The License! Global Top 100 licensing companies accounted for almost $160 billion in retail sales of licensed products out of the total market
of almost $192 billion worldwide.
In a tough economy, strong licensing partners are more critical than ever. For retailers, licensed product can be the reason
a shopper picks one store over another. For consumers, it means opening their wallets because a product combines value and
trend-right positioning.
Disney Consumer Products once again topped the list with $30 billion in retail sales. Iconix Brand Group jumped into the No.
2 spot with $6.5 billion in retail sales, followed by Warner Bros. Consumer Products with $6 billion in retail sales, Marvel
Entertainment with $5.7 billion, and Nickelodeon's sales of $5.5 billion rounded out the top five licensors.
This year, License! Global has also expanded its listing of the top agencies to 20, adding names such as Bradford Licensing. These lists reflect the brands and companies that will build strategic partnerships, keeping the licensing business strong
and growing in the years ahead.
All the licensors submitted retail sales figures in USD. As a result, figures may be affected by recent changes in currency
exchange rates.
1. DISNEY CONSUMER PRODUCTS
$30B (PUBLIC)
JESSICA DUNNE, EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT OF GLOBAL LICENSING, +1.818.544.0000
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During the 2008 fiscal year, key Disney Consumer Products properties such as Hannah Montana and High School Musical, Disney
Fairies, Disney Princess and Disney Pixar's Cars showed remarkable growth. Retail sales of tween products mushroomed from
$400 million in 2007 to $2.7 billion for High School Musical and Hannah Montana combined. The theatrical release of High School Musical 3: Senior Year drove additional interest and demand, along with new programming such as Camp Rock. DCP's girls' franchises Disney Princess
and Disney Fairies showed combined global retail sales surpassing the $5 billion mark. Both franchises offer experiences online
with http://DisneyPrincess.com/, http://DisneyFairies.com/ and http://PixieHollow.com/ counting millions of visitors each month, in addition to a wide variety of licensed product across multiple categories and
millions of magazines and books sold worldwide. Disney Pixar's Cars generated $2.5 billion in global retail sales, and the
fall debut of Cars Toons drew a global audience of millions. Sales of die-cast toy cars and books have exceeded $100 million
and $25 million, respectively. In 2009, the Disney Princess franchise will welcome its newest princess, Princess Tiana, from
Walt Disney Pictures' animated theatrical film, The Princess and the Frog, releasing late this year. As evidenced by the enormous success of the "Tinker Bell" DVD and nearly 10 million Fairy avatars
created at http://DisneyFairies.com/ to date, the Disney Fairies franchise will continue to grow in 2009 with the release of the second film in a series of four,
Tinker Bell and The Lost Treasure. In addition to the theatrical releases of Hannah Montana: The Movie, Disney Channel will serve up original series and movies, including J.O.N.A.S., Wizards of Waverly Place and Sonny with a Chance. Disney's 2009 film slate offers an array of movies: The Princess and the Frog, G-Force, Up and A Christmas Carol. In preschool, new products will support Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and Handy Manny. For the future, DCP will continue to expand
its licensing for Toy Story in conjunction with the third movie in 2010. In addition, DCP continues to expand its lifestyle
products across a variety of categories. DCP's key retail partners in its global success include Walmart, with its support
of the Hannah Montana franchise, Target with Camp Rock, and Toys "R" Us with the Club Penguin toys, along with other strategic
partners, such as Carrefour and Tesco.
