The United Kingdom’s Confederation of British Industry’ latest Distributive Trades Survey reports mixed views from retailers, with 39% reporting sales in the first half of June were worse than the same time last year and 30% reporting that they were better.
Sanrio Inc., the international product company best known for Hello Kitty, has announced the formation of its Global Consumer Products division.
Bernadette Casey has been named executive editor of License! Global, The Source for Retail and Licensing Intelligence, published by Advanstar Communications.
The Licensing Machine, a new division of Panini UK, covering TV, home video, promotional, merchandise, marketing, and licensing services and SIC, the independent commercial TV channel broadcasting in Portugal, have signed a deal on TV animated series “Naruto” and “FullMetal Alchemist.”
Following the acquisition by Hornby of the brand name Corgi, the tooling and the inventory for the Corgi die-cast range, the remaining parts of the business—PopCo and Master Replicas—will continue to produce their existing licenses for toys, collectible and prop replicas.
The UK’s Hornby hobby toys, which includes Lima, Jouef and Rivarossi model railways, Scalextric slot car racing cars, Airfix models, and Humbrol paints among its brands, has bought the brand, tooling, and intellectual property rights of Corgi International for £7.5 million.
Nickelodeon UK’s Clare Piggott has joined the panel of speakers at LIMA UK’s annual Licensing Essentials conference and Spring Fling networking event, organized in association with Brand Licensing Europe.
Disney Consumer Products will undergo significant organizational changes in order to prepare the company for the future goal of doubling its global licensing business to $50 billion in retail sales.
UK year-on-year retail sales fell markedly in April as poor weather and the early Easter dented spending, the Confederation of British Industry’s Distributive Trades Survey reports.
