British Museums Expand Their Empires

British museums, long active players in the licensing and merchandising landscape, continue to build their licensing efforts:

• The Imperial War Museums retained Spotlight Licensing and Brand Management to extend its merchandise program into North America.
• The National Gallery, London is introducing its brand and archives into international markets with agency JELC after beginning a licensing effort in its home territory two years ago.
• The U.K. Postal Museum paired with Heritage Licensing last year to make available its archives of stamp imagery, vehicles, and other assets for categories including toys and collectibles.
• The British Museum launched its licensing program in 2015 and its list of manufacturers is growing with recent additions including Portfolio for greeting cards, TSBA Group for fabrics, Michael O’Mara Books for stationery, and Morland Rug Company for rugs.
• The Royal Air Force Museum exhibited at Brand Licensing Europe for the first time last fall with the intention of introducing its property to additional licensees and retailers in anticipation of its 100th anniversary in 2018.

These programs coexist with a number of established U.K. museum licensing initiatives, including those associated with the Natural History Museum, the Victoria & Albert Museum, The Science Museum, Historic Royal Palaces, and more.

If you see Karen Raugust walking the aisles of Licensing Expo this week, please say hello. We’re always interested in hearing your thoughts about licensing trends and issues.