Ahead of Brand Licensing Europe (BLE), which opens its doors tomorrow (October 1) at ExCeL in London, Sarah Ward, ceo of The Giftware Association told GiftsandHome.net that when comes to the gift and home industry, she’s a huge believer in the importance of licensing.
“Supporting the License This! competition, and the licensing industry as a whole, is a matter that’s very close to my heart,” stated Sarah, who makes her debut at the ‘live’ License This! judging on October 3. “A lot of our members want to get into licensing to boost their brand as they know that it will be licensed across different brands and will therefore have a stronger presence in the industry.”
She highlights that, in terms of the gift industry, all categories of licensed gifts are very popular, particularly in regard to stationery, with licences featuring on everything from notebooks and notepads to pens and pencils.
“With the rise of the wellness trend, lifestyle gifts such as water bottles are currently very popular,” comments Sarah. “Plus, toys and licensing go hand in hand – from big movie tie-ins to high profile TV shows and children’s series – so these too, will always be popular for retailers following media trends.”
2019 is an extra special year for BLE with the celebrating its 21st anniversary.
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Top: Visitors at last year’s Brand Licensing Europe (BLE).
