The sports merchandise company Fanatics has added to its long list of critical deals in 2020 with a long-term merchandising partnership with Barnes & Noble Education Inc. (BNED), the campus store division of the Barnes & Noble parent company. Fanatics will offer BNED campus stores an expanded product selection and a direct-to-consumer platform. Fanatics’ partly-owned Lids will also provide BNED trend and sales performance data on licensees, product styles and design treatments from more than 1,200 Lids stores. As well, Fanatics and Lids will jointly make a $15 million strategic equity investment in BNED and receive 2.3 million shares of BNED in exchange, representing a share price of $6.50 per share. BNED expects to use these proceeds for its strategic growth initiatives. BNED is a college retailer that was spun off from bookseller… . . . read more
British & Irish Lions Partner with Titleist
Renowned rugby squad the British & Irish Lions have reached a licensing agreement with golf industry giant Titleist, in advance of their upcoming 2021 matchup against the world champion Springboks from South Africa. World-renowned as a performance equipment brand, having earned the overwhelming trust of tour professionals, club professionals, competitive amateurs and dedicated golfers worldwide, Titleist will offer a range of high-specification, Lions-branded accessories including golf balls, golf bags and golf club head covers, as well as gloves and towels. The Dec. 4 announcement comes amid intense interest in the coming Lion’s summer tour. Despite the COVID-19 pandemic travel agents have seen record numbers of travel packages and tickets sold to supporters of both the Lions and the Springboks. The match has sparked a slate of commercial partnerships recently being announced including… . . . read more
Roundup: Sports & Sportswear News
Play ball with new developments from the NFL, MGM Resorts, Caesars Entertainment, NCAA, Epic Games, WWE, FIFA, Hibbett Sports, Canada Goose, and more…
Legal Watch: Sporting Goods & Apparel; Toys & Games
Sports lifestyle brands Adidas, Crossfit, Reebok, Nike, and Under Armour made news this week; plus, a look back on TRU and eOne wins in China…
Corporate TM/Brands Up 2.7% in 2016; Food/Bev & Tech Lead
Retail sales of corporate trademark/brand-based licensing were up 2.7% worldwide in 2016, according to The Licensing Letter’s Annual Licensing Business Survey. The U.S./Canada made up…
Pumping Up Brands
While our fitness goals may be more aspirational than not, it’s still a big business. See the latest news to come out of the health and fitness business…
TLL Survey: Corporate Licensing Up 3% in 2015 Fueled by Food/Beverage & Automotive
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…
Licensee Accusation: Asics Deliberately Tried to Drive Us Out of Business
The 20-year retail Asics/Windsor Financial retail licensing agreement that looked so promising just a few years ago has all gone terribly wrong. See what you can do to avoid falling into the same trap…
