Much of the merchandise being given a high profile at retail this holiday season is connected to the Maker movement, loosely defined as a community of do-it-yourselfers of all ages, from artists and crafters to tech-driven inventors, engineers, and programmers. Maker-associated product categories currently being featured in stores of all types include: Maker-labeled goods. Barnes […]
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 […]
Some Thoughts on Star Wars
Visits to a wide range of retail stores in New York and the Twin Cities in December confirmed the degree to which Star Wars is dominating shelf and floor space this holiday season. Not surprisingly, Star Wars products prevail at mass chains, including storewide at Target and in Walmart’s toy department (with Star Wars and […]
True Colors, Part 2
If you’ve done any holiday shopping this year, you certainly have noted the prominent and often vast displays of adult coloring books in stores of all types. Nearly every publisher seems to offer at least one adult coloring book, with more to come. Less than a month ago (November 19), we noted the rise of […]
Chinese Children Cherish Licensed Publishing
By Karen Raugust on December 10, 2015 in Character/Entertainment, International, Licensing, Publishing
Three of the seven best-selling children’s book series in China at the moment are based on licensed properties, and they may not necessarily be the ones you would expect. Two are tied to global brands. China Children’s Publishing offers books based on the mobile game Plants vs. Zombies, licensed by Electronic Arts’ PopCap Games division, […]
Heading to the Office
Direct-to-retail licensing agreements and exclusive distribution deals in the office supply channel have popped up sporadically for many years, with properties from TV financial expert Jean Schatzky to interior designer Christopher Lowell among those entering the market. But the incidence of such deals is slowly on the rise. This year, Martha Stewart renewed and expanded […]
Gaining a Foothold
After many years of anticipation, soccer finally seems to be reaching a tipping point at U.S. retail. As a result, a number of leading global football clubs have retained U.S. licensing agents within the past year to assist them in expanding their presence in North America. Most are working with one of three agents that […]
More Fashion Options for Your Pet
The pet products category has seen a recent bump in activity tied to celebrity-driven fashion and lifestyle brands. Notable names entering or announcing their entrance into the market over the past six months include: Ellen DeGeneres, who licensed Posh Paws for a line of pet accessories under her ED lifestyle brand, which also has deals […]
A Penny Saved Is a Penny Earned
IP owners have been testing various forms of financial services as potential avenues for licensing. Branded credit and, more recently, debit cards have become a must-consider category, of course, with properties from chef Jason Santos to Star Trek and Garfield to Pan Am—among many others—having deals in place. But other areas of exploration have started […]
True Colors
The anticipated melding of adult coloring books and licensing is starting to happen in a big way. In last week’s Nielsen Bookscan bestseller list, three of the top five and 12 of the top 25 titles were adult coloring books. Game of Thrones and Outlander—both published by Bantam that week—ranked as number 3 and number […]