The Licensing Letter

Retailers

Survey Delivers the Low Down on Dollar Store Shoppers

A new secret shopper survey brings to light the characteristics and habits of shoppers in one of the fastest-growing retail channels for licensed merchandise: dollar stores. Amid strong overall sales and earnings growth for channel leaders Dollar Tree and Dollar General (see related story), U.S. and Canadian sales of licensed merchandise in the dollar/value/off-price channel … [Read more...] about Survey Delivers the Low Down on Dollar Store Shoppers

Which Brands Are Best At Engaging Their Customers?

By Glenn S. Demby, Esq. The phrase "consumer engagement," kept coming up in this year's TLL Annual Survey, especially when respondents identified the key trends shaping licensing. "It's all about connecting with consumers and forging an emotional and day-to-day relationship so that your brand becomes part of their lives," according to one respondent. So, who does the best job … [Read more...] about Which Brands Are Best At Engaging Their Customers?

TLL Survey: Corporate Licensing Up 3% in 2015 Fueled by Food/Beverage & Automotive

By Karina Masolova At $27.6 billion, corporate trademarks and brands accounted for 27% of all retail licensed sales in the U.S. and Canada in 2015, the most of any segment (followed by fashion at 20% and sports at 14%), according to The Licensing Letter's Annual Licensing Business Survey. But while it may be big, the corporate segment was also devoid of drama growing at a slow … [Read more...] about TLL Survey: Corporate Licensing Up 3% in 2015 Fueled by Food/Beverage & Automotive

Food/Beverage in Strong Demand Amongst Corporate Brands

By Karina MasolovaFor the sixth straight year in a row, food/beverage outperformed all other corporate trademark and brand segments with 4.5% growth in 2015, according to The Licensing Letter's Annual Licensing Business Survey. Overall, the eating and drinking-related segments continue to represent the growth area in corporate licensing, although the growth of the restaurants … [Read more...] about Food/Beverage in Strong Demand Amongst Corporate Brands

Licensed Product Distribution Grows in Online Channel as Physical Shelf Space Tightens for Smaller Brands

Sales of licensed products in the ecommerce channel continued to grow dramatically in 2015, and while the channel’s rate of growth tapered slightly from 2014, sales of licensed products through online outlets continued to outpace the rate of overall online sales. Most other channels continued in a characteristically steady vein, gaining or losing just a fraction of one … [Read more...] about Licensed Product Distribution Grows in Online Channel as Physical Shelf Space Tightens for Smaller Brands

Off-price Leads the Value Segment

The share of sales lost by department stores was picked up by the lowest-priced retail tier, consisting of dollar/value/off-price stores, which saw its share of market grow 0.4 percentage points in 2015. The segment rose from 8.8% to 9.2% of all retail sales of licensed products. That translates to a 4.5% relative increase in share. While survey respondents last year talked … [Read more...] about Off-price Leads the Value Segment

Store Check: Target at Culver City, CA

By Marcy Magiera A week before Disney’s Zootopia scampered into theaters accompanied by predictions of a $67 million opening weekend, limited merchandise was on the shelf at Target stores. A local Target in Culver City, Calif., gave the new IP a toy aisle endcap, sparsely filled with small action figures, playsets and plush. It was unclear whether the selection was already … [Read more...] about Store Check: Target at Culver City, CA

Store Check: Macy’s Herald Square

By Karina Masolova Following snowdrifts and slush, shoppers returned to stores—and the licensed goods within. Macy's flagship 34th Street location featured some select brands in full force. While retail space is shrinking for lesser-known brands, the retailer put out all the stops for the heavy hitters. Felix the Cat plush dominated one display, with Where's Waldo and Peanuts … [Read more...] about Store Check: Macy’s Herald Square