U.K.-based celebrity chefs, cooking show presenters, and especially bakers have been at the center of a number of licensing, collaboration, and representation deals, and/or new products or promotions, over the past few weeks: Jane Devonshire, a past MasterChef winner who is known for her gluten-free cooking and cookbooks, retained Start Licensing as her agent for […]
Archive | House and home
There’s No Place Like Home
As most of us are currently self-isolating at home, it seems like a good time to take a look at licensing and brand extension opportunities in the housing space. Occasionally over the years, licensors have focused not just on the traditional home goods categories, such as furniture, dishes, and décor, but have also lent their […]
Garden Products In Bloom
Botanical and public display gardens have long had licensing programs in place. Some have been actively extending their brands and imagery for at least two to three decades, and in many cases their merchandise efforts have been on the rise in recent years. Their brands are well-positioned in the current landscape, given consumers’ growing interest […]
Bitten by the Pest-Control Bug
A handful of licensors have extended their names into pest prevention and control, with at least three new deals signed this year: In May, Black + Decker and its agent Beanstalk signed CYA Trading for a line of ultrasonic indoor pest control products. In February, The Royal Horticultural Society teamed with Agralan on a collection […]
Now We’re Cooking
The kitchen housewares and tabletop industry has in recent months been the focus of a number of retail-exclusive product lines that involve licensed properties. This type of partnership has been going on for years, but the frequency seems to be on the rise of late. The following have debuted since mid-2018: Chrissy Teigen and Target […]
Designing and Building a Home Décor Program
Some of the skills architects use to design buildings are also applicable to other sculptural products, from furniture and vases to home décor, handbag clasps, and drinkware. Their sketches and other artwork also make good graphics for plates or bowls. It is no surprise, then, that architects, living and deceased, have lent their names, drawings, […]
A Lifestyle Inspired by History
Contemporary-plus-vintage lifestyle and home goods labels have recently been expanding their names into adjacent categories. Often, these brands have roots as interior design and/or retail businesses that highlight current trends paired with antiques, vintage pieces, shabby-chic items, and flea market finds. Brand-extension efforts focus on home décor and other categories, with a look and feel […]
From Dresses To Drapes
For fashion labels, the home goods category is a natural—albeit sometimes challenging—area of interest for brand extension. Recent deals involve a range of demographics and price points, as well as a mix of retailers and manufacturers serving as licensees: Lululemon teamed with PBTeen for an exclusive capsule collection of home goods tied to Lululemon’s athletic […]
A Tasting Menu of Chef-Related Deals
The landscape for chef-based licensed products is among the most crowded of all celebrity-licensing segments. A wealth of chefs who have gained fame through restaurants, cookbooks, instructional TV cooking shows, and competitive cooking reality series have extended their brands, and others are entering the fray. This segment can be challenging. New licensors are trying to […]
Sweet (?) Smell of Success
Long gone are the days when scented candles and home fragrances would fill a room solely with traditional aromas such as vanilla, lavender, strawberries, and sea breezes. Back in 2014, the distinct smell of foods, from a few rare instances of bacon to a wide range of baked goods, started taking hold in the industry, […]