Gift Focus - Mar/Apr 2018 (Issue 106)

giftfocus 87 hot property A real highlight of my recent visit to the Toy Fair at Olympia was seeing a number of companies featuring licensed products in their ranges for the first time or returning to using licenses after a few years of not using licensing. All industries need new and fresh blood: licensing is a mature business. The toy and gift industries are ones with a number of companies in them that have used licensing very successfully to develop their businesses. There are some great success stories: Flair, Rainbow Designs and Vivid are three good examples of companies that have used licensing successfully and are now regarded as ‘go to’ companies by retailers looking to offer licensed ranges. However, many of these companies are finding it harder to accommodate new or different licenses. Often because they have built up great portfolios based on long-term licensing partnerships. So, it’s welcome news to see new players joining the licensing fold. This acts as a catalyst to the whole market. Particular highlights included Sinco Creations launching a new range of Shaun the Sheep plush toys and an advent calendar game featuring mini figurines from the series. Sinco has recognised that licensing will open some new retail doors for them and its entry into the market opens up new supplier discussions for retailers. I was also impressed by Fiesta Crafts use of the Roald Dahl license. Fiesta has used licensing before but not in a very heavy way. Roald Dahl’s classic characters fit Fiesta’s category and culture well. It’s a good partnership and products like puppets are very appropriate to this license. Fiesta has also been mindful of retailers who don’t stock this kind of products already and have developed counter packs to make selling easier. In a similar vein, it was good to see the classic Mr Men and Little Miss license being used by Jumini. Jumini was in the Greenhouse section of the Toy Fair – the home for newer companies. It is a bold move by the company to use a license so early in its journey but the company has recognised a classic character could be a gamechanger. One obvious benefit is that the company will be able to follow the retail trail set by the iconic Mr Men books. Licensing Ian Downes hot property Catch up with all the latest from the world of licensing For more information visit website startlicensing.co.uk Sanrio announces first of 10 new Gudetama product ranges for 2018 Launched in the UK in August 2017, Gudetama’s offering is set to increase in 2018 with the launch of a brand new Jolly Awesome partnership following a successful launch across 20 Paperchase stores After a strong digital- first launch in August 2017, the popular Japanese character Gudetama from Sanrio will be brought to life in a new collaborative range of cards, art prints and notebooks with design studio Jolly Awesome. The range will capture the character’s signature lazy catchphrases and unenthusiastic approach to life, and will be available from Jolly Awesome’s online store and selected stockists including online retailer, ASOS. The new license agreement is the first of 10 new partnerships for Gudetama in 2018. Founded by illustrator Matt Nguyen, Jolly Awesome stationery and art prints are sold in Urban Outfitters, Paperchase, Scribbler, ASOS and more. For more information, visit www.sanrio.eu should benefit from a new company being nurtured in a product category that’s well suited to licensing. It was good to see a mature business embracing new companies – this should mean that retailers get a broader choice of licensed products and that there’s a continuing drive to add value to licensed products. A good quality licensed product range can make a real difference at retail. New suppliers allow retailers to build new relationships and to look at licensing in a fresh way.