40-41_43_Overseas.qxp_NEW LSB 2008 GRID 30/07/2021 12:04 Page 1
AN INTERNATIONAL VIEW
While different territories are grappling with different levels of restrictions due to the pandemic, there are some universal challenges which unite us all. LSB catches up with some licensors and agents outside of the UK to find out how the first half of 2021 has been in their respective territories.
World in motion
W
hile our travel wanderlust hasn’t been able to be sated over the last 18 months, the global nature of the licensing business – and the proliferation of Zoom and Teams – has meant that we’ve been able to touch base with our peers, colleagues and partners outside of the UK on a regular basis. There isn’t a territory which has been left untouched by the impact of the pandemic, however – like in the UK – companies adapted their ways of doing business in the ‘new normal’ and there seem to be numerous green shoots across the world. For Jeremy Zag, founder and ceo of ZAG, the company behind Miraculous Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir, the past 12 months has seen the company sign with over 80 licensees in the US. Highlights include a tie up with Swatch subsidiary Flik Flak on a range of watches which will be available in over 100 countries on five continents, as well as strong success with its
Miraculous role-play game for Roblox, which is the first game based on a TV series to be developed on the platform. “The past year hasn't been difficult for us from a retail perspective,” Jeremy tells LSB. “We increased our business on ecommerce, which is why we established a new ZAG Global ecommerce division which manages all of our ecommerce efforts on a day-to-
Left and above: In the past 12 months, ZAG has signed with 80+ licensees in the US including Swatch subsidiary Flik Flak, says Jeremy.
The view from Japan “Japan has suffered at retail like elsewhere around the world, but there haven’t been the compulsory lockdowns like I’ve seen in other countries that prevent consumers from going out to spend money,” Roger Berman, founder of ZenWorks, tells LSB.. “Many large retailers, shopping centres and other non-essential retail did cooperate early on with voluntary shutdowns to dissuade people from congregating. Various levels of state of emergency provisions have seen shops close by 7pm and restaurants shut by 8pm. This has dampened spending but Uber Eats and similar services have been on a roll. E-commerce, DIY superstores, home electronics and other ‘stay-at-home’ lifestyle categories have done well.” Roger continues: “I think consumer product manufacturers in Japan are now looking beyond just surviving and are now planning for an uptick in trading next year. Hopefully that is the reason we have received increased interest in the brands we represent compared to the first half of 2021. I would like to submit a larger number of deal memos to our licensor clients as a result.”
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Above left: CP manufacturers in Japan are planning for an uptick in trading next year, says Roger. LICENSING SOURCE BOOK EUROPE 2021
