Sears/Kmart plans to use funds from real estate sales to transform the company from “outdated traditional store” to one that uses digital technology and personal data to engage customers and find out what they want to buy. While it doesn’t eliminate brick-and-mortar, the plan presages store closings, smaller inventories, and less shelf space for licensed apparel, toys, and … [Read more...] about Sears’ Plans Not Friendly to Licensing
TLL
Margaritaville Coming to HSN
HSN is teaming with Jimmy Buffet’s Margaritaville Enterprises to bring a line of new Margaritaville-inspired cooking, home, electronics, beauty, and apparel products to HSN and HSN Inc. Cornerstone division brands, Frontgate and Travelsmith. The collaboration, HSN’s largest partnership of the year so far, will promote the themes of escapism, relaxation and the “Margaritaville … [Read more...] about Margaritaville Coming to HSN
Frozen Selling 10 Times Faster Than Last Year
If you thought Frozen was a one-year wonder, forget it. Sales of Frozen licensed merchandise for the year are up 10 times above where they were last year at this time, according to Disney officials during a press conference. Earned licensing revenues for Frozen are up 23% over last year. Of course, the big Frozen surge came at the end of 2014. Even so, the Walt Disney Company … [Read more...] about Frozen Selling 10 Times Faster Than Last Year
Pro Sports Licensed Retail Sales Score 5% Increase in 2014: Most Leagues Grow, Driven by Apparel
This is a golden age for pro sports in North America. You can see it in not only the record TV ratings and attendance figures, but also at the cash registers. According to The Licensing Letter's Annual Licensing Business Survey , retail sales of licensed sports goods topped $14.1 billion in 2014. Sports properties now account for 14.1% of all licensed goods sold in the U.S. and … [Read more...] about Pro Sports Licensed Retail Sales Score 5% Increase in 2014: Most Leagues Grow, Driven by Apparel
Ecommerce Grows as Channel for Sports Licensed Goods; Department Stores Down
Mirroring North American trends, retail sales of licensed sports products in the U.S. and Canada originating in the ecommerce channel grew slightly in 2014; department store sales were down a tad and the other channels stayed steady, according to TLL’s Annual Licensing Business Survey. Here’s a quick overview of the TLL distribution findings for sports. Mass/Discount & … [Read more...] about Ecommerce Grows as Channel for Sports Licensed Goods; Department Stores Down
Women lighten up on fragrance, but men spritz with a heavier hand
New research from The NPD Group shows a shift in Americans' fragrance preferences, with women gravitating toward lighter fragrance concentrations such as colognes, while men increasingly purchase eau de parfums (EDP), richer concentrations not traditionally used by American men. Prestige retail dollar sales of men's EDP reached $51.0 million in the year ended February 2015, … [Read more...] about Women lighten up on fragrance, but men spritz with a heavier hand
Box Office Bounce Expected
Attendees at CinemaCon, the National Association of Theatre Owners trade show, looked bullish on a movie resurgence in 2015, due to big titles including Avengers: Age of Ultron, Jurassic World, Minions, and Star Wars: The Force Awakens and a better spacing of releases throughout the year. Domestic ticket revenue was down more than 5% in 2014, to $10.35 billion, according to … [Read more...] about Box Office Bounce Expected
Who’s News
Lisa Streff is promoted to EVP Global Licensing of Epic Rights, where she will oversee worldwide licensing, merchandising and retail development for Epic’s music brands. Ted Curtin becomes Chief Marketing & Business Development Officer for LMCA. He previously was EVP for experiential and sports marketing agency Synergy Events. Universal Pictures names three new brand … [Read more...] about Who’s News
Beauty is in the Brand Valuation
L’Oréal Paris tops the list of Brand Finance Cosmetics 50 most valuable beauty brands in the world with a value of $11.21 billion for 2015. Procter & Gamble, which is rumored to be seeking to sell off some of its beauty brands, owns the most listed brands, including Gillette, Pantene, and Olay. The Top 10 (figures in billions): L’Oréal Paris: $11.21 Gillette: … [Read more...] about Beauty is in the Brand Valuation
Russell Wilson Tops NFL Jersey Sales
Seattle Seahawk QB Russell Wilson was the top selling NFL jersey for fiscal year 2015 (which runs from March 1, 2014 to February 28, 2015), according to NFL Players Inc. (NFLPI). Not surprisingly, all 5 of the top sellers were QBs, including, in order, Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, Colin Kaepernick, and Aaron Rodgers. … [Read more...] about Russell Wilson Tops NFL Jersey Sales