2018 highlights: May

From Hasbro swooping in for Power Rangers to Licensing Expo, May was a busy month.

2018 has been another strong year in the UK licensing industry – despite a challenging retail environment, licensees and licensors have been experimenting with new routes to market and new retail names have emerged.

Brands from the digital world have been making an impact, plus it’s been a record year for fundraising for industry charity, The Light Fund, and Brand Licensing Europe said farewell to London’s Olympia on a high.

We are highlighting some of our most read stories and articles of the year in the lead up to Christmas.

Today: May

May

Tina-Louise Foster teams up with Vickie O’Malley – Former MGA exec sets up Nimbus Nine, with Vickie’s agency as first client.

Max Arguile opens specialist licensing consultancy – Reemsborko to focus on emerging areas such as animé, video and mobile gaming.

Hasbro acquires Saban’s Power Rangers brand – $522m deal also includes other entertainment brands such as Julius Jr and Luna Petunia.

View our Licensing Expo 2018 picture gallery – Relive this year’s industry showcase, networking events, awards, star performers and more.

Embrace new brands, Spring Fling panel tells retail – Take more risks and try new things, panel tells licensing industry at LIMA gathering.

Hasbro reveals United Colors of Benetton collab – Apparel and accessories for My Little Pony and Transformers to debut later this year.

Remembering Maralyn Redfern – The Light Fund’s Trevor Jones leads the tributes to Blueprint’s co-founder.

Fashion UK takes first step in European expansion – New German office sees ambitious licensee extend business further into Europe.

Primark grows homeware offer with Barbie line – Bedding and nightwear from Character World and Somerbond launches in retailer.

View our LIMA Spring Fling picture gallery – Check out our exclusive pictures from the popular industry networking event.

Want to read more news like this? Simply sign up to our daily digest by clicking here. You can also follow @LicensingSource on Twitter.

MORE NEWS
Horrible Histories
 
Rocket Licensing, the licensing agent in the UK and Eire for the popular award-winning children’s history brand Horrible Histories (published by Scholastic), has announced a new Horrible Histories experiential partnership with Leeds Castle in Kent....
Bellas_SaraMiller
 
Sara Miller of Sara Miller London explains why the brand supports the Brand & Lifestyle Licensing Awards....
Bluey
 
Maurizio Distefano Licensing, Italian agent for the BBC Studios’ property Bluey, has announced a busy start to 2025 for the popular animated hit as the Bluey licensing programme continues to grow and production gets under way on the first-ever Bluey feature film for cinemas....
Hello Kitty
 
Sanrio has announced the launch of dedicated Hello Kitty and Friends YouTube channels in Hindi, Tamil, and Telugu. Fans can now enjoy their favourite episodes and special content in their preferred language, making Sanrio’s popular characters more accessible to audiences across India and beyond....
Taiwan
 
This year, Taiwan is making its first-ever appearance at the Bologna Licensing Trade Fair/Kids (BLTF/K), presenting a selection of established and emerging IPs to the European market....
BolognaLicAwards_2025
 
The winners of the Bologna Licensing Awards have been crowned during the Bologna Licensing Trade Fair/Kids....
Get the latest news sent to your inbox
Subscribe to our daily newsletter

The list doesn't exist! Make sure you have imported the list on the 'Manage List Forms' page.