By: Karina Masolova, karina@plainlanguagemedia.com
Licensed retail sales of corporate trademark/brand merchandise grew 2.5% to reach $29.2 billion in 2017, according to TLL’s Annual Licensing Business Survey. The biggest drivers behind the roughly $710 million increase in sales were soft goods like apparel and accessories; home-related goods like domestics, furniture, and hardware; and what amounted to a recovery of previously declining categories like gifts/novelties and stationery/paper.
The fastest-growing product categories in 2017 were domestics (4.4%), gifts/novelties (3.9%; recovering from a -8.1% dip in 2016), and health & beauty aids (3.4%; making up for flattish -0.5% growth in 2016).
In terms of sheer dollar growth however, the top licensed product categories was food/beverage, which grew 3.1% in 2017, or $298 million, largely thanks to its sheer size (33.9% share of all trademark/brand sales). The runner-ups were consumer electronics (2.6%), apparel (2.2%), and accessories (2.6%).
Note: Numbers may not add up exactly due to rounding. | ||||||
(Figures in Millions) | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Product Category | Retail Sales, 2017 | Retail Sales, 2016 | Change, 2016–2017 | Share, 2017 | ||
Accessories | $1,954 | $1,905 | 2.6% | 6.7% | ||
Apparel | $2,725 | $2,667 | 2.2% | 9.3% | ||
Consumer Electronics | $4,106 | $4,002 | 2.6% | 14.1% | ||
Domestics | $79 | $76 | 4.4% | 0.3% | ||
Food/Beverages | $9,895 | $9,598 | 3.1% | 33.9% | ||
Footwear | $1,716 | $1,686 | 1.8% | 5.9% | ||
Furniture/Home Furnishings | $892 | $870 | 2.5% | 3.1% | ||
Gifts/Novelties | $285 | $275 | 3.9% | 1.0% | ||
HBA | $1,014 | $981 | 3.4% | 3.5% | ||
Housewares | $517 | $509 | 1.5% | 1.8% | ||
Infant Products | $218 | $221 | -1.0% | 0.7% | ||
Publishing | $891 | $865 | 3.0% | 3.1% | ||
Sporting Goods | $1,194 | $1,200 | -0.5% | 4.1% | ||
Stationery/Paper | $88 | $86 | 3.0% | 0.3% | ||
Toys/Games | $574 | $561 | 2.2% | 2.0% | ||
Video Games/Software | $419 | $412 | 1.8% | 1.4% | ||
Other | $2,585 | $2,532 | 2.1% | 8.9% | ||
Hardware and Paint | $175 | $171 | 2.3% | 0.6% | ||
Gardening | $118 | $115 | 2.0% | 0.4% | ||
Pet Products | $223 | $215 | 3.6% | 0.8% | ||
Automotive Accessories | $389 | $377 | 3.0% | 1.3% | ||
Boats and Vehicles | $501 | $496 | 1.0% | 1.7% | ||
Other | $1,179 | $1,157 | 2.0% | 4.0% | ||
Total | $29,155 | $28,445 | 2.5% | 100.0% |