The Source meets UK md Paul Hodgson to find out more about ‘ultimate fan reach’.
Paul Hodgson, managing director of Forever Collectibles UK, couldn’t wait for the start of UEFA Euro 2016. Not just because he’s optimistic about England’s chances, but because of what the tournament will mean for his business. As well as being a successful trading period, the long-term implications for the St Albans-based company could be enormous.
Forever Collectibles is the licensee for England, Wales, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. This is something that Paul is particularly proud and excited about – not only is there an aura of confidence around a young and rejuvenated England team, it is the first time Wales have qualified for a tournament of note since the 1958 World Cup – and it will be their first ever appearance at the Euros, as well as Northern Ireland going to their first major tournament in 30 years after an historic 3-1 victory over Greece.
A major national programme has been coordinated with Tesco, which will see stores in England, Wales, Northern Ireland and Republic of Ireland stock a huge programme of product for their respective national teams.
These will be placed in ‘promotional hotspots’, with Tesco creating fan zones in-store, with Forever Collectibles Gift, Novelty & Souvenir products – such as glassware, key rings, mugs and lunch bags among others – sitting alongside food, drinks, BBQs and other outdoor activities in a bid to create the ultimate football celebration.
Key for Paul, is that this will be a time when customers walk into a grocer and buy official licensed football products – achieving what he refers to as ‘ultimate fan reach’. And, if it’s successful, this opens up a whole new level of business for Forever Collectibles, as it will then start further discussions with the grocers about creating the same opportunity for the Premier League teams in Forever Collectibles’ portfolio.
“If you go to North America and look at where these licensed sports brands are sold, it’s basically where food and drink are purchased, they are sold in supermarkets,” explains Paul. “You come to the UK, and licensed sports merchandise doesn’t have the same profile in the equivalent grocers.”
Since it was bought by its US parent in 2011, Forever Collectibles UK has been busy acquiring licensing rights with the Premier League, European Clubs and North American Team Sports Leagues. Now, it holds the licence for the majority of key retail categories – Home Textiles, Gift, Novelty & Souvenir, Table & Glassware and Back to School (including bags, lunch bags, stationery and water bottles) across the majority of the teams and is in discussions with the grocers about migrating from the Euros into the Premier League and European Teams.
For Forever Collectibles, the work it is doing with Tesco on Euro 2016 is its first real chance to prove what fan reach can achieve. It’s not just about the English Premier League either – the company also has Celtic and Rangers in its portfolio and is the licensee for Barcelona, Real Madrid, AC Milan and Juventus.
Paul says: “Even if the consumer is not a direct supporter, they are an associated supporter in that a friend or relative is a sports fan. For us, our platform will be the success of Euro 2016 and then working out the placement of teams geographically.”
No doubt this is a challenging programme, but when the Forever Collectibles team is successful, there could be a number of additions to that weekly shopping basket.
European aims
“The business has doubled in size in the last five years, and our plans remain ambitious for the next five years,” says Paul.
A big part of this growth is coming from the company’s steady expansion across Europe, with Paul and his team looking to emulate the success they have enjoyed in the UK. Forever Collectibles now holds the rights for all major Premier League clubs, major European teams along with NFL, NBA and NHL for Europe and North America across its core categories.
“Our plan for the next five years is to establish Forever Collectibles as Europe’s No 1 sports licensee,” says Paul.
Badge of honour
Another growth area for Forever Collectibles is actually a product which it originally enjoyed success with a number of years ago – collectable Pin Badges.
The company is launching a series of limited edition pin badge sets, picking out key moments in a club’s history to focus on, such as events, details of goals, scorers and kit changes among others.
At the moment there are four sets available including the team of 1966 to commemorate 50 years of England winning the World Cup. Forever Collectibles is also marking 20 years of Arsene Wenger being the Arsenal manager, with a set that includes key statistics such as how many trophies he’s won, number of games in charge (including wins, draws and losses), plus badges depicting all of the kits the team has worn during this time, even Arsene’s famous puffa jacket, suit and tie.
The different crests of Tottenham Hotspur over the years are depicted in another set, as well as the 1960-61 double winning Spurs side, including all the players who were part of the team.
Paul explains: “We’ve basically seen a resurgence in what you would call collectable product. We will be working our way through the team, and the product allows us to, not only go back and depict a moment in time, but to celebrate current success too!”
This feature originally appeared in the Summer 2016 edition of Licensing Source Book. Click here to read the full publication.
