop, The Game of Fantasy Battles, the twin-tailed comet logo, and all associated logos, illustrations, images, names, creatures, races, vehicles, locations, weapons, characters, and the distinctive likeness thereof, are either ® or TM, and/or © Games Workshop Limited, variably registered around the world, and used under licence. Developed by Creative Assembly and published by SEGA. Creative Assembly, the Creative Assembly logo, Total War and the Total War logo are either registered trademarks or trademarks of The Creative Assembly Limited. SEGA and the SEGA logo are either registered trademarks or trademarks of SEGA Holdings Co., Ltd. or its affiliates. All rights reserved. SEGA is registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. All other trademarks, logos and copyrights are property of their respective owners.

©SEGA

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STATE OF THE NATION: BRANDS

HRP adds to Royal Mint range

RHS blooms with Wax Lyrical

Produced in collaboration with Historic Royal Palaces, the Royal Mint will launch the second coin in this year’s Tower of London Collection Above: The second coin in the Tower of London range in August. arrives in August.

Following the White Tower coin – which arrived in March – the second coin focuses on the Royal Menagerie, recalling a time when monkeys, elephants and even a polar bear roamed the Tower. Artist Timothy Noad has created a heraldic-inspired design featuring lions surrounded by a Norman arched window.

The series has been struck on £5 coins, traditionally called crowns and used to commemorate important royal events. The Royal Menagerie coin is struck in gold, silver and silver Piedfort editions, while it is also available as a Brilliant Uncirculated edition. Each edition comes with tales from the Tower – London’s first zoo.

“We are very excited for another stunning coin in this collection to launch over the summer,” said Jenny Smyth, licensing manager at Historic Royal Palaces. “The Royal Mint have yet again embraced our stories and have really brought the engaging tales of the Royal Menagerie to life across all of their support materials. We look forward to the launch of the final two coins in this collection later this year.”

The RHS has further extended its successful longterm partnership with Wax Lyrical – welcoming a new addition to the Fragrant Garden collection, along with a refreshed design.

The collection of scented candles, reed diffusers, drawer liners, scented sachets and gift bags introduces a new fragrance to the popular range of complex floral fragrances.

Above: Eight fragrances are in the new Wax Lyrical collection.

The eight fragrances in the collection are Sweet Pea, Cotton, Lavender, Freesia, Rose, Honeysuckle, Hydrangea and this year’s new fragrance, Peony.

Sustainability is also a new theme of the latest range which features alcohol-free reed diffuser fragrances and reusable vessels.

The product designs showcase assets from the RHS Lindley Collections of botanical art – art prints are featured on the products themselves, while geometric prints inspired by Knot Garden and Parterre (two formal garden design styles from the 1600s and 1700s) feature on the packaging.

IFLScience eyes digital collectables market

IFLScience is eyeing up a move into the digital collectables market, having secured a new deal with Epik Partnerships in order to explore new ‘immersive experiences’ for fans.

Epik is one of the global leaders in placing brands and celebrities into video games and apps. Focusing on popular video games, apps and VR experiences, it provides its clients with access to new revenue opportunities in both advertising and digital merchandising sales.

Meanwhile, the company has also teamed up with Greenlight – the exclusive global licensing agency of The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, owner of the Albert Einstein rights – for a new collection which celebrates the life of the famous scientist.

IFLScience has created six new designs based on the physicist and his theories. The collection focuses on the Einstein2 brand which captures his energy, his revolutionary theories and the way he disrupted conventional scientific thought. The collection will be made available to retailers and licensees for worldwide distribution.

Licensing Link Europe – IFLScience’s UK licensing Right: IFLScience has agent – will be actively speaking to UK and European created six new designs based on Einstein and licensees about working with the new assets. his theories.

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IN CONVERSATION WITH… MAD BEAUTY

Mad Beauty has been on a growth trajectory over the past few years, expanding into new territories and enjoying a fruitful relationship with Disney.

And owner and director, Trevor Cash, is still planning for growth in 2020 despite COVID-19, as LSB discovers.

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Beauty business

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Above: A number of influencers have helped spread the word on key products via social media.

companies trying to jump on the ad Beauty is a licensee which has bandwagon, but many of them are not been growing rapidly over the familiar with the regulations and issues last couple of years. around this type of product and we did Over the past year alone, it has renewed not want to be seen to be jumping into existing contracts and expanded contracts PPE just to make a fast buck, so we have into new territories, launching Mad Beauty continued to focus on what we do well.”

USA, while also establishing distribution The company’s across the EMAE Above: Trevor (pictured with creative director, Julia Cash) says further strengthening Mad Beauty’s international growth is key. relationship with regions, the Disney continues US/Canada, to blossom, Australia, New encompassing Zealand and products such as some South face masks, American fizzers, hand territories. sanitizers, lip Pre-COVID, Mad balm and more.

Beauty enjoyed a Trevor says that successful Spring Mad Beauty Fair, launching a remains optimistic number of new about licensed collections Inset: The Disney Villains range has proved popular for the company. product going including a Friends forwards, while he also believes there is still range after securing a deal with Warner Bros. growth to be had.

Consumer Products. It also launched in the US in “We remain optimistic and we hope that the January, showing at gift events in Atlanta and Las demand for good value, good quality products Vegas with the initial signs being positive. with good design and the draw of established Since the pandemic, the company has continued properties will be strong,” he says. “We are a to focus on what it does well, explains Trevor Cash, beauty company that makes gifts not a gift owner and director. “We haven’t particularly company that makes beauty products and we changed our focus; we have always enjoyed selling believe that our products will keep their appeal. We our moisturising hand sanitiser and obviously sales are planning for growth and we have not adjusted have been strong, but we have resisted requests to this strategy at the moment. I believe there is still offer other PPE as we want to focus on our core growth in the licensing business for creative and business,” he tells LSB. “There are a lot of

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IN CONVERSATION WITH… MAD BEAUTY

Company growth The licensee has also been busy expanding its head count during lockdown, welcoming two new hires.

First up, Wendy Kent has joined the company as operations director, supporting its continued strategy for international growth. Wendy has vast experience in international supply chain after having lived and worked in four countries over the last 30 years and leading international teams. She has experience in all facets of supply chain including purchasing, sourcing, product development, logistics and finance, with a diverse insight into multiple types of product.

In addition, Jonathan Tomkin has joined Mad Beauty as head of commercial. He brings experience across a broad range of consumer goods companies, and the digital, export and the North American markets in particular.

“We are focusing on our growth and to continue to grow at the pace that we have been, we must put in new infrastructure and our new hires will help us do this,” Trevor explains. “We go live in the next few weeks with a fully integrated new PLM (Product Life Management) and ERP (Enterprise Resource Platform). This has taken nearly a year to customise at a not insignificant cost and we wanted to invest in senior level and experienced new hires. During lockdown we have employed a number of amazing new people, which is all to support our continued growth.”

Below: Wendy and (left) Jonathan.

and stay well, but still enjoy their interesting products; I am not sure if shopping experience.” slapping labels on existing products Trevor continues: “Working from is going to be as appealing right home has proven to be more now consumers are looking for a successful than anticipated and while little more.” the amount of hours worked has not While online has changed decreased, it has been great to spend dramatically over the past few more time with family. However, I do months, Trevor thinks there will still miss the daily, personal interaction be an appetite for people to get out with the team and am looking and about again, now that nonforward to getting back to our new essential retail has opened up. offices; we only moved in three weeks He comments: “It is very early days before the lockdown.” but we hope to see a good Further strengthening its recovery, we have seen some Above: The company continues to innovate international growth is a huge part of positive indicators. Some other with its product design.

Mad Beauty’s 2020 strategy, while countries are ahead of the UK in Trevor would also like to establish the brand in the recovery so looking positive. Online has changed US over the next 12 months. “Hopefully the early dramatically, but I am sure there is an appetite to signs of recovery and our new recruits will help us get out and about again. Hopefully people will be to do that,” he says. “We are looking forward to careful and respect the social distancing measures developing all of our new markets, working with our new team members and to continue to delight customers with our fun, creative and interesting new product design; there is lots to come.”

Left: The company’s face masks range from Marvel superheroes to Disney Princesses.

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BRAND FOCUS: EMOJI

Iconic moments With World Emoji Day set for July 17, the emoji company is busy preparing a host of marketing activity. Even working within the pandemic restrictions, the company executed 68 new licensing agreements in the first five months of 2020 and further plans and collaborations are in the works going forward.

LSB finds out more.

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ne of the beauties of emojis is that there’s at least one for every occasion… and we’re willing to bet that some in particular have been used on a very regular basis over the past few months by many of us.

The ceo of the emoji company, Marco Hüsges, says that the COVID-19 pandemic has meant that the business has been analysing various processes, how they can be optimised and what can be avoided in the future. However, despite the upheaval, overall business has been good.

“We executed 68 new licensing agreements in the first five months of the year,” Marco tells LSB. “Video conferencing became highly important allowing us to build an even closer relationship with existing partners and I really enjoy this personal way of communication.”

Key activity has included a successful DTR programme with Lidl in multiple countries, while the emoji company is continuing to work with Ferrero for Kinder Joy in various territories and Burger King will be launching a QSR programme with emoji plush in several countries.

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Inset: Marco says that the emoji company executed 68 new licensing agreements in the first five months of the year.

Below: A successful DTR has run with Lidl in multiple countries.

Marco continues: “We are highly excited about the emoji by Britto programme with Goebel Porzellan for Europe that includes bags, spectacle cases, umbrellas, coasters and cups and that has recently launched. In short, we will be able to announce some new digital licensing deals, as well as some exciting apparel brand collaborations.”

World Emoji Day – which is due to be marked on Friday July 17 – provides another opportunity for the iconic brand to increase marketing activity, although Marco is keeping his powder dry as to what is on the cards at the time of LSB going to press.

“We are planning a variety of marketing actions around World Emoji Day, especially concentrating on social media activities including some great interaction with key individuals of the licensing industry,” is all he will divulge.

Marco believes that the universal character of the emoji brand has stood it in good stead over recent months. “It always has been a unique selling point as well as the diversity of our content, enabling partners to express any kind of emotion in a meaningful way,” he says. “The positive character of the brand and

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BRAND FOCUS: EMOJI Inset: The emoji company is continuing to work with Ferrero for Kinder Joy in various territories.

its power to communicate has clearly helped us closing new partnerships over the past months.

Being globally known by consumers but not having to depend on a scheduled movie release date also helped tremendously in these particular times.”

When it comes to UK retail, Marco acknowledges that consumer behaviour will be different after lockdown. “COVID-19 has changed consumer attitudes - they are now more conscious in what they purchase and this change in their shopping behaviour I believe will be permanent,” he says.

“Retailers and brands need to adapt and need to create offers that match the new consumer habits by exploring new business models and increasing their online presence and offers.”

And while Marco doesn’t foresee growth in 2020,

Key challenges While Marco believes that “the world is not stopping” he admits there will be challenges going forward.

“On short notice, I believe that consumers will be more mindful in what they are going to buy,” he says.

“Before COVID-19 people physically spent more time in stores and enjoyed a relaxed shopping environment and interaction with other people. The cutback of social interaction due to the virus influences the propensity to buy consumer products I am sure.

“Depending on the product category there will be many overstocks and the market will have to absorb that excessive supply.”

Marco continues: “On the other hand the world is not stopping. Social media and digital content distribution of any kind will influence the consumer demand for branded product even more than before. Brands will have to re-think and to shift their activities and focus more on digital experiences than on traditional tools.

From an emoji brand standpoint we feel well positioned as we are historically strong in both the physical and digital environment.”

Below: Burger King is due to launch a QSR programme with emoji plush.

Below left: The emoji by Britto programme with Goebel Porzellan includes bags, spectacle cases, umbrellas, coasters and cups.

this will be a temporary situation as he sees revenues shifting into the following year. “The emoji brand is well established all around the globe and no one hit wonder. I am convinced that in the future there will be a concentration on fewer but stronger properties that have a solid and proven track record and that enable licensees to generate serious revenues and emoji is one of those brands,” he concludes. “We will see a revenue shift within product categories, but in parallel see big potential in generating licensing revenues in the digital space.”

Into 2021 Marco teased that the company has recently signed some “major partnerships” although he’s unable to reveal details at the moment. He did, however, give us a hint into what’s to come for the remainder of 2020 and into 2021.

“For 2021 we strive to open up our first emoji fashion boutique in at least one major European city, similar to what we have done in China with the opening of the emoji apparel stores,” he says. “The creation of short animated content is something we are working on since a while and we expect to announce new partnerships in the gaming and gambling space soon.”

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SPORTING INSIGHT

Back

With the 2020 sports calendar effectively ripped up, what does this mean for sports brands and sports licensing? Simon Gresswell of sports licensing consultancy SGLP shares his view.

in the game?

Inset: After a 100-day hiatus, live football returned in mid-June, albeit without the fans in the stadiums.

Right: Simon Gresswell, founder of sports licensing consultancy, SGLP. Below: Liverpool is among the football club’s which has produced collections for fans during lockdown.

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s I write in mid-June, the key words are adaptability and creativity, in terms of how live sports are re-starting and rekindling their physical relationships with the fans.

On a social-distancing level - it’s going to be a while before we can all squeeze into bars and stadia to see our teams perform, but a variety of low and hi-tech solutions to playing ‘BCD’ (behind closed doors) are being used already abroad and here, especially by football clubs.

The promise of cardboard cut-outs at the Amex (Brighton) and a crowd mosaic at Molyneux (Wolves) have been mooted, which might well translate into licensable products in the future, but hopefully not so at FC Seoul in South Korea, where club officials had to apologise to the authorities when some of their inflatable spectators, were actually found to be sex dolls disguised in club merchandise.

On a retail level – the high street has of course been squeezed very hard this year, once again, but with non-essential retailers just re-opening, the appetite for fashion and sports/lifestyle has clearly not waned, judging by the queues outside Nike Town, Primark, Zara and Sports Direct reported in key cities across England on June 15 (the first day of re-opening for many).

Beyond bricks and mortar, lockdown has meant

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almost business as usual and some growth in sports ecommerce. As expected, the three x face mask pack has become as ubiquitous as the superhero’s three-pair pack of pants of yesteryear. Some clubs and their product partners have smartly promoted collections using fans’ ‘narrative’, such as Liverpool’s ‘YNWA’ and Man City’s ‘We’re Not Really Here’ ranges, both of which taking on added significance as salutes to key workers and football-starved fans, respectively.

On an experiential level – drive-in big screens in football club car parks in Denmark and the ‘artificial crowd noise’ being used with the return of the Premier League, have become options for fans.

The mixing processes of the artificial crowd noise alone (from past matches, EA’s FIFA and reaction noises for pens, fouls and VARs) might inspire other audio options and in-game/app features in the digital space of sport.

On a broadcast level – it’s great that Sky and the Premier League will make 25 of the remaining games free to air, with four more on the BBC for the first time since 1992 and shows sound, strategic thinking after the 100-day hiatus from live football. I hope it was also part inspired by the Cricket World Cup and Sky’s extension of its rights to C4 for the final in 2019, again demonstrating how sports can inspire each other.

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SPORTING INSIGHT

There was also a very different ‘broadcast’ from Royal Ascot, plus (at the time of writing) there was Wimbledon and The Open to look forward to.

On a content level – lockdown for some has no doubt meant multiple Miracles at Medinah or furlough-enforced football replays, but most striking has been the athlete/team-led content in the Netflix documentary, The Last Dance.

Such incredible access to players/teams has seldom been afforded here in our major sports, though Living with Lions and last year’s The Edge on Amazon Prime, should go on your viewing list. It’s proven that insightful content builds fan engagement and offers other commercial opportunities, as the countless Last Dance products online show.

By contrast, an existing piece of fan engagement content caught my eye. A Day at The Open is a beautifully-crafted ‘story’ that combines the perhaps not obvious, cross-generational appeal of the event, with a sense of usergenerated content, as a grandfather, son and grandson attend the historic event together for the first time, at Royal Portrush last year. Little did the youngster know that his prophecy of “that might never ever happen again” (as he high fives top golfers) would become so meaningful in 2020.

On a sign of the times level - the return of the Premier League will see all players’ shirts adorned with phrases and symbols relating to the very ‘human’ causes of our time and with 92 games in five-six weeks, that ‘always on’ feeling should be strong, even without Euro 2020. It will be interesting to see if this feast of football, drives sales of licensed products, but also whether new licensed products are Inset: The Last Dance has been a spawned on more accessible terms, popular view with post crisis.

Netflix audiences.

Picking up on this point, the British Top: The 149th Open will now take Olympics Association and other place in 2021 after sports bodies should be praised for this year’s tournament was having shown fairness and cancelled. discretion to their partners in the unprecedented situation of the

Games moving back a year. The sense of the industry being one entity has certainly been given thought at Team GB HQ. And finally, on what I’d like to refer to as a human level – you only needed to cast an eye online to see ‘GOATs’ from Michael Jordan to Michael Johnson, calling for action on racial inequality, with Jordan pledging $100m to related initiatives, in support of BLM activities worldwide.

This and the re-emerging news topics of sustainability and our planet’s environmental and resources crisis, are bigger than I can cover here, but sport and its associated media, partnerships, licensed products, merchandise and massive use of man-made and natural resources, needs to keep considering all these as well, going forward.

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The GreATesT COLLeCTiOn OF GreeTinG CArDs in The WOrLD PG Live 2021 will be reuniting the international greetings industry, with hundreds of card publishers and retail buyers coming together to celebrate as they rebuild their businesses, refresh their ranges and reconnect with friends.

We can’t wait!

PG Live 2021 Tuesday 8 - Wednesday 9 June Business Design Centre, London +44 (0) 1635 297070 www.progressivegreetingslive.com @PGLiveLondon #PGL2020

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The FuTure OF GreeTinGs Book your free tickets now www.progressivegreetingslive.com

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Be inspired by the past to create product for today Historic Royal Palaces is the independent charity that cares for the Tower of London, Hampton Court Palace, Banqueting House, Kensington Palace, Kew Palace, Hillsborough Castle and Gardens.

Famous around the globe, these palaces include a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Our licensees have access to Britain’s rich royal history with inspiration taken from the best designers, craftsmen and architects of their day; Peter Paul Rubens, Jean Tijou, Christopher Wren, William Kent and Lancelot ‘Capability’ Brown to name but a few…

To find out more about our licensing programme and how you can benefit from the inspiration our palaces have to offer please contact: Email: Licensing@hrp.org.uk

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For licensing opportunities contact: Zoe Arnott, Licensing & Retail Manager zarnott@iflscience.com

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Production, Licensing, Distribution licensing@magiclightpictures.com

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A Global Licensing Powerhouse Major category representation worldwide Over $6 Billion in Franchise Revenue to Date Over 920MM Games Sold

Sonic The Hedgehog Movie $300M+ box office worldwide to date 30th Anniversary, 2021 A year of celebration - new games, digital content, events, major announcements and a tailored licensing programme FOR LICENSING OPPORTUNITIES CONTACT: EUROPE, MIDDLE EAST & AFRICA:

US, CANADA & LATIN AMERICA:

REST OF THE WORLD:

Jason Rice Email: jason.rice@sega.co.uk Tel: +44 (0) 208 996 4568

Alex Gomez Email: alex.gomez@segaamerica.com Tel: +1 (747) 400 2410, ext.203

Shigefumi Tanzawa Email: s_tanzawa@home.segasammy.co.jp Tel: +81 3 6871 7122

www.sonicthehedgehog.com

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10 million YouTub e views and countin g! n es in 2020 at Brea Confirmed residenc .

World Park and Cadbury

Sooty to to feature feature on on Children’s Children’s SVOD SVOD platforms platforms in in the the UK, UK, Canada, Canada, the the Sooty USA, Australia and New Zealand.

USA, Australia and New Zealand.

Sooty is the focal point of the world famous Blackpool illuminations with projections of The Sooty Show running continuously on the iconic tower.

Guinness World Record holder for the longest continuously running children’s TV series!

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Property: Licensor:

Eurosport Discovery Consumer Products Kim Rowles, Sales Manager, Consumer Products m: +44 (0) 7741 148 261 e: kim_rowles@discovery.com

Follow us:

Ian Woods, SVP International Consumer Products m: +44 (0) 7771 377 248 e: ian_woods@discovery.com

Reaching 242M homes across 75 countries, Eurosport remains the No.1 Sport Destination in Europe, connecting fans & families with the greatest sports events on the planet.

Now home to the Olympic Games for the next decade, Eurosport continues to push boundaries and bring fans closer to their local heroes through year-long storytelling. Whilst fuelling their passion for our sports across cycling, tennis and winter sports.

With over 42M unique users a month online, & home of the No.1 online sports news site, fans can now watch anytime, anywhere & on any device.

Explore more at www.eurosport.com

Š 2019 DCL

Eurosport News

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400 million readers 300 official translations 200 million books sold worldwide 150 global licencees 30 million views of the Netflix movie Millions of visitors to parks, exhibitions, and productions each year

The Little Prince™/Le Petit Prince ® © POMASE 2020

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LICENSEES

Licensees are partners (usually manufacturers or retailers) who obtain a licence from the licensor to make and sell products bearing the licensed character or brand.

The following section is devoted to purveyors of licensed products and those whose products might be suitable for licensing.

If you are a retail buyer reviewing licensed products available or a licensor looking for new products for your licences, read on.

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Children’s Publishing

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© 2019 Rovio Entertainment Corporation and Rovio Animation Ltd. Rovio, All Angry Birds logos and characters are trademarks of Rovio Entertainment Corporation and Rovio Animation Ltd. All Rights Reserved. Avengers © 2019 Marvel. Baby Shark © Smart Study Co., Ltd. All Rights Reserved. Pinkfong® Baby Shark™ is a licensed trademark of Smart Study Co., Ltd. Captain Marvel © 2019 Marvel. Dumbo © 2019 Disney Enterprises, Inc. Fingerlings® and all product names, designations and logos are trademarks of WowWee Group Limited. Copyright 2016-2019 WowWee Group Limited. All rights reserved. LEGO, the LEGO logo, the Brick and Knob configurations and the Minifigure are trademarks of the LEGO Group. ©2019 The LEGO Group. The Lion King © 2019 Disney Enterprises, Inc. © MGA Entertainment, Inc. L.O.L. SURPRISE! TM is a trademark of MGA in the U.S. and other Countries. All logos, names, characters, likenesses, images, slogans and packaging appearance are the property of MGA. Mary Poppins Returns © 2018 Disney Enterprises, Inc. Match Attax © TOPPS Europe Limited, 2019. All rights reserved. © 2019 Viacom International Inc. All Rights Reserved. NICKELODEON, NELLA THE PRINCESS KNIGHT are trademarks of Viacom International Inc. © 2019 Spin Master PAW Productions Inc. All Rights Reserved. PAW Patrol and all related titles, logos and characters are trademarks of Spin Master Ltd. Nickelodeon and all related titles and logos are trademarks of Viacom International Inc. Shimmer and Shine © 2019 All Rights Reserved. Nickelodeon, trademark of Viacom International Inc. Spies in Disguise™ and © 2019 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation. All rights reserved. Property of Fox. Spider-Man Into The Spider-Verse © 2018 Marvel © 2018 SPA & CPII. © 2019 Super Wings™ All Rights Reserved. The Nutcracker And The Four Realms © 2018 Disney Enterprises, Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Secret Life of Pets is a trademark and copyright of Universal Studios. Licensed by Universal Studios Licensing LLC. All rights reserved. DreamWorks Trolls © 2018 DreamWorks Animation LLC. All Rights Reserved. TM & © 2019 Ugly Industries Holdings, LLC. All Rights Reserved. Wonder Park TM & © 2019 Paramount Pictures. All Rights Reserved.

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Shark © Smart rademarks of King © 2019 Mary Poppins tional Inc. mer and Shine 2018 SPA & icensing LLC.

Children’s Publishing

Publishing for a new generation

Centum Books 20 Devon Square, Newton Abbot, Devon, TQ12 2HR, UK. Office: +44 (0)1626 337736 • Fax: +44 (0)1626 334580 • Books@centumbooksltd.co.uk

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Dress-Up

Market-leading licensed costumes for

BOOK WEEK

Get inspired on Instagram

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Dress-Up

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Licensing Source Advert DPS_Layout 1 12/01/2017 13:45 Page 1

LicensingSource.net is the go-to resource for finding out what’s happening in the global licensing industry.

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With an e-subscriber database of over 9,500 key contacts, advertisers can expect to receive high visibility, not only on the website, but also on the trusted daily news flashes and social media boasting a strong following.

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Gifting

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SILC 2020 Sustainability A5 advert.qxp_Layout 1 18/06/2020 02:28 Page 20

THE FIRST EVER CONFERENCE IN THE WORLD DEDICAT A ED TO SUSTA AT T INABILITY IN LICENSING TA Breaking new ground in the licensing industry, y the Sustainability in y, Licensing Conference 2020, to be staged at The British Libra r ry (London) ra on We W dnesday 25 Nov ove ov vember 2020, is aimed at eve v ryo ve y ne in the licensing yo arena, from retailers to licensors, licensees to tra r de suppliers. ra Being launched by Max Publishing (publishers of Licensing Source Book, LicensingSource.net and organisers of The Licensing Aw A ards and the B&LLAs) along with Helena Mansell-Stopher, r experienced licensing executive and founder r, of the Products of Change group, the Sustainability in Licensing Conference (SILC 2020) will inspire and inform as to how our dynamic sector can continue to innovate and grow commercially while not costing the planet.

The cost per delegate to attend including lunch is ÂŁ245 + VA VAT AT To T o book your place you can either go online www.m max-ttickets.n net or contact Clare Hollick at Createvents Ltd using clarevents.co.uk or calling +44(0)1183 340085

For sponsorship or other enquiries contact Ian Hyder or Rob Willis on +44 (0)207 700 6740 or by email ianh@max-publishing.co.uk robw@max-publishing.co.uk

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Nightwear, Underwear and Babywear

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Party Products

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HEY GEE™

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Toiletries

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LSB AWARDS A5 DPS Cats (NEW USE) 2020.qxp_Grid 06/07/2020 15:53 Page 130

To enter the 2020 Licensing Awards go to www.thelicensingawards.co.uk Wednesday December 16 2020 The Great Room, Grosvenor House Hotel, Park Lane, London, W1K 7TN Black Tie/Posh Frocks!

Ă“

The Awards 2020 Categories The Retail Award Categories

l l l l

Best Pre-School Retailer of Licensed Products (0-5) Best Kids Retailer of Licensed Products (5-16) Best Retailer of Adult Licensed Products The Radar Award- For retailers that have upped their Licensing activities in the last year l Best Licensed Retail Marketing Initiative l Best Overseas Retailer

For ticket information For information on reserving tickets or tables to the event please contact: Clare Hollick at Createvents Ltd using clare@createvents.co.uk or calling +44(0)1183 340085 Or if you would like to book your ticket or table online go to - www.max-tickets.net

Supported by Specialist Communication & PR Consultancy

Charity

The Product Award Categories

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Best Licensed Toys or Games Range Best Licensed Dress-up or Partywear Range Best Licensed Preschool Apparel Range Best Licensed Childrens Apparel Range Best Licensed Adult Apparel Range Best Licensed Written, Listening or Learning Range Best Licensed Paper Products or Stationery Range Best Licensed Giftware Range, Home Decor Range, Tableware or Housewares Range Best Licensed Food or Drink Range The Innovation Award The Sustainability Award

Ó

Ó

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The Licensed Property Categories

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Best Pre-School Licensed Property (age group 0-5) Best Children’s or Tween Licensed Property (age group 5-12) Best Teen or Adult Licensed Property (age group 12 or above) Best Film Licensed Property Best Music or Celebrity Licensed Property Best Sports Licensed Property Best Classic Licensed Property Best Gaming Licensed property

Ó

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Other Awards

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UK Rising Star Award Best Licensed Promotions Campaign Honorary Achievement Award Best Licensed Live Event

category sponsors include

Misirli

©2020 HASBRO.

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THE LICENSING SOURCE BOOK EUROPE

Summer 2020

SUMMER 2020 For further details on our complete corporate & lifestyle portfolio contact : victoria.whellans@cplg.com

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