By Glenn S. Demby, Esq.
As in previous years, global licensing in 2015 was top-heavy with eight countries accounting for 87.5% of all retail sales, according to TLL’s Annual Licensing Business Survey. See the complete list of the top 50 countries by retail sales worldwide, including breakdowns by territory here.
The Top 10
The U.S. dominates the world rankings with over $93 billion in sales of licensed goods and 57.7% global share. Japan remains a distant second with sales of $10 billion and 6.2% share, followed by Canada, the U.K. and France. Sixth-ranked China is the only Asian country in the top 10. Germany, Italy, Brazil and Australia round out the top 10.
The 10 rankings have not changed since 2013. But while the gap between the U.S. and number 2 Japan remains unbridgeable, margins separating other members of the big 10 are rapidly shrinking:
- China trails number 5 France by only $130 million in sales, a gap that is sure to be erased in 2016;
- Despite its sluggish performance in recent years, number 10 Australia needs only $104 million more to overtake fading Brazil for the ninth spot; and
- As Brazil sinks deeper into recession, look for either Spain (currently number 11) or Mexico (number 12) to replace it in the top 10.
Movement in the Middle and Lower Tiers
There have also been some shifts in the middle and lower tiers of the rankings since 2013. Countries that fell back in 2015 include:
- Greece (from 24 to 29);
- Russia (from 26 to 30);
- Turkey (from 17 to 18);
- Austria (from 19 to 20); and
- Czech Republic (from 40 to 41).
Countries that moved up include:
- Taiwan (from 18 to 17);
- South Africa (from 20 to 19);
- Finland (from 25 to 24);
- Hong Kong (from 27 to 25);
- Norway (from 28 to 26);
- Portugal (from 29 to 27); and
- New Zealand (from 30 to 28).