Sequential Brands Group has agreed to acquire a majority interest in the Jessica Simpson Collection brand, including master license rights, from Camuto Group. Although the price has not been disclosed, you can bet that it is significantly higher than the $15 million the late Vince Camuto paid for the master license in 2005…
April 6, 2015
Who’s News
April 6, 2015
Follow the latest hires, promotions, and departures.
Featuring: 41e, American Greetings, Amscan, FremantleMedia, Nordic Licensing Co., Toys ‘R’ Us, and more…
Mass Retail Fashion Licensing Targets Men
April 6, 2015
Very quietly and with little fanfare, mass retailer Target launched Target Collective, a curated collection of Americanmade men’s fashion products from six different designers: Billykirk (bags and accessories); Owen & Fred (soap and accessories); Taylor… . . . read more
Pet Products
Martha Goes to the Dogs
April 6, 2015
Martha Stewart Living Omnipedia released a new line of natural dog treats exclusively at Petsmart. The Martha Stewart Pets Treat shop line is available in five flavors and was supposedly inspired by the biscuits the duchess of the domestic makes for her own pooches…
Online & Value Channels Grow Share of Licensed Product Sales
April 6, 2015
Sales of licensed retail products in the e-commerce channel accelerated in 2014, while most other retail channels continued in a characteristically steady vein, gaining or losing just a fraction of one percentage point in market… . . . read more
Food & Beverages
Taco Bell Licensing Crunch
April 6, 2015
Taco Bell has become a hot bed of food licensing and co-branding featuring Snapple Lemonade Freeze (Dr Pepper Snapple Group), Starburst Strawberry Freeze (Wm. Wrigley Jr.), in addition to Doritos Locos Tacos and the Cap’n Crunch Delights, basically a doughnut hole covered with Quaker Oats Co.’s Cap’n Crunch Berries cereal and filled with “milk” icing (PepsiCo)…
Digital Goods
Class Action Lawsuit Against Facebook
April 6, 2015
A federal judge in California said a lawsuit by hundreds of thousands of parents nationwide against Facebook could go forward as a class action. The suit contends that Facebook let kids use their parents’ credit and debit cards to buy the virtual currency Facebook credits and violated California law by citing its “all sales are final” policy in refusing refunds to parents who complained…
Sports
MLB & Majestic Re-up
April 6, 2015
Continuing a partnership that started in 1982, Majestic Athletic will remain the uniform licensee of Major League Baseball Properties through 2019 with exclusive rights to design, produce and distribute on-field uniforms, authentic collection apparel, replica jerseys and other men’s and women’s fan apparel for all 30 MLB teams…
Sports
Adidas to Give Up NBA Sponsorship
April 6, 2015
After 11 years of being the official apparel sponsor of the NBA, Adidas announced that it will not seek to renew its status after the 2016–2017 season. According to several reports, the announcement came about a week after the League told Adidas that it would open the bidding to other brands like Nike and Under Armour. Result:…
Avengers Campaign Targets Fashion, Health
April 6, 2015
Disney Consumer Products announced what it’s calling one
of “its biggest ever licensing programs” around the new Avengers: Age of Ultron film and offshoot programming; and given Disney’s track record, that’s no idle boast. The licensing program includes a push into what the studio considers high-potential categories, including female fashion and items intended to foster active and healthy habits among kids…