Retail Round-up

RETAIL ROUND-UP

The New Year has kicked off with a number of retailers engaging with an increasingly diverse selection of licensed properties, from US colleges through to sports and heritage brands.

LSB rounds up some of the latest activity. Basket fillers

Smiley teams with H&M

H&M has been enjoying success with a new streetwear collaboration with the Smiley brand. The range – for both men and women – is infused with retro vibes and includes tie-dye hoodies, loosefit denim and relaxed joggers, tees, rugby shirts, a puffer jacket and sport socks. The colour palette is light purple, off-white, soft beige and solid black. The majority of the collection is made using more sustainable materials.

Boba Fett blasts into Zavvi

Fans of the Star Wars spin-off, The Mandalorian, can now get their hands on a limited edition collection of Boba Fett merchandise at Zavvi. The new range launched worldwide in conjunction with The Book of Boba Fett on Disney+. The wearable memorabilia is emblazoned with the Mandalorian helmet and Beskar armour, printed on a range of tshirts and jumpers. The new clothing collection joins the existing Boba Fett products from Zavvi which includes homeware and action figures.

Pokémon Center online store opens for UK fans

The Pokémon Company International has launched a new Pokémon Center UK online store, the company’s e-commerce arm and the premier destination for purchasing official Pokémon merchandise in the UK. This marks the first time that Pokémon fans in the UK can purchase a range of products

Inset: The UCLA collection is part of Zara’s Join Life label. Inset: The range coincided with the debut of Disney+ show, The Book of Boba Fett. Below left: The H&M x Smiley range is infused with retro vibes.

Zara goes back to college with UCLA

UCLA Trademarks & Licensing has launched a new fashion collection for men and children with Zara. Part of the Zara ‘Join Life’ label, the range aims to celebrate the LA university brand and its Bruins mascot, with products including sweatshirts, long-sleeve tees and hoodies. “We are very proud to represent the UCLA brand and happy to see this collection from Zara available worldwide to men and the children in their lives who aspire to live the UCLA dream,” commented Malin Ja hde Holm, head of softlines licensing and collaborations at Plus Licens AB, which represents the UCLA brand for licensing opportunities in the European market.

Licensed sports retailer, Lids hits the UK

US licensed sports retailer, Lids has arrived in the UK as part of an ambitious expansion plan across Europe. The first store opened in Neal Street, Covent Garden, followed by outlets at O2 Peninsula Square, Lakeside Shopping Centre in Essex and Churchill Square Shopping Centre in Brighton. The stores sell officially licensed MLB, NBA, NFL, NHL and footwear gear, as well as items from go-to brands including adidas, New Era Cap, ’47, Mitchell & Ness, Hurley, Oakley, Local Crowns and more. Each store also features Lids’ signature Custom Zones, which allows consumers the opportunity to custom embroider a hat or apparel piece of their choice in-store, including from the retailer’s numerous options of player numbers and autographs. The projection is that Lids will have 20 stores in the UK by the end of 2022, stated president Britten Maughan.

including plush, pins, clothing and Pokemon TCG lines among others, directly from Pokémon Center. New merchandise will be added continuously to the available goods through 2022 and beyond. “Following the enormous success and huge amount of support shown by fans for the Pokémon Center London pop-up store in 2019, we are thrilled to bring Pokémon Center permanently to our fans in the UK,” said Cindy Ruppenthal, director of e-commerce at The Pokémon Company International.

Pull&Bear launches The Smurfs apparel

Fashion chain, Pull&Bear – which is part of the Inditex group – has secured a direct to retail deal with DeAPlaneta Entertainment for the global launch of a collection inspired by The Smurfs. The men’s range includes colourful t-shirts, sweatshirts, bomber jackets and jeans, as well as shorts, shirts and caps.

DeAPlaneta Entertainment handles the brand’s licensing programme in Spain, Portugal and Central and Eastern Europe.

Left: The DTR with Pull&Bear was secured by DeAPlaneta Entertainment.

Toys R Us heading back to the UK

The Toys R Us and Babies R Us names will be heading back into the UK retail landscape from 2022. Toys R Us ANZ has secured an exclusive licence with WHP Global – the parent company of TRU and Babies R Us – to run digital and physical retail for both brands in the UK. Toys R Us ANZ runs the Australian ecommerce websites for both brands having acquired the brands from Hobby Warehouse Group in November 2020. The team plans to begin online sales to UK shoppers over the next several months, initially from existing operations in Australia, while it works to establish local teams, offices and logistics facilities during 2022 and 2023.

NFL brand scores at retail

Primark and Missguided have both expanded their licensed sports offering with NFL collections. A range of men’s t-shirts and sweatshirts from Poetic Brands launched in Primark in late 2021, with the initial collection being followed up with a larger offering to coincide with the Super Bowl in February. Meanwhile, the licensee has also worked with online ladies’ retailer, Missguided on a range of NFL apparel targeted at young women. The range – which included varsity jackets, sweatshirts, shorts, leggings, mini dresses, crop tops, t-shirt co-ord sets, jumper dresses and cardigans – was based around some of the key teams in the US league including New England Patriots and Green Bay Packers.