One of the pet-industry trends highlighted at last week’s virtual Global Pet Expo (see our newly posted coverage here) is consumers’ desire to treat their pets like family, purchasing them human-grade food, enrolling them in grooming and wellness services, buying them Christmas and birthday gifts, and the like. This tendency extends to clothing, pet beds, […]
Tag Archives | Martha Stewart
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 […]
Hooked on Knitting and Crochet
The knitting and crocheting space represents one of the niche opportunities whose rise can be attributed to the Maker and Urban Craft movements over the past 15 years. Interest in knitting and crocheting has grown among all age groups, particularly millennials and Gen Zs. As a result, a number of properties—from pop culture icons to […]
Creature Comforts
CBD product introductions are proliferating, and the pet industry remains a strong opportunity for licensed properties. These two facts—along with a love of animals and support for CBD in general—have led a number of celebrities to announce deals for CBD-infused pet products: • Willie Nelson. Nelson has long been associated with cannabis (under the Willie’s […]
From the Comfort of the Couch
Among all the news of exclusive licensing and collaboration deals involving retailers and etailers of all stripes, it can sometimes be forgotten that home shopping networks—or multichannel retailers, as they are sometimes known—continue to be important venues for many properties. These platforms, like bricks-and-mortar chains and pure e-commerce channels, often serve as exclusive distribution partners, […]
Affordable for Anyone
A number of celebrities have launched fashion collections over the past two years—especially in the latter half of 2018—that are firmly focused on affordability: Comedian Amy Schumer and stylist and costume designer Leesa Evans launched Le Cloud Collection with Saks Off Fifth in December. Some of the proceeds will go to Community Partners’ STYLEFUND project. […]
Moveable Feasts
After a bit of a lull in activity, March 2018 has brought a number of new ventures involving licensed properties and meal kits: Marley Kitchen, a brand launched by the Bob Marley estate, paired with meal-delivery company Chef’d for a co-branded collection of Caribbean-inspired meals based on recipes provided by members of the family (three […]
A Burst of Exclusive Bricks-and-Mortar Business
On Tuesday of this week (July 11) came news of four separate retail-exclusive product lines (three introductions and one expansion) that collectively illustrate, in microcosm, the breadth of this still-vibrant business model. Each of the four announcements covers a different retail channel, property type, and product sector: Toca Boca is introducing its first-ever consumer products […]
Clean and Pristine
Corporate brand extension historically has been the primary form of licensing when it comes to household-cleaning products in spray, powder, or liquid form (e.g., laundry detergents, stain removers, window and multi-surface sprays, carpet and upholstery cleaners, and the like). Home Care Industries, for example, offers a Febreze line of formulas for deep-cleaning carpet machines, as […]
Reflections on Retail Exclusives
The continuing importance of retail exclusives involving licensed properties—particularly celebrities and designers—is evident in stores of all types this holiday season. Outside of the entertainment realm, the licensed products most likely to be granted significant space at the front of the store or in other high-traffic areas, or to be featured in a window display […]