The Licensing Letter

Articles

Specialty, Mid-Tier & Ecommerce Drive 2017 Licensed U.S./Canada Fashion Sales

Contact the Editor at karina@plainlanguagemedia.com. Retail sales of licensed merchandise based on fashion properties in the U.S./Canada grew 1.5% to reach $21,776 million in 2017, per TLL’s Annual Licensing Business Survey. On the distribution side, the fastest-growing channel in 2017 for the U.S./Canada was ecommerce at 4.3% growth. Unlike most of the other five major … [Read more...] about Specialty, Mid-Tier & Ecommerce Drive 2017 Licensed U.S./Canada Fashion Sales

Retail Watch: Thanksgiving, Black Friday & Other Trends

Contact the Editor at karina@plainlanguagemedia.com. Here are the top trends and data points to help you digest this five-day holiday weekend. This story has been updated for Dec. 3, 2018 to incorporate additional data, especially for Cyber Monday. The National Retail Federation (NRF) predicts that holiday sales, both in-store and online, will increase anywhere from 4.3% to … [Read more...] about Retail Watch: Thanksgiving, Black Friday & Other Trends

One-Quarter of Top 2018 Holiday Toys are Licensed

Contact the Editor at karina@plainlanguagemedia.com. Roughly 29% of the top 2018 holiday toys are licensed, according to lists created by Walmart, Target, Amazon, and Kmart. In 2017, retail sales of licensed toys/games sank -4.4% to $7.7 billion in the U.S./Canada, according to TLL’s Annual Licensing Business Survey. This was largely due to the impact of the Toys 'R' Us … [Read more...] about One-Quarter of Top 2018 Holiday Toys are Licensed

M&A: Fashion, Toys & Other Business

Contact the Editor at karina@plainlanguagemedia.com. As Levi Strauss prepares to open its largest store in the world in the form of a new Times Square flagship, it is also gearing up for an IPO that would value the company at up to $5 billion. The 145 year-old jeans manufacturer had gone public once before, in 1971, and is now privately held by the descendants of the family of … [Read more...] about M&A: Fashion, Toys & Other Business

Who’s News—November 2018

Are you hiring—or being promoted, changing jobs, retiring, launching a new company, or otherwise changing your employment? Contact the Editor at karina@plainlanguagemedia.com to announce the news in our next issue of Who's News. 10/19/2018 Rovio appoints Alexandre Pelletier-Normand as EVP of its Entertainment's Games Business Unit and a member of leadership team, beginning … [Read more...] about Who’s News—November 2018

Language of Licensing II

Contact the Editor at karina@plainlanguagemedia.com. Two years ago, we launched TLL's first survey on the language of licensing to explore changing trends in terminology, business tactics, industry trends, and the way we navigate them. (Access the 2016 story.) Here's the second iteration of TLL's Language of Licensing (LoL) Survey. Don't forget to read up on the demographics … [Read more...] about Language of Licensing II

2018 Holiday Spending Expected to be Strong

Contact the Editor at karina@plainlanguagemedia.com. U.S. consumer confidence rose to an 18-year high in October, per The Conference Board. The index reading of 137.9, driven largely by a robust labor market, indicates that consumers expect the current strong pace of economic growth to carry over into early 2019. The NRF estimates that holiday spending will increase 4.1% this … [Read more...] about 2018 Holiday Spending Expected to be Strong

Roundup: Sports & Sportswear News

Contact the Editor at karina@plainlanguagemedia.com. Athletic specialty retailer Hibbett Sports will acquire City Gear, a city specialty retailer of premium athletic footwear, apparel, and accessories with 135 stores in 15 states, by early December. The transaction includes $88 million in cash to be paid at closing and the potential for up to $25 million in additional … [Read more...] about Roundup: Sports & Sportswear News