Articles

Retail shelves in children's departments and stores across Asia are becoming increasingly crowded with characters as more local properties gain traction in their home countries and neighboring territories, according to speakers at the Asian Licensing Conference, part of this week's Hong Kong Licensing Show. One of the presenters, Claire Gilchrist of Mattel East Asia, identified … [Read more...] about Competition Intensifies in Children’s Licensing Sector in Asia

With wearable technology the talk of CES this week, The Business of Fashion's Vikram Alexei Kansara asks whether "fashion appeal alone [will] be enough to convince large numbers of consumers to wear technology on their bodies." Click here for the best report we've seen on the subject (and there were plenty courtesy of all the CES announcements, per our note yesterday re Tory … [Read more...] about Wearable Tech: Sustainable Business or The Next 3D TV?

The rise of local properties was evident at the Hong Kong Licensing Show, where popular and would-be popular entertainment/character properties from Taiwan, Hong Kong, mainland China, Korea, Thailand, Malaysia, and, of course, Japan, were on display. The number of Korean and mainland Chinese exhibitors in particular have an increased presence at the show this year, according to … [Read more...] about Look-alike Properties Vie For Shelf Space

TLL subscriber Stu Seltzer shares these photos from CES of one of his favorite booths -- Australian electronics company Zenixx. … [Read more...] about CES’s Super Heroes

Tory Burch is licensing designs to Fitbit, a manufacturer of devices that track fitness. Users of the Fitbit Flex will be able to purchase pendants, bracelets, and wristbands custom fit for the Flex device. Both Fitbit.com and ToryBurch.com, along with participating retailers, will carry the products under the Tory Burch for Fitbit name this spring. The Burch deal is at the … [Read more...] about Licensed Wearables

E-retail sales rose 50% in China in 2013, according to a McKinsey report, "What Could Happen In China In 2014?" While e-sales are likely to slow, the rate of growth will still be substantial. Meanwhile, McKinsey analyst Gordon Orr notes, private developers "have already announced plans to increase China's shopping-mall capacity by 50% during the next three years." He sees malls … [Read more...] about McKinsey China Focus has Broad Implications for Licensing

As retail shelves in China and the rest of Asia are becoming saturated with character properties, both local and global, retailers and manufacturers are starting to look for other types of brands and properties. “There's a feeling that China is really into fashion,” says Marilu Corpus of Philippines-based Click! Licensing, which represents properties such as Paul Frank and … [Read more...] about Asian Licensees Seek More Diversity in Property Types

Lisa Valentino is named Chief Revenue Officer at Conde Nast Entertainment. Valentino was previously with ESPN. . . . Bill Uzell joins Canal Toys as CEO for its North and South American operations. … [Read more...] about Who’s News

The makers of Coinye West, a virtual currency based on a similar premise as BitCoin, found themselves in a legal tussle yesterday as rapper Kanye West filed a cease-and-desist to stop the currency. According to a filing, the Coinye West cryptocurrency is "substantially similar to the Kanye West mark in sight, sound, meaning and commercial impression. Interviews with the … [Read more...] about The Buck Stops With Coinye

Licensed characters are found on a range of products specific to Asia, from foods to Chinese New Year products and décor. The latter are ubiquitous in stores here now, leading up to the start of the Year of the Horse at the end of the month. This money envelope features LINE Friends, characters licensed by the Japanese social networking and text messaging company LINE. LINE … [Read more...] about Asia-specific Licensed Products Lead Up to Chinese New Year