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
Retailers
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
Beijing Lashes Out at Western Fashion Brands
WAR OF WORDS OVER HUMAN RIGHTS SPILLS OVER INTO LICENSING, AS CHINA HITS BACK AGAINST H&M, ADIDAS, NIKE, AND MORE Stung by accusations of human rights abuses in the Xinjiang region, Beijing is lashing out at Western fashion brands that have criticized the Chinese government. Already, Chinese state TV has called for a boycott of the Swedish retailer H&M, following … [Read more...] about Beijing Lashes Out at Western Fashion Brands
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
Minecraft Gets Physical With Scavenger Hunt
The massively popular online world of Minecraft has now crossed into the real, physical world in an innovative cross-promotion with the Australian department store chain Big W. Minecraft, which allows players to build out their own virtual worlds and environments, is considered by many to be the world's best-selling video game of all time. Now, fans in Australia are seeing the … [Read more...] about Minecraft Gets Physical With Scavenger Hunt