Sainsbury, Asda Plan Merger

Sainsbury and Walmart-owned Asda agree to merge, further consolidating the European grocery/convenience store business in a deal value at £15 billion. Walmart, which acquired Asda in 1999, will hold 42% of the combined company and receive about £2.97 billion in cash. It also will record a $2 billion non-cash loss on the sale. The merger, expected to be completed next year, would create a chain with more than 2,000 stores operating under the Sainsbury (more than 600), Asda (637) and Argos (845), banners. Sainsbury acquired Argos in 2016. The combined chain would have a 25% share of the UK grocery business and £51 billion in combined revenue.

Contact:

Sainsbury, Kevin O’Byrne, Chief Financial Officer, +44  20 7695 6000

Hershey Seeking New Tabletop Licensee

Hershey has parted with Lifetime Brands’ Fitz and Floyd on licensed tabletop products as it seeks a new licensee for lower prices and broader distribution, says Ernie Savo of Hershey. While Fitz and Floyd, which was Hershey’s first tabletop licensee when it signed in 2015, fielded porcelain trays, plates, mugs and gift collections, Hershey is seeking a new licensee for melamine products at sub-$20 prices that can be paired with a s’mores machine. “We are looking at this [tabletop] from a casual dining perspective that is driven a little more on impulse rather than buying an entire collection,” says Savo. Fitz and Floyd’s program was “great, but where they fell short was in getting it out beyond their core consumer base in department stores, which are struggling now. It was a little bit of the right product, but the wrong time.” Hershey also licensed a s’mores maker; a prior agreement ended several years ago.

Contacts:

Fitz and Floyd/Lifetime Brands, Jeffrey Siegel, CEO, 516-683-6000, Jeffrey.siegel@lifetimebrands.com

Hershey, Ernie Savo, Global Licensing Dir., 717-508-3112, esavo@hersheys.com)

Agents

Brand Activation Consulting is representing the Roald Dahl Story Co. as it launches licensing for four of the author’s classic books in the U.S. for the first time. The products combine Dahl’s books – Matilda, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, James and the Giant Peach and The BFG – with Quentin Blake’s  original illustrations. The first of the products is Storybook Cosmetics’ Charlie and the Chocolate Factory’s 12-color cosmetics kit that is packaged in a book and is being sold through Ulta.com. Other licensees include Out of Print (apparel) Lithographs (adult apparel), Storiarts (newborn blankets, caps), Winning Moves (card game), Fiesta Crafts (finger puppets) Riley Blake (fabric kits) and Rococo Chocolates.  The licensing for the U.S. market focuses more on the book titles and less on the author’s name than it does for the program in Europe, says Bob Traub of Brand Activation. “In Europe the name Roald Dahl is more important than it is in the U.S., where the [titles] are stronger than the awareness of the author’s name,” says Traub. Warner Bros. Consumer Products has licensing rights in the U.S. for merchandise related to films made of the stories, and Musical Theatre International has a licensing deal for community and high school productions… Seltzer Licensing Group is handling food and beverage licensing for MasterChef and MasterChef Junior as Endemol Shine North America. The effort will initially focus on frozen entrees and meal kits for the MasterChef brand, says Stuart Seltzer of Seltzer Licensing Group.

Contacts:

Brand Activation Consulting, Bob Traub, Pres., 973-607-1660, btraub@brandac.com

Endemol Shine North America, Tamaya Petteway, 310-860-9914, tamaya.petteway@endemolshine.us

Roald Dahl Story Co., Stephanie Griggs, Licensing & Design Dir., +44 1494 892192

Seltzer Licensing Group, Stuart Seltzer, Pres., 212-244-5548, stu@seltzerlicensing.com

J.C. Penney Launches Online Sales of Lionel Richie Home Bedding

J.C. Penney launches online sales this month of Sobel Westex’s Baltic Linen Co. Division’s Lionel Richie Home bedding and bath towels with plans to expand it to 200 stores in September, says a Richie spokeswoman. The initial line of 50 SKUs includes four bedding collections, bath towels, sheets and coverlets. The collection represents an expansion in licensing for Richie, who first entered home goods in 2016 via a limited-time agreement with Impulse International for bar and dinnerware and fragrant candles.

Contact:

Sobel Westex/Baltic Linen Co., Adam Pinkow, EVP, 516-791-4500

Sports Direct Reduces Stake in Iconix

Sports Direct cut its stake in Iconix to 8.9% (5.7 million shares) from 13% (7.6 million shares) a year ago, according to  regulatory documents filed today. At the same time, Sports Direct disclosed that it increased its holdings in retailer Finish Line to 19.3% (eight million shares) from 19% (7.6 million shares), a year ago.

Redbubble Readying EmojiOne Products

EmojiOne, known for its emoji designs that have been deployed by Verizon, T-Mobile, BuzzFeed, Intel and others, is making a play for consumer apparel. It signed a licensing agreement with Redbubble that gives the ecommerce company’s artists licensed  access to 3,000 emoji icons and the JoyPixels brand in developing consumer products that spread across apparel, housewares, gifts and other items. The program will initially focus on events, starting with World Emoji Day on July 17, says Steven Heller of The Brand Liaison, which represents EmojiOne. EmojiOne launched a 3.0 version of its emoji icons last year with 2,384 characters and is readying a 4.0 release for year-end. It has tested the waters with apparel licensing in the past, most recently with Bioworld.

Contacts:

The Brand Liaison, Steven Heller, Pres., 855-843-5424 x702, steven@thebrandliaison.com

EmojiOne, Rick Moby, CEO, 702-616-9206

Redbubble, Eric Morse, SVP Content Partnerships, 415-644-5181, eric.morse@redbubble.com

Spectrum Brands Forms Consumer Products Group

Spectrum Brands, coming off disappointing Q2 earnings, will combine its Pet, Home and Garden divisions with its Auto Care unit to create a single Consumer Products Group (CPG) that will be led by Randy Lewis, who previously headed the pet, home and garden group. The forming of CPG comes as Spectrum is poised to sell its Global Batteries (Rayovac, Varta) to Energizer Holdings and seeks a buyer for its Appliance business, which includes licenses Black & Decker, Stanley and Farberware . The appliance business includes a licensing pact for the Black & Decker brand, which expires in December and carries $15 million in minimum annual royalty payments. Spectrum has a separate, royalty-free deal for the Stanley brand for locksets and padlocks that also expires this year. The appliance group also includes a Farberware license for coffee makers, blenders and toasters.

Contact:

Spectrum Brands, David Maura, CEO, 608-275-3340