The Licensing Letter

Food and Beverages

Last Week’s 4/20 Sales Reached $182 Million; Licensed Sales Still Lagging Behind Potential

Retail sales of cannabis and related merchandise reached $182 million during the 4/20 holiday period (4/18–4/20), up 30% from the same period last year, according to MJ Freeway. The actual day (a Saturday) garnered $80 million in sales, of which 45.3% was for flowers, 39% for cartridges/pens, 12% for concentrates, and 10% for edibles. The largest share of dollar sales were by … [Read more...] about Last Week’s 4/20 Sales Reached $182 Million; Licensed Sales Still Lagging Behind Potential

IT’SUGAR NoHo: Pink, Sweet & Raunchy

Every once in a while, we like to get out of the office and do some window shopping. Have requests for a future store check? Contact the editor at karina@plainlanguagemedia.com with the stores you'd like to see in the New York City area. This month, we checked out a confectionery retailer that seeks to indulge pop culture trends as well as a sweeth tooth. Founded in 2006 by … [Read more...] about IT’SUGAR NoHo: Pink, Sweet & Raunchy

Mars, Ferrero & Modelez Top Confectioners of 2018

Contact the editor at karina@plainlanguagemedia.com Mars Wrigley Confectionery, the Ferrero Group, and Mondelez Intl. are the top candy companies worldwide by retail sales, per Candy Industry Magazine. While only a small share of those total sales are licensed, branded offerings remain a hot spot for growth. Plus, many of the companies that made it on to the list this year … [Read more...] about Mars, Ferrero & Modelez Top Confectioners of 2018

Royal Weddings: Marvel/Epic & Nestle/Starbucks

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are not the only royals whose union we are celebrating this week. Nestle strikes a $7.5 billion cash deal with Starbucks for the exclusive right to sell the chain's packaged coffees and teas around the world—not including future revenues from product sales and royalties. Starbuck's current packaged business is worth approximately $2 billion; the … [Read more...] about Royal Weddings: Marvel/Epic & Nestle/Starbucks

Spending Up as Love Sets In

The NRF estimates that just over half of U.S. adults will celebrate Valentine's Day this year by buying a gift for a significant other, friends, or pets—reaching $19.6 billion in spending, up from $18.2 billion in 2017. Those 25–34 years-old will be the biggest spenders, with an average bill of $202.76. By product category, a total of $4.7 billion will be spent on jewelry … [Read more...] about Spending Up as Love Sets In

Spotlight: K-Food in America

By Karina Masolova, karina@plainlanguagemedia.com While Korean food (K-food) is just a small part of the speciality foods industry, it's the touchpoint for many questions about branding, such as: What does it take to market an entire industry? A country? American retail sales of specialty foods reached $99 billion in 2016, and make up 15% of all retail food sales, according … [Read more...] about Spotlight: K-Food in America

What’s So Special About Food?

By Karina Masolova The Summer Fancy Food Show at New York City's Jacob Javits welcomed 2,600 exhibitors from around the world last month. While Turkey was the partner country this year, the floor welcomed exhibitors ranging from classic importers like Italy, France, and Greece to Asian countries like Japan, Korea, and India to smaller countries like Costa Rica and Latvia … [Read more...] about What’s So Special About Food?

Experiential Roundup

Nickelodeon and Spin Master take Paw Patrol to Visionworks locations as part of a back-to-school initiative. Kids who have completed their annual eye exam get a free gift, which includes a Paw Patrol activity sheet, crayons, stickers, and a character mask. Beginning this July, the retailer will also debut it first-ever kids’ line of Paw Patrol frames, designed and distributed … [Read more...] about Experiential Roundup

A Budding Business

The 4th Annual Cannabis World Congress & Business Exposition in NY took place last week, and the buzz is substantially dimmer. Compared to last year, the crowd was more sophisticated, knowledgeable, and connected. But as the cannabis industry becomes more settled, it's also becoming clear that (consumer products) licensing is not going to be a significant player anytime … [Read more...] about A Budding Business