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INTERNATIONAL FEEDBACK
From Belgium to the US, LSB chats to a selection of licensors and agents based outside of the UK to find out their takeaways from 2021, what they see as the biggest opportunities and challenges for licensing moving through 2022, their aims and what word they would use to describe business in both the year just gone and the new one just beginning.
Below left: 2021 was better than expected, says Valentin. Below: Ilana says that diversification remains a key initiative for Jewel.
News of the world US: Ilana Wilensky, president, Jewel Brand & Licensing
Spain: Valentin Ortiz, ceo, Stor “2021 was better than expected – based on the current business environment, we would not imagine to have the successful year that we did. Our aims for 2022 are to keep the expected growth and focus on the new product development, which is launching in April and October on home products and kids lines. We see a big opportunity in home tableware for adults, including Christmas and seasonal options. Summing up 2021, I would say that businesses are never failing to surprise us and I hope that 2022 is more stable sourcing wise.”
“2021 was a very good year for Jewel, especially considering the ongoing uncertainty in the world. Thanks to the hard work and dedication of the Jewel team, our clients and licensees, we’re experiencing significant growth. We hired two new licensing managers and have added an associate creative director starting January. We re-launched the Jewel website to better reflect the company we are today and where we’re heading. Diversification remains a key initiative for Jewel. Our goal is to have a diverse portfolio of clients, a range of licensees in many different product categories, distribution at all retail levels around the globe and various services we can offer to licensors, licensees and retailers. 2021 was ‘perseverance’ and I hope 2022 will be ‘prosperity’.”
France: Capucine Humblot, head of licensing and merchandising, Xilam Animation
“2021 was better than expected for us given the challenges everyone was facing. It was a hugely important and successful year for our new original property, Oggy Oggy – a preschool spin-off to our Oggy and the Cockroaches franchise. The CGI series launched globally on Netflix in August and we secured Simba Dickie Group as the master global toy partner for the brand. We also brought several licensing agents on board for the brand in key markets. We’ll be working on expanding the licensing offering for Oggy Oggy with the aim of securing new partnerships for key categories, such as games, publishing, fashion, gifting and more. Retail activations will also be a key focus for this year. For 2021, my word would be ‘patience’ – we all faced another year of many different challenges, but by being patient with one another, we were able to get through it together. For 2022, I hope the word ‘enthusiasm’ will encapsulate the year as we once again come together to positively embrace new challenges, projects and opportunities, and to hopefully build a brighter future for us all.” Left: Xilam is expanding the licensing efforts for Oggy Oggy this year, says Capucine.
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LICENSING SOURCE BOOK EUROPE 2022
