The Licensing Letter

Retailers

Ariella Maizner Puts The Young In Young Fashion For Walmart

By Gary Symons TLL Editor in Chief By any measure, designer Ariella Maizner has had a remarkable career, and now, her teen clothing line THEME is being picked up by retail giant Walmart this spring. What is remarkable is that Maizner is experiencing this runaway success at the age of 12, after first seeing her fashion designs getting a major boost with fellow designers and … [Read more...] about Ariella Maizner Puts The Young In Young Fashion For Walmart

Who’s News: Parmar Promoted To MD Of Toymaster

Toymaster, the UK's national association of toy stores, has promoted Yogi Parmar to the role of Managing Director. Parmar has worked with Toymaster for several years, and recently has served along with Colin Farrow as the company's joint interim managing director. Toymaster chair Chris Blatcher says Parma is a long-serving, popular, and much respected leader of the Toymaster … [Read more...] about Who’s News: Parmar Promoted To MD Of Toymaster

Eddie Bauer Being Acquired By Authentic Brands

Retail and consumer products giant Authentic Brands and its partially owned subsidiary SPARC Group have reached an agreement to buy the outdoor clothing chain Eddie Bauer in a deal expected to close June 1. Deal terms have not yet been disclosed. Authentic Brands Group LLC is a global force in retail with more than 6,000 outlets worldwide, generating roughly $14 billion in … [Read more...] about Eddie Bauer Being Acquired By Authentic Brands

What Consumers Will be Looking for in a Post-COVID World

By Alicia Rosa Brand Central Insights Consumers are starting to see the light at the end of the COVID-19 tunnel. This new vaccinated world will be a testing ground to see if the pandemic-driven trends and habits will stay. At Brand Central Insights we’ve been able to look at the trends from the last year at a bird’s-eye view to see what’s going to stick around for the long … [Read more...] about What Consumers Will be Looking for in a Post-COVID World

Vir The Robot Boy Is Now Teaching Kids

  New Partnership Between Wow Kidz and Twinkl to Create Educational Materials Schools have taken a real hit over the past year due to COVID-19, but Vir the Robot Boy is flying in to the rescue with a new range of themed educational resources. The initiative is due to a partnership between Wow Kidz, the kids’ animation brand owned by Cosmos-Maya,  with the global … [Read more...] about Vir The Robot Boy Is Now Teaching Kids

Fanatics Partners With NFL and Amazon In Major Strategic Shift

By Gary Symons TLL Editor in Chief Amazon is the dominant force in the Western world when it comes to ecommerce, with the one exception of pro-sports branded sports gear and memorabilia, and that's because the market is largely cornered by Fanatics. Now, that may be changing due to a game changing new partnership between the National Football League, Fanatics, and Amazon. The … [Read more...] about Fanatics Partners With NFL and Amazon In Major Strategic Shift

Forbidden Planet Releasing New Merch Based on Classic Paramount Films

Forbidden Planet, a pop culture product developer, has partnered with ViacomCBS to release new merchandise featuring several of Paramount Pictures classic films, including Forrest Gump, Top Gun, and the hilarious cult classic Galaxy Quest. In total seven Paramount films are included in the new range of apparel and giftware that will be released through Forbidden Planet's … [Read more...] about Forbidden Planet Releasing New Merch Based on Classic Paramount Films

Toys R Us Is Back in Business … Again

Big news for those in the toy and toy licensing industry, as brand management company WHP Global announced Monday it has acquired the controlling interest in Tru Kids, the parent company of Toys R Us, Babies R Us and the Geoffrey the Giraffe brand. Toys R Us has struggled to survive in a world beset by a rapid shift to e-commerce, and filed for bankruptcy protection in 2017. … [Read more...] about Toys R Us Is Back in Business … Again

LEGO Caps Breakout Year With 13% Growth

By Gary Symons TLL Editor in Chief The LEGO Group has been on a tear throughout fiscal 2020, launching new and innovative products, signing key licensing deals, and continuing its run as one of the world's top kids' entertainment companies. That success has also translated into growing revenue, as the European tosco reported a 13% increase in revenue to $7 billion, at a time … [Read more...] about LEGO Caps Breakout Year With 13% Growth