The meal kit business has experienced some potentially profound changes of late, with grocery store operators increasing their presence in the segment. They are entering in a number of ways: Purchasing existing meal kit companies. Kroger acquired Home Chef for $200 million (plus $500 million more if the program meets online and in-store sales goals) […]
Archive | Licensing
Believing in the Beautiful Game
With the 2018 FIFA World Cup coming up this summer in Russia, it seems like a good time to take a look at the growing number of football-inspired lifestyle labels on the market, many of which are linked to licensing in some way. These are apparel and accessories brands that capture the sensibility of the […]
Honing in on the Hispanic Market, Part 2
Just two weeks ago (“Honing in on the Hispanic Market,” May 17, 2018), we noted the slow and steady rise of licensing initiatives intended to appeal to Hispanic consumers in the U.S. Last week’s Licensing Expo confirmed this trend, with more exhibited properties than ever having this population in mind: Entertainment and publishing. One Entertainment, […]
Rainbow Connection
Rainbow-themed girls’ entertainment is in, if this year’s Licensing Expo is any indication. Among the rainbow-centric properties prominently displayed at the show this year are: True and the Rainbow Kingdom. This Netflix Original is produced by Guru Studio and licensed by Brand Central, with Toy State on board as the licensee for playthings. The show […]
Hard Liquor’s A Gonna Fall
The announcement last week that Bob Dylan was getting into the spirits game with a collection of premium whiskeys is just the latest in a raft of deals pairing musicians with wine, beer, and liquor marketers. More than a half dozen agreements announced this year so far illustrate the wide variety of music genres, business […]
Honing In On The Hispanic Market
Licensors and licensees continue to develop product initiatives meant to appeal to U.S. Hispanic consumers: In April, Masked Republic introduced a website, LuchaCentral.com, with Asteri Networks as a hub for news and content about Mexican masked wrestling. In addition to curated and original news, an event calendar, profiles of the luchadors (wrestlers), and a social […]
A Branded Property Paints a Thousand Words
Rather than doing business under their own names, as is traditional, a growing number of artists are creating separate brand names to identify their work and serve as the centerpoint for their licensing activities: Mexican artist Juan de Lascurain, represented by RJM Licensing, uses the Dream Big World brand as the umbrella for his colorful […]
Head First
The head seems to be the new center of social expression when it comes to showing one’s love for an entertainment property, as all manner of headwear features eye-catching, sculptural representations of favorite characters: Plush hoods and hats. Companies such as Elope feature plush headwear with representations of characters including Dr. Seuss Enterprises’ The Grinch […]
Remixing Fashion for Ravers
DJs from the world of electronic dance music (EDM) have become increasingly active in fashion collaborations over the past five or six years, with both the number of musicians involved and the number of deals being done continuing to rise. Compared to other genres of music, such as country, classic rock, or rap, EDM stars’ […]
Scents That Sparkle
Last month, Graff Diamonds announced a licensing agreement with Inter Parfums for a multi-scent fragrance line that will launch in 2019 in high-end department stores, upscale travel retail, and Graff jewelry stores. The deal is a reminder that luxury brands with roots in fine jewelry are a force on the prestige end of the fragrance […]