Walt Disney Intl. appoints Rebecca Campbell to serve as President of its EMEA business. Alpha Group expands into Latin America with the new appointment of Jose Antonio Espinoza as Head of Latin America operations. Tracy Griffiths joins Golden Bear as a Licensing Consultant. Spin Master-owned Toca Boca's CEO, Bjorn Jeffery, steps down. The Stockholm-based children’s mobile … [Read more...] about Who’s News — 10/2/2017
TLL
M&A & Other Business
Ravensburger acquires ThinkFun, a U.S. developer of logic and STEM-based games. ThinkFun will continue to operate independently as a subsidiary of Ravensburger North America. Co-founder Bill Ritchie remains as CCO, as well as all directors and staff. Universal is in talks to sell its stake in Oriental DreamWorks, the China-based joint venture animation company, according to … [Read more...] about M&A & Other Business
Deal Sheet — 9/27/2017
Quick Navigate Properties Available or Recently Assigned, U.S. Licenses Recently Granted, U.S. Intl. Properties Available or Recently Assigned Intl. Licenses Recently Granted Archived Deal Sheets Properties Available or Recently Assigned, U.S. *Extension or renewal. Property (Description)Categories AvailableLicensing Contact American WannabeeWhimsical, … [Read more...] about Deal Sheet — 9/27/2017
European Licensed Sales Up 1.8%; Western Europe Shines
The European territory experienced retatively flat growth (1.8%) with $32.9 billion in licensed retail sales in 2016, according to TLL's 2017 Licensing Business Survey. But behind the average, several countries out-performed worldwide average growth of 2.7% in 2016. Visit the Licensing Data Bank for more charts and data here. And contact Jen at jen@plainlanguagemedia.com for … [Read more...] about European Licensed Sales Up 1.8%; Western Europe Shines
Retailer Alert: Holiday Sales, TRU & New Innovations
The economists have weighed in, and it looks like holiday sales will be strong this year. Deloitte projects that holiday sales between November and January will rise 4% to 4.5% from a year earlier to as much as $1.05 trillion. Online sales will rise at a much faster pace, gaining 18% to 21% to as much as $114 billion, or 11% of the total holiday retail sales. AlixPartners … [Read more...] about Retailer Alert: Holiday Sales, TRU & New Innovations
Roundup: Experiential Initiatives
Live arena production Fast & Furious Live is set to debut on a global tour in January 2018. Produced in partnership with Universal Brand Development, Fast Live Productions, and Live Nation, the show launches in London before racing through 23 other European cities. The two-hour show features cars, locations, and scenes from the film series through state-of-the-art 3D … [Read more...] about Roundup: Experiential Initiatives
Deal Sheet — 9/20/2017
Quick Navigate Properties Available or Recently Assigned, U.S. Licenses Recently Granted, U.S. Intl. Properties Available or Recently Assigned Intl. Licenses Recently Granted Archived Deal Sheets Properties Available or Recently Assigned, U.S. *Extension or renewal. Property (Description)Categories AvailableLicensing Contact Mississippi State … [Read more...] about Deal Sheet — 9/20/2017
The Future of Ecommerce is In-store
By Karina Masolova, karina@plainlanguagemedia.com With traditional retail business models crashing down, and ecommerce on the rise, retailers will need the power of brands to thrive. Two dominant trends emerge when looking at the future of retail: retail-tainment and omnichannel. Despite the rise of ecommerce, shoppers still prefer to see, touch, and experience products. … [Read more...] about The Future of Ecommerce is In-store
Spotlight: Kids’ Tech Toys
We had the chance to attend the Kids’ & Family Tech Expo in New York, where attendees showed off the latest in tech innovations to hit the toy shelves. The name of the game is STREAM, and to be more specific, programming and engineering. But while many toys were meant for a younger set, the price point was relatively high—targeting the pure-play offerings topping … [Read more...] about Spotlight: Kids’ Tech Toys
Who’s News — 9/18/2017
Julia Jensen is SVP, Publicity & Communications for Warner Bros. Entertainment Consumer Products. Nickelodeon names Jose L. Castro as SVP Softlines. Castro will manage existing partnerships and develop new business opportunities across all categories including apparel, accessories, and home goods. He will also serve as the liaison for all global fashion collaborations and … [Read more...] about Who’s News — 9/18/2017