The Licensing Letter

Product Categories

Art Licensing Up 1.6%; Commercial Growth Steady

Sales of licensed art merchandise grew 1.6% from $5.67 to $5.75 billion in 2016, according to The Licensing Letter’s Annual Licensing Business Survey. While 2015 was a bright spot with 2.1% growth from 2014—after years of sluggish or flat growth—this year's sales were slower. The sector’s steady growth was largely thanks to strong performance of commercial art properties, with … [Read more...] about Art Licensing Up 1.6%; Commercial Growth Steady

Up 7.6%, Entertainment/Character Leads 2016 Growth

In 2016, entertainment/character was the fastest-growing of all the major property types TLL tracks through its Annual Licensing Business Survey. Retail sales of entertainment/character-based licensed merchandise were up a stunning 7.6% to reach almost $12.8 billion. The rate of growth was slightly down from 2015, when retail sales grew 8.0% to reach almost $11.9 … [Read more...] about Up 7.6%, Entertainment/Character Leads 2016 Growth

Worldwide Sales by PT & PC: Entertainment/Toys Drive Growth

As reported earlier, global retail sales of licensed merchandise grew 2.7%—or over $4 billion—in 2016 to reach $167.5 billion, according to TLL’s Annual Licensing Business Survey. On the property side, entertainment/character sales swelled 5.0% in 2016, while on the product side, toys/interactive games led with 3.8% growth. The major source of growth were brands from the … [Read more...] about Worldwide Sales by PT & PC: Entertainment/Toys Drive Growth

TLL’s Guide to Product Categories

Product categories are based on the predominant way in which merchandise is classified by retailers and, by extension, licensors, manufacturers, and others in the business. Many products could fall within more than one classification. For example, plush could be considered either “Toys” or “Gifts/Novelties,” clocks could be “Housewares” or “Gifts/Novelties” or “Electronics,” … [Read more...] about TLL’s Guide to Product Categories

Royalty Rates Flat; Average Up to 8.75%

We're now in the second decade of long-term stability in royalty rates, with the average up 0.2% to reach 8.75% in 2016 for the U.S./Canada. In comparison, the average royalty was 8.73% in 2015 and 8.68% in 2014. Since 2005, the average royalty rate across property types and product categories has remained in the 8.6–8.8% range. Over three-fourths of respondants to TLL’s … [Read more...] about Royalty Rates Flat; Average Up to 8.75%

Toys, Food & Apparel Lead Growth on Product Side

On the product category side of the $106.5 billion equation of 2016 licensed retail sales in the U.S./Canada, only three categories outperformed the average sector growth of 3.2%—toys/games (7.0%), food/beverages (6.0%), and apparel (5.8%). While most categories, including the top three, are down in growth from last year, overall upticks across the board indicate that the … [Read more...] about Toys, Food & Apparel Lead Growth on Product Side

Chinese Housing Boom Propels Licensed Home Sales

The Chinese real estate market continues to grow into 2017, despite government measures to curb home prices and avoid a housing bubble. Average home prices are projected to increase 4.1% year-on-year and property investment could grow by 5.4% in 2017, according to Reuters, citing a state-owned newspaper report. Meanwhile, new construction is expected to grow by 6.2%, according … [Read more...] about Chinese Housing Boom Propels Licensed Home Sales

Super Saturday, Online Sales Brighten Holiday Ledgers

Although Americans are starting to shop for their holiday gifts earlier in the year, that doesn't mean that they're finishing earlier. The National Retail Federation estimated that 155.7 million people would head to stores on Dec. 17th, the last Saturday before Christmas (compared to 99 million shoppers over the Thanksgiving weekend). Although the real figure is somewhat … [Read more...] about Super Saturday, Online Sales Brighten Holiday Ledgers