Category Archives: Lifestyle

Automotive brand Peugeot eyes brand extension into toys, lifestyle, sports, and more

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The global automotive brand, Peugeot, has outlined its ambitious intentions to launch into the toy sector, having appointed Licensing Matters Global to roll-out a brand extension programme through licensing partnerships.

The London-based global licensing agency has detailed its new, long-term partnership with the Parisian company, Peugeot Industrie, a Peugeot Family Group subsidiary in charge of the expansion of the Peugeot brand into various consumer product sectors.

Under the agreement, LMG will aim to drive the Peugeot brand into toy aisles through new licensing partnerships.

“We are looking forward to working with LMG to expand our global consumer product offering,” said Christian Peugeot, CEO, Peugeot Frères Industrie. “Gifted with 210 years of entrepreneurial spirit, Peugeot constantly enriches its expertise to create objects and experiences that facilitate everyday life. We believe LMG is the right partner to tailor a program that will instill the Peugeot DNA in new product verticals.”

Michael Kwan, CEO of LMG, added: “We’re honoured to be given the opportunity to support Peugeot Frères Industrie’s ambition.”

“Throughout its history, Peugeot’s inventions – ranging from ground-breaking saw blades to first automobiles, via stylish table mills and robust DIY equipment – have embodied relentless technical ingenuity, timeless elegance and a family spirit,” added Felipe Noriega, vice president EMEA, LMG. “We are eager to help expand the legacy of this world-famous brand, through licensing, into objects and experiences that deliver those core brand attributes to consumers.”

LMG are currently seeking partner licensees in selected product across the toy sector, as well as consumer product categories such as Toys, Garden Power Tools, Camping Equipment, Major Electric Appliances, Sports Equipment, Travel Accessories and Fashion, among others.

Withit earmarks ’21 as ‘year of resurgence’ for its character licensed merchandise

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Withit is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year by making preparations for a resurgence in popularity and the re-launch of a range of character licensed merchandise to a whole new generation of fans.

Founders Dolph Zahid and Brad Caines will be getting the launch underway as it works alongside the licensing and family brand specialists, Norton PR to re-introduce Withit to the UK market and beyond from this month.

Withit’s popular Cheeky Monkey, Glamour Puss, Mad Cow, and Happy Bunny characters rocketed to fame in the ’90s and ’00s when Withit branded stationery and bags sold in their millions at WHSmiths, while nightwear and apparel lined the racks at retailers such as Dunnes, Top Shop, and BHS.

Internationally, Withit also saw sell-out success with the likes of C&A and Carrefour, while during its peak, the firm even partnered with Burger King to produce a Withit Kids Meal which saw over five million toys sold through the UK, UAE, and Europe.

Under the creative guidance and drive of its leadership team, Withit World developed into an internationally renowned design studio and social phenomenon, with a network as far-reaching as Brazil, USA, Australia, Russia, and Mexico.

Now, making its return for 2021, Withit is coming to the UK market with a collection of licensed fashion bags and social stationery, as well as more licensed ranges planned for launch across the year. Initially the new products will feature the most popular character icons from the original designs: Glamour Puss and Cheeky Monkey with more to follow.

“It’s been a while but 2021 heralds a dramatic return to the UK market for the Withit brand,” said Dolph Zahid. “Introducing a new style guide, designs and creative concepts, the bag and stationery range will provide us with a launch platform to re-introduce Withit to a new generation of girls and also to Mums who actively engaged with the brand in the ’90s and ‘00s and have an established affinity with the characters.”

Tony Norton, chairman of Norton PR, added: “Withit is a brand that has the power to resonate across generations. Working alongside the brand creators Dolph and Brad we have the chance to experience and communicate the appeal of Withit first-hand, supporting its launch back into the UK market and beyond.” 

Experience the re-launching Withit brand and range by visiting its new website:  www.withitstudios.com

Withit’s Licensing agent Val Fry at CentaIP for UK & EIRE can be contacted directly on: 

val.fry@centaip.com     Tel: 07973 783053

Golden Goose names licensing agent for ‘seriously good’ food brand, Twisted

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The strategic licensing consultancy, Golden Goose has been appointed by Jungle Creations to develop licensed products under its Twisted brand.

Recipes and video content for “unserious food that tastes seriously good” has made Twisted the UK’s No. 1 food brand on social, acquiring over 30 million followers  since 2016. 

Award-winning marketing campaigns for brands such as Baileys, Heinz, Hellmans, Birdseye, Walkers and McDonalds saw Twisted sponsored content generate 55 million views in 2020. As a brand that influences the purchasing decisions of Gen-Z consumers, Twisted is now looking to leverage its market intelligence onto its own branded products.

The brand will look to take the Twisted across multiple food and non-food categories.  

Olly Johnson, Twisted’s managing director of eCommerce, explained: “As the UK’s number one food and drink brand on social we know the engagement we can deliver with Twisted digital content and, working with Golden Goose, we look forward to making Twisted branded products widely available for our  growing audience to enjoy.” 

Adam Bass, director of Golden Goose, added: “Consumers are desperate for  innovation and, for Gen-Z, food is content for their feed. The Golden Goose  team are excited to be working with the Twisted brand to deliver innovative, interesting and unserious food and food gifting products into multiple retail  and direct to consumers.”  

Multiple retail food sales grew by £9 billion in 2020 with line extensions into  booming markets advancing at warp speed, so the Twisted licensing  programme looks set to build on the successful Twisted Kitchen delivery-only  restaurant and the best-selling Twisted cookbook.

Playboy Enterprises expands global consumer products business into India with Jay Jay Iconic Brands

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Playboy Enterprises is expanding its global consumer products business to India thanks to a new partnership with Jay Jay Iconic Brands, a leading Indian fashion and lifestyle company. Through the partnership, Playboy will unleash its lifestyle category offerings in the market.

Playboy now enjoys a portfolio of consumer product brand extensions across more than 180 countries around the world.

“With Playboy’s proven track record as a leading fashion and lifestyle brand in China, Japan, Korea and  Taiwan, we are confident that expansion into India to meet the young Indian consumers’ demand for streetwear fashion is the best next step in the evolution of our international roadmap,” said Ben Kohn, CEO of Playboy Enterprises.

“We are enthusiastic about our partnership with Jay Jay Iconic Brands, who  has demonstrated its ability to create exceptional shopping experiences for leading global brands.” 

The Playboy international portfolio has been flourishing for over 25 years in several South Asian markets such as China and Japan. In particular, it has strategically targeted the Millennial and Gen-Z audiences across categories such as apparel, footwear, home textiles, eyewear and watches.  

The Playboy and Jay Jay partnership was brokered by Ashish Saxena of MDR Brand Management. Both teams are working closely to identify other exciting extension opportunities in key lifestyle categories including beauty and grooming, food and beverage and sexual wellness.  

Dr. Rohit Malhotra, CEO of Jay Jay Iconic Brands, said: “Playboy is an amazing brand, rich in heritage and unique assets such as the Rabbit Head logo. The Indian market today is dominated by consumers under the age of 35, who represent more than 65 per cent of the country’s total population and are driving India’s significant online shopping growth.

“The Playboy brand’s core values of playfulness and exploration resonate strongly with the expressed desires of today’s younger millennial consumers. For us, Playboy was the perfect fit.”  

Playboy demonstrates a clear vision to be the leading purveyor of consumer lifestyle product offerings worldwide. The Playboy brand currently holds retail operations (approximately 3000 POS) across online and offline channels, while seeing a continuously high purchasing demand across younger customers.

The first collection of Playboy casual fashion, footwear and accessories are expected to launch in India in mid 2021 on select e-commerce platforms, followed by brick and mortar retail expansion in 2022 across top  cities such as New Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore, producing a true multichannel experience. 

Ben & Jerry’s enters pets market with Doggie Desserts and branded accessories

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The globally renowned ice cream company, Ben & Jerry’s is taking a new leap into the pets market with the unveiling of two new flavours designed exclusively for canines.

Called Doggie Desserts, the new launch is a range of frozen treats billed by Ben & Jerry’s as ‘paws-itively perfect for your pet,’ specifically formulated for dogs with a sunflower butter base. The two flavours: Pontch’s Mix (with peanut butter and pretzel swirls) and Rosie’s Batch (with pumpkin  and mini cookies) are sold as ‘just what a good dog needs after a long wal with their human.’

“We know our fans love their dogs and treat them like family,” said Lindsay Bumps, a Ben & Jerry’s global marketing specialist who also happens to be a certified veterinary technician. “We created this product line so pups can enjoy something even better than belly rubs. Doggie Desserts are the sweetest treat they’ll ever put their paws on.”

Pontch’s Mix and Rosie’s Batch were named after two real dogs in the Ben & Jerry’s office – an affectionate Frenchie and a rescue mutt of mixed heritage. As a dog-friendly workplace, the Ben & Jerry’s headquarters in Vermont often has up to 40 pups curled up under desks, keeping employees company.

In addition to the two new Doggie Desserts, Ben & Jerry’s has partnered with like-minded suppliers to offer must-have pet accessories like a 6′ custom tie dye leash made from recycled water bottles and a plush cone toy stuffed with recycled fill.

Poetic Brands teams with the National Gallery to launch art inspired apparel and accessories

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Apparel licensee, Poetic Brands, has teamed up with the National Gallery to create a range of adult apparel and accessories based on its impressive and extensive artworks.

Incorporating a wide range of products, including adult daywear apparel and outerwear, swimwear, flip flops, beach bags and towels, adult nightwear and essentials, and accessories including caps and luggage, the move has been made in response to the growing interest in art in the licensed fashion sector.

The National Gallery was founded in 1824 and houses over 2,600 paintings from the late 13th to the early 20th century in Trafalgar Square. With one of the greatest collections of art in the world, the Gallery displays many world-famous works, such as van Eyck’s The Arnolfini Portrait, Velázquez’s The Rokeby Venus, Turner’s The Fighting Temeraire and Van Gogh’s Sunflowers.

Anne Bradford, director, Poetic Brands, said: “Over the past year we have seen a significant interest in art within the fast fashion segment of the industry and subsequent demand across the High Street. The National Gallery offers us a wealth of assets from a number of artists that translate beautifully onto apparel and nightwear. 

“We are also developing luggage which although isn’t hugely in demand at the moment, the time will come when we are all travelling again and this collection will provide premium, and easily identifiable pieces for consumers to be proud of on the carousel.

“Working closely with the team at the National Gallery, we have ensured that their art collection has in turn created a fashion collection that is already very much in demand.”

Judith Mather, buying and brand licensing director, the National Gallery, added: “We are very excited about the partnership with Poetic Brands which will bring old master paintings to a new audience. It is amazing to bring our collection to modern life.”

Subway taps Broad Street Licensing Group to grow food and lifestyle licensing footprint

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Subway restaurants has named Broad Street Licensing Group as its licensing representative as the global sandwich brand looks to expand its Subway licensing footprint. The partnership will focus on the creation of Subway branded licensed products in food and lifestyle categories.

Mike Kappit, chief operating and insights officer at Subway, said: “Our collaboration with Broad Street Licensing Group enables us to connect fans to the Subway brand in new and unexpected ways. “With BSLG, we will grow our presence beyond our natural borders into other retail environments and strengthen our positioning as a food and lifestyle brand.”

Bill Cross, senior vice president of business development at BSLG, added: “Subway is an iconic brand known throughout the world for customized, delicious subs made with quality and fresh ingredients.

“Through our work with Subway, we will highlight the restaurant’s iconic image along with its fresh, high-quality ingredients to bring fans licensed food and lifestyle products.”

BSLG was handed the Licensing International Awards for Best Licensed Products in the food and beverage category in 2019.

The Laughing Cow partners with Iconospheric for gifts, prints, and apparel celebrating 100th anniversary

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The Laughing Cow has kicked off the New Year with a brand new collaboration with the popular prints and merchandise specialist, Iconospheric.

In a deal brokered by The Laughing Cow’s licensing agency, Pink Key Licensing, Iconospheric has launched a collection of gifts, homewares, prints, and more depicting the 100-year-old food brand. The current range from Iconospheric includes mounted prints, greeting cards, tote bags, mugs, and a range of apparel.

More than 30 SKUs make up a collection designed to celebrate the 100th anniversary of The Laughing Cow brand, drawing on the both its vintage and modern appeal with a mix of graphics.

Richard Pink at Pink Key Licensing, who brokered the partnership, said: “We couldn’t be happier about this new partnership. Iconesphric’s product quality is superb and its fantastic to have an all year round on-line destination for anyone who is fan of products carrying the beautiful Laughing Cow artwork.”

British textile brand Emily Burningham lands nightwear deal with Japan’s Wacoal

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The British textile brand, Emily Burningham, has struck a new deal with the Japanese manufacturer Wacoal to launch a new collection of nightwear products across the region.

The programme – developed in conjunction with the licensing agency Cosmo Merchandising – adds to an existing range of ceramics, textiles, and stationery products that is already available across Japan.

Cosmo Merchandising has been working in Japan to develop a licensing programme for the Emily Burningham brand, signing partners across a wealth of categories. 

The new nightwear collection has already been well received, especially in the Department Store sector, with elegant displays featuring at the Isetan Group store in Tokyo.

“We are very excited about the opportunities that this new development can help to create both in Japan and here in the UK,” said Shaun Kelly, brand consultant at Cosmo Merchandising.

The Emily Burningham studio aims to create sophisticated print designs. In the UK, the studio manufactures a range of wallpaper and textiles for soft furnishings and light upholstery.

“I am delighted to have Wacoal as a new partner in Japan,” said Burningham. “The quality of this collection is very high and I am sure it will appeal to the discerning Japanese consumer.”

The Hairy Bikers cook up new kitchenware ecommerce platform with Visualsoft

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The Hairy Bikers brand is cooking up new plans for the ecommerce space through a partnership between Eurosonic Group – a UK-based specialist in homeware and kitchenware – and the ecommerce experts, Visualsoft. The partnership will see the launch of a new Hairy Bikers World ecommerce platform.

Under the partnership, Visualsoft will develop the Hairy Bikers Kitchenware ecommerce website, which will be the source of all official Hairy Bikers Kitchenware merchandise. Experienced chefs and fans alike will be able to purchase a variety of cookbooks, pots and pans, stoneware, and other kitchenware.

Eurosonic Group’s partnership with Visualsoft will allow the brand to tap into the ecommerce agency’s more than 20 years of industry expertise to allow the business to evolve, expand and trade in areas beyond its current reach.

The Hairy Biker’s Kitchenware website will receive Professional Optimum level support, along with multi-channel marketing support including Paid Search, Email Marketing and Social Media, along with hosting and maintenance.

Oliver Homshaw, ecommerce manager at Eurosonic Group, stated: “Visualsoft’s experience and track record in ecommerce was exactly what we were looking for. Along with this, their intuitive platform and the ability to access their team of experts in all fields of ecommerce made this a no brainer for us.

“We’re incredibly excited to be partnering with Visualsoft for the Hairy Bikers Kitchenware site. Their team really understood our vision for the site and they have been hugely supportive during the launch. We see Visualsoft as a long term partner for us and look forward to working with them for the years to come.”

The website will also be adorned with features to help the brand achieve their growth objectives. Capabilities such as autocomplete and voice search will enhance user experience on the website, and features such as visual merchandising, product upselling and add to wishlist will help the brand increase conversion rates, encourage sales and increase eCommerce revenue.

On the launch of the website, Hairy Biker, Dave Myers, said: “We are so excited about the launch of our Kitchenware website. It is a culmination of several years of work to create a one stop shop for our kitchenware. The colours on our stoneware we love – and the practicality of our new pans. The quality is great, we use them in our own kitchens and we believe them to be great value for money.

“When we write a book we create recipes that we want to use ourselves, it is the same ethos with our kitchenware range. Now we have a shop window for this, it’s great.”