Quick service restaurant chains specializing in donuts continue to extend their brands into retail food categories. This is often—but not always—accomplished through licensing agreements. Some recent examples: Dunkin’ Donuts signed Coca-Cola in 2016 for ready-to-drink coffee beverages, with a launch expected in early 2017. Deals previously in place include J.M. Smucker for coffee, Keurig Green […]
Archive | Licensing
Pet Projects
Three years ago it seemed as if licensing in the crowded pet products industry had matured beyond novelty goods. Many of the deals forged at that time created a true point of difference in the marketplace. They ranged from Greenberry’s Animal Planet line, focused on waste collection and disposal; to PetSmart’s National Geographic assortment, centering […]
Proprietary No More
Within the last month, both Sears and Macy’s have sold long-established proprietary brands—Craftsman and Frango, respectively—to third parties. Their willingness to do so is yet another indication of how much the retail sector is struggling. Sears has owned Craftsman since 1927, and the brand has been strongly associated with Sears in consumers’ minds ever since. […]
Fine Fashion for Fans
Opportunities for manufacturers to enter the sports licensing business, at least when it comes to the four major pro leagues and many of the larger collegiate licensors, have declined over the years. Although their licensee lists remain lengthy, Major League Baseball, the National Football League, the National Basketball Association, the National Hockey League, and leading […]
Bankrolling Brand Extension
At the end of last month, Iconix Brand Group reported that it was selling The Sharper Image to ThreeSixty Group. The announcement offers a good opportunity to take a look at the recent activities of the major investment companies that have become such a strong presence in licensing, especially in the fashion, luxury, corporate brand, […]
Satisfying the Sneakerheads
Licensing in the athletic shoe segment is far more diverse than in the past, when sporting goods brands, athletes, fashion labels, and kids’ characters accounted for the bulk of activity. Over the past 10 to 15 years or so, the category has become more and more important for properties as diverse as musicians, celebrities, artists, […]
A Second Helping of Food-to-Food Licensing
When we last looked into the food-to-food licensing arena about three months ago, we outlined the large number of new deals involving food and restaurant brands that had come to fruition in the grocery industry in the previous year and a half. And we noted that, despite the crowded landscape, licensing still represents a tiny […]
A Call for Licensed Handsets
Are mobile handsets the next consumer electronics sector to be headed away from manufacturing and toward a licensing model? Last September, shortly after discontinuing its own manufacturing operations to focus on software development, Blackberry licensed its brand to BB Merah Putih, which is sourcing, distributing, and marketing Blackberry devices in Indonesia, the brand’s strongest market. […]
Swanky Stationery
Fashion and interior designers continue to strengthen their presence in the high-end stationery category, furthering a trend that has been evident over the last couple of years. Some of the licensing agreements focus on e-stationery, while others encompass both electronic and print versions of holiday cards, invitations, and thank you notes. Two designers adding their […]
Reserving Room for Licensing
By Karen Raugust on December 22, 2016 in Corporate brands, Experiential licensing, Licensing, Promotion, Retail
The hotel and hospitality industry has been an area of interest for licensors of late, with potential opportunities taking many forms: Branded hotels. Karl Lagerfeld announced in November that he would launch a chain of luxury hotels, with the first to open in Macau in 2018. He joins fashion labels such as Armani, Missoni, Bulgari, […]