Category Archives: Retail

Jazwares met with ‘incredible demand’ for CoComelon debut toy line

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Jazwares has been met with ‘incredible demand’ for its CoComelon toy line, range of plush, vehicles, figurines, and role play toys that made its debut at retail this year and marks the first toy launch for the popular pre-school 3D animated series. The toy firm has stated that it is already working with retailers to replenish stock.

Developed in partnership with Moonbug, the debut toy line features characters and items from the CoComelon series. Now available on Netflix and YouTube, CoComelon is the number one most watched channel on YouTube with over 3.5 billion monthly views.

The debut toy range from Jazwares includes the Musical Yellow School Bus, the Musical Bedtime JJ Doll, the Musical doctor Checkup Set, the Family & Friends Six Packs, and an array of Mini Vehicles.

“CoComelon has captivated millions of families around the world with its relatable, entertaining and educational programming. We’re excited to bring families new ways to play and learn together with their favorite characters this holiday season,” said Andy Yeatman, head of the Americas, Moonbug.

In addition to helping pre-schoolers learn letters, numbers, animal sounds, colors, and more, the upbeat videos gently impart positive, prosocial life lessons, providing parents with an opportunity to teach and play with their children as they watch together.

“CoComelon has quickly become one of the most parent / child co-viewed brands in the world, and joyful preschoolers will be thrilled to celebrate this beloved content in toy form,” said Jeremy Padawer, EVP at Jazwares. “As a result of this significant viewership, combined with quality, musical content focused on little JJ, his family and friends, we are already seeing incredible demand for CoComelon.”

Hamleys expansion and investment ‘will be significant and worthy of a 260 year old brand’

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Hamleys is pushing forward with expansion plans for its 260 year old toy selling business which includes a refurbishment of its iconic London store on Regent Street and the potential to open new stores across the UK.

The toy retailer’s current owner Reliance Brands has underlined its plans to for ‘significant investment’ in the Hamleys name, stating that the expansion is a ‘sign of confidence in the brand and strategy’, rather than a ‘foolhardy ambition.’

The plans arrive at an interesting time for the high street, which has been hit by the pandemic and the surge in online shopping that the UK’s lockdown measures have facilitated in recent months. Recent months and weeks have seen numerous British retailers implement job cuts and store closures, citing the coronavirus as the cause of the decline.

However, Summit Yadav, CEO of Reliance Brands told Bloomberg that while ‘it has been quite an eventful journey,’ it would not be holding back making long-term investments. Yadav has declined to say just how much money is being invested in the expansion, but described the sum as ‘significant and worthy of a brand that is nearly 260 years old.’

“The Hamleys experience cannot be diluted,” he said.

Reliance, owned by the richest man in India, Mukesh Ambani, bought the 259-year-old toy retailer from Chinese footwear group C.banner International for £68m.

During the acquisition, Reliance said the transaction would “catapult Reliance Brands to be a dominant player in the global toy retail industry”.

The Rolling Stones to open world-first flagship store on London’s Carnaby Street

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Rock ‘n’ roll legends, the Rolling Stones are to open a world-first flagship store on London’s Carnaby Street, featuring exclusive new fashion and merchandise under the RS No. 9 Carnaby brand from this September. The new store has been created in partnership with Bravado, Universal Music Group’s merchandise and brand management company.

Situated at number 9, Carnaby Street in London’s Soho, the store will launch under the RS No. 9 Carnaby banner and will feature all the hallmarks of the iconic band.

The collections will include exclusive and contemporary collaboration pieces for fans of all ages, including men’s, women’s and children’s fashion and accessories. A special glassware has been developed with Baccarat, engraved with the Rolling Stones tongue. The store will also feature chairs and scarves from The Soloist, and raincoats and hats from the Swedish raincoat brand, Stutterheim.

The Rolling Stones said: “Soho has always encapsulated Rock ’n’ Roll so Carnaby Street was the perfect spot for our own store. We are confident this exciting project that our friends at Bravado have created will be an unrivaled experience for everyone to come to London and enjoy.”

The store will also introduce ‘Stones Red,’ the official colour from Pantone which is established from the first use of the band’s iconic logo. A collection celebrating the Rolling Stones official Pantone colour will also launch with the store.

The band’s continuing album and single releases will be at the heart of the shop’s pulse and Bowers & Wilkins speakers will play tracks from the rock ‘n’ roll band, including the upcoming release of the remastered Goats Head Soup album and Scarlet single.

Jointly curated by the Rolling Stones and Bravado, the shop fit follows the brand colours of red and black and the glass floor features lyrics, while the fitting rooms are adorned with iconic album artwork.

Mat Vlasic, CEO, Bravado said: “With this innovative partnership, the Rolling Stones add yet another cultural touch point to their rich legacy. RS No. 9 Carnaby is the result of years of planning and decades of building one of the world’s most recognized brands.

“It creates a destination where fans can connect and immerse themselves in the music, style and spirit of one of the world’s most iconic and beloved bands.”

For those in the know, the store’s window features a world first soundwave installation – taken from the opening to the 1966 hit track ‘Paint It Black’.

Hasbro, Pokemon and Penguin Ventures among first exhibitors taking part in Festival of Licensing

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Hasbro, The Pokemon Company, Penguin Ventures, and the Natural History Museum are among just some of the biggest names to be taking part in the new virtual Festival of Licensing running this October and taking the place of Brand Licensing Europe this year.

Brands from across the entertainment, publishing, gaming, sport, lifestyle, and heritage licensing fields have now confirmed their attendance and taken up their exhibition slots at the digital gathering which this year will run all online from October 6th to 29th. The event is to be hosted by Global Licensing Group in partnership with Licensing International.

Acamar Films, Chupa Chups, NBA Properties, Sega Europe, Start Licensing, and Yale are among those to have already registered to exhibit.

“Many great business opportunities have stemmed from the connections we have made at Brand Licensing Europe,” said Maxine Lister, head of licensing, Natural History Museum. “This year, especially, it is important for us to continue expanding our partnerships and develop new ways for the public to connect with the natural world through our 80 million specimens.

“We are thrilled to be taking part in Festival of Licensing and look forward to new business opportunities to evolve our licensing strategy.”

Registration for the four-week long celebration of global licensing also opens today at www.festivaloflicensing.com where attendees can opt to attend any or all of the Festival’s three regionally tailored events for Europe, Asia and the Americas, as well as the Licensing Leadership Summit:

  • Week 1: 6-8 October – Europe, powered by Brand Licensing Europe
  • Week 2: 14-15 October – Asia, powered by Licensing Expo China and Licensing Expo Japan
  • Week 3: 20-22 October – North America and Latin America, powered by Licensing Expo
  • Week 4: 28-29 October – Global C-suite virtual conference – Licensing Leadership Summit

“The feedback we have received about Festival of Licensing since announcing it just four weeks ago has been incredible and we are thrilled to be able to announce such an amazing first roster of exhibitors,” said Anna Knight, vice president, Global Licensing Group, Informa Markets. “This is only the beginning – we have another seven weeks till ‘doors open’ – so there will be a lot more news, and surprises, coming down the line.”

 

Exhibitors confirmed to date Include:

 

  • Acamar Films
  • Asgard Media
  • Bioworld
  • Brainbase
  • Brandgenuity
  • CAA-GBG
  • Chupa Chups, S.A Unipersonal
  • CPLG/Wildbrain
  • Crunchyroll Europe
  • Cyber Group Studios
  • Dependable Solutions
  • Design Plus
  • Edutainment
  • Hasbro
  • Herschend Entertainment Studios
  • J Patton
  • KOCCA
  • Licensing Works
  • LoCoco Licensing
  • Natural History Museum
  • NBA Properties Inc
  • Octane5
  • Opsec
  • Penguin Ventures
  • Pokemon
  • Sega Europe
  • Start Licensing
  • Tesa Scribos
  • UCLA
  • Xilam
  • Yale
  • Zolan Licensing Agency

Brands who are interested in exhibiting or sponsorship opportunities can visit www.festivaloflicensing.com for more information.

Debenhams puts liquidation firm on standby but insists it is “trading strongly”

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Debenhams has put a liquidation firm on standby to draw up contingency plans for the department store chain should it not find a solution to its current financial crisis. The company, which is now in administration, has hired Hilco Capital to undertake the task should an answer not be found.

The retailer has underlined that it is currently “trading strongly” and that having the firm on standby does not mean that a liquidation was likely. Last week, Debenhams said it would axe 2,500 more jobs on top of the 4,000 job cuts is announced in May this year.

Debenhams filed for administration in April – the second time in a little over a year – and is examining options to exit the process. These include the current owners continuing to run the business, a sale of Debenhams or a joint venture with new or existing investors.

If the administrators fail to find a buyer or new investment, Debenhams faces liquidation, a process that will put 14,000 jobs at risk.

As reported by the BBC, a spokesperson for the department store said: “Debenhams is trading strongly, with 124 stores reopened and a healthy cash position.”

Debenhams began reopening its shops in June after being closed since lockdown in late March to stop the spread of the coronavirus. The company was struggling before the pandemic, however, and had previously issued a strong of profit warnings. Ahead of last year’s administration, Sports Direct owner, Mike Ashley had proposed injecting £200 million in to the retail chain, an offer that was rejected as Debenhams entered a pre-pack administration which allowed it to keep trading.

Debenhams puts liquidation firm on standby but insists it is “trading strongly”

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Debenhams has put a liquidation firm on standby to draw up contingency plans for the department store chain should it not find a solution to its current financial crisis. The company, which is now in administration, has hired Hilco Capital to undertake the task should an answer not be found.

The retailer has underlined that it is currently “trading strongly” and that having the firm on standby does not mean that a liquidation was likely. Last week, Debenhams said it would axe 2,500 more jobs on top of the 4,000 job cuts is announced in May this year.

Debenhams filed for administration in April – the second time in a little over a year – and is examining options to exit the process. These include the current owners continuing to run the business, a sale of Debenhams or a joint venture with new or existing investors.

If the administrators fail to find a buyer or new investment, Debenhams faces liquidation, a process that will put 14,000 jobs at risk.

As reported by the BBC, a spokesperson for the department store said: “Debenhams is trading strongly, with 124 stores reopened and a healthy cash position.”

Debenhams began reopening its shops in June after being closed since lockdown in late March to stop the spread of the coronavirus. The company was struggling before the pandemic, however, and had previously issued a strong of profit warnings. Ahead of last year’s administration, Sports Direct owner, Mike Ashley had proposed injecting £200 million in to the retail chain, an offer that was rejected as Debenhams entered a pre-pack administration which allowed it to keep trading.

Winners of the 2020 Licensing International Excellence Awards revealed in virtual awards ceremony

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The winners of the 2020 Licensing International Excellence Awards have been revealed in the industry’s first virtual awards ceremony that brought together nearly 1,000 executives from around the world for the celebrations.

Hosted by Handcraft VP and stand-up comic Marshall Mizrahi, the event saw licensing powerhouse Martha Stewart inducted into the Licensing Hall of Fame.

It also played host to a showcase of this year’s six international Rising Stars in Krystyna Braxton (NFL Players Inc.); Allison Cimino (RockLove); Carolina Garcia Souza (Cinecolor Colombia, representative of The Walt Disney Company); Gao Qiang (Tencent); Hannah Stevens (The Point.1888); and Louis Yenik (Crunchyroll). 

Newly redesigned trophies for both the main Awards and the Hall of Fame were also unveiled at the event, designed by Alternatives and PowerStation Studios, respectively. 

The 23 Awards winners hail from around the globe, including companies from Brazil, France, Germany, Korea, the UK and the US, and were unveiled by 10 leading licensing executives who each brought their own special flair to the event.

The Coca-Cola Company and Sesame Workshop each “took home” multiple trophies – Coca-Cola swept the Food & Beverage categories, winning Best Product for its Coca-Cola-flavoured Tic Tacs in partnership with Ferrero, and picking up the prize for Best Food & Beverage Brand of the Year. Sesame Workshop’s “Sesame Street” was named Best Live-Action Entertainment or Character Brand and also won for its “A Cautionary Tale” promotion with Squarespace. Meanwhile, Wildbrain CPLG was crowned as the first winner in the newly added Best Licensing Agency category. 

A number of companies supported the Licensing International Small Business Global Grants Fund by taking space in the Awards Program, which was made available digitally Monday. Thanks to their contributions, the Grants Fund has raised more than $110,000 to help small businesses in the licensing community impacted by the COVID-19 crisis. 

“This year marks the 35th anniversary of the International Licensing Awards, and while we had of course looked forward to celebrating in person, this virtual gathering was an amazing event,” said Maura Regan, president, Licensing International.

“Perhaps more than ever it was important to celebrate the incredible creativity and innovation of our industry. Seeing the very best work of this industry on display, alongside some of the dynamic executives who drive it, was a powerful reminder that, in the wake of uncertainty, the power of trusted brands and well-known licenses is more critical than ever before.”

The 23 2020 Licensing International Excellence Awards winners are:

Best Licensed Products

  • Apparel/Footwear/Accessories – Vans for David Bowie Apparel & Footwear Range
  • Appliance/Automotive/Housewares/Electronics – Pro-Ject Audio Systems for The Beatles Turntable
  • Toys/Games/Novelties for ages 0 to 8 – WowWee for Pinkfong Baby Shark Song Puppets
  • Apps/Software/Video games – Story Toys / Touch Press for LEGO Duplo World App
  • Food/Beverage – The Coca-Cola Company / Ferrero for Coca-Cola Tic Tac
  • Health and Beauty Aids – Lipsmacker for Crayola Lip Care Line
  • Home Decor – Dreamtex Ltd for National Geographic Recycled Bedding
  • Publishing/Back-to-School – Party City – Pantone’s 2019 Color of the Year Partygoods & Tableware
  • Toys/Games/Novelties for ages 8+ – LEGO for Stranger Things Lego Set

Best Licensed Brands

  • Art/Designs/Celebrity/Fashion Brand – V&A by Victoria & Albert Museum 
  • Digital/ App/ Video Game Brand – Brown & Friends by LINE Friends
  • Corporate Brand – Cat by Caterpillar  
  • Entertainment/Character Brand: Animated – Peppa Pig by eOne / Hasbro
  • Entertainment/Character Brand: Live Action – Sesame Street by Sesame Workshop
  • Food/Beverage/Restaurant Brand – Coca-Cola by The Coca-Cola Company
  • Sports/Collegiate Brand – Rugby World Cup by World Rugby / IMG

Other Awards

  • Best Licensed Promotion – Squarespace & Sesame Street “A Cautionary Tale”
  • Best Licensed Collaboration – SpongeBob Squarepants x Nike x Kyrie Irving
  • Best Experiential or Location-Based Initiative – The Very Hungry Caterpillar at the Royal Horticultural Society
  • Best Retailer for a Character/Entertainment Initiative – Galeries Lafayette for Batman 
  • Best Retailer for a Corporate/Lifestyle/Sports Initiative – NBA Stores Brazil 
  • Best Licensing Agency – Wildbrain CPLG
  • The Newcomer Award – Harrogate Tipple Ltd for Downton Abbey Gin & Whisky

 

Marvel Mania returns to the global stage for fifth year with new retail and product initiatives

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The popular Marvel retail celebration, Marvel Mania, is making its return this year, bringing kids, families, and fans new ways to wear, connect, and play with the franchise, and it is all kicking off this month with a Marvel-sponsored Superhero Series sports challenge.

Now in its fifth year, Marvel Mania is recognised as the only campaign to bring all the Marvel Super Heroes together as it offers a suite of global retail activations, new content launches, and new products for fans of all ages. The campaign will continue with a host of global activity through to October this year.

Powered by Marvel, the ‘Superhero Series’ is the UK’s largest interactive sporting event dedicated to the nation’s 13.3 million people with disabilities. Six families and their celebrity team captains will be starring in a special shopDisney.com-sponsored Channel 4 programme as they take on this year’s ‘At Home Superheroes’ challenge.

Due to air on August 15th, the programme will be presented by Clare Balding and includes ‘Marvel Mania’at shopDisney break-bumpers. Supporting the at-home initiative Marvel will bring the energy of its iconic Super Hero characters to participants’ homes and neighbourhoods through downloadable games, signs and more to help participants feel like a true Super Hero.

“What started as a targeted retail campaign in the US has grown into an international celebration with a wide range of retailers and more than a hundred global licensees supporting worldwide,” said Paul Gitter, SVP, Marvel Licensing. “The success of Marvel Mania is a testament to the strength, power and diversity our characters represent on screen and beyond with amazing products and experiences.”

In Mexico, Marvel will be collaborating with a sporting and cultural phenomenon this October and in the US shopDisney.com will feature a month-long ‘Marvel Mania’ collector event to debut new products, content and Marvel-themed accessories and apparel.

In China, a Marvel ‘Find Your Power’ campaign will launch this fall with additional Asia Pacific region retail touch points, new product offerings, and multiple consumer activations running through 2021. Japan will feature “A Universe of Heroes” exhibition that celebrates the Marvel Cinematic Universe opening in Osaka, Japan from August 10 to November 23 with limited-edition products sold exclusively at the exhibition including Beams Marvel t-shirts designed by three local artists.

Supporting Marvel Mania will be robust merchandising programmes from major UK and European retailers including Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Argos, Smyths, ASDA, Amazon and Carrefour as well as shopDisney and The Disney Store.

In the US Walmart, Target, Amazon, Kohl’s, Hot Topic, Box Lunch, FYE, Party City, Walgreen’s and Books-A-Million will all be taking part. Fans in Southeast Asia, the Middle East and India can look forward to an exciting line-up of Marvel campaigns now until November across the region’s largest online retailers and e-Commerce platforms, such as Lazada, Shopee, Flipkart and Amazon.

These campaigns will bring the latest Marvel merchandise online, from kids’ favourite Hasbro and LEGO offerings, to the ultra-affordable-but-chic MINISO for an added touch of “power” to any home and living space. Latin America rounds out the programme with support from El Palacio de Hierro, Walmart and Marathon. All participating retailers will feature unique ‘Marvel Mania’ promotions and special offers.

Additionally, an exciting cross-category merchandise portfolio spanning video games, publishing, apparel, accessories, toys and more will give kids, families and fans the biggest, broadest, and ‘most diverse merchandise line ever.’

Highlights include launches for the Marvel fanatics such as X-Men 20th Anniversary collectables toys from Hasbro, Marvel Zombies Funko Pop! collectables, the LEGO Marvel Studios Iron Man art set and more, while for kids there will be the likes of the BattleWorld Thanos Ship Showdown from Funko,  Spider-Man: Maximum Venom toys including Venom Burst Action Figures and role play from Hasbro, construction sets from LEGO, and Funko Pops.

Moonbug and The Point. 1888 eye ‘evergreen retail space’ for CoComelon, Blippi, and rest of portfolio

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Following on from last week’s Moonbug and MGA Entertainment partnership announcement, the global entertainment company has now turned to the brand licensing agency, The Point. 1888 to expand the Moonbug portfolio, including CoComelon, Blippi, My Magic Pet Morphle, ARPO, Supa Strikas, and T-Rex Ranch.

Under the new partnership, The Point. 1888 will look to ‘provide streamlined consumer products roll-out across EMEA’, with the ambition of owning evergreen retail space for the collection.

“As our audience continues to grow, we remain focused on widening consumer engagement touchpoints at a global level, and part of that is having a trusted partner in EMEA,” said Simon Philips, Moonbug. “We’re confident in The Point.1888 and look forward to seeing what we can achieve together.”

Collectively, Moonbug receives over 7 billion monthly views, and will now operate the largest network of kids channels on YouTube, encompassing 235 million subscribers, and its beloved kids’ brands are available on over 100 platforms globally, including major on-demand streaming services such as Netflix, Apple TV, Sky and Hulu.

Will Stewart, founder and managing director at The Point.1888, said: “We are so excited to get started on this. It is not often that you find a unique digital IP partner like Moonbug that is ahead of the crowd producing safe and fun content, with such speed that appeals to all the family, every gender and all our diverse nations.

“The stats speak for themselves proving the success across all the properties and really offer endless opportunities for this licensing programme.”

The Point.1888’s retail-first brand extension model has been one of the biggest drivers of the agency’s growth in the last 12 months. Its team, headed up by Commercial Director Bethan Garton is rapidly expanding and is currently made up of 19 industry professionals with vast and relevant experience having previously worked with other big brands such as the Gruffalo, Star Wars, LOL Surprise, Marvel, Clangers, Mr Men, Noddy and Sesame Street.

PAW Patrol, Star Wars and LEGO Nintendo among Argos’ top 12 Toys for Christmas 2020 picks

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Argos has revealed its top 12 toys for Christmas 2020 in anticipation of the Christmas toy shopping season and a nation that ‘has rekindled its love for toys,’ through more time spent at home throughout lockdown. Among the top toys, PAW Patrol, Star Wars, and LEGO’s Super Mario collection all feature.

With less than 200 days to go until December 25th, the British store predicts LEGO Lamborghini, Baby Yoda and a pooping flamingo to be among its top sellers this Christmas, while this season will see consumers tap into nostalgia-fuelled shopping driven by the lockdown and time spent at home.

According to research carried out by Argos, more than a fifth of parents plan to gift their child something that conjures memories of their own childhood this year. It goes some way to explain why the likes of Star Wars and LEGO’s Nintendo Super Mario range are among the predicted top sellers for 2020.

Juliet Ward, head of toy buying at Argos, said: “With so much time spent inside during lockdown, the nation has rekindled its love for toys, turning to them now more than ever to keep themselves entertained during what has been a difficult time for many.

‘This year’s top toys list offers a huge variety of new products, ranging from toys inspired by the biggest TV and gaming franchises to bizarre – but crucially, fun – pooping animals.

‘When we craft the list of our top toy predictions for the year, we always try to accurately gauge the “toy crazes” that are set to make thousands of wish lists.

‘This year it’s heartening to see so many toys that will encourage families to spend time together, whether that’s putting together a LEGO Lamborghini or reminiscing over the Mario games of the 80s and 90s.”

An animatronic doll of The Child from The Mandalorian – affectionately known as Baby Yoda – is expected to be one of this year’s biggest hits, joined by the LEGO Adventures with Mario Starter Course, enabling fans to recreate the iconic platform game in brick form.

As Argos’ research goes on to suggest that 40 per cent of parents are set to purchase more toys that encourage active and imaginative play this year, the retailer is firmly tapping into the trend with its Little Live Pets Gotta Go Flamingo that tells kids when it has to sit on its potty. Joining it is the Poopsie Dancing Unicorn.

Familiar faces come in the form of new toys from LOL Surprise and PAW Patrol. Spin Master’s PAW Patrol Dino Rescue Dino Patroller is joined by the LOL Surprise OMG Fashion Dolls Series 3.

The £350 LEGO Technic Lamborghini denotes a desire for the high-end toy lines this year, while the £60 KidiZoom Studio reflects the youth’s lean in to the world of TikTok and YouTube. The list is rounded out with the Hatchimals Pixies Crystal Flyers, and Laser Battle Hunters, promoting active play.