The countdown is well and truly on to the Brand & Lifestyle Licensing Awards 2025 – with the finalists lining up ready to be unveiled, beginning today with the five retail categories, including the new Radar award.
The finalists in the five categories were reached by a dedicated Retail Validation Panel, made up of licensing industry executives from both licensors and licensees, and chaired by Richard Pink, md of Pink Key Licensing.
“The slate of shortlisted retailers and the eventual finalists reflects just how important heritage, museum, FMCG, corporate, lifestyle and other categories outside of character and entertainment now are to retailers of all shapes and sizes,” commented Ian Hyder, ceo at Max Publishing (which owns and organises the B&LLAs). “Thank you to our knowledgeable and experienced panel who did a fantastic job of reaching the finalists and ultimate winners of each of the retail categories.”
Richard Pink, md at Pink Key Licensing and chair of the Retail Validation Panel, continued: This is the second time I’ve chaired this retail panel for the B&LLAs and it’s great to see in such a short space of time how the breadth and diversity of entries has developed. Retailers which were previously described as ‘radar’ just a year ago have developed their licensing programmes and there are new entrants to the list doing some great new work in diverse categories.
“As always it was an open and at times ‘robust’ discussion, and while it’s seldom unanimous, the winners were clear favourites among the panel and will be rewarded for their work in having a huge positive impact on this area of the licensing industry.”
The Retail category finalists in the B&LLAs 2025 are:
Best Fashion Brand Licensed Execution
- Abercrombie & Fitch
- FatFace
- H&M
- Next
- Primark
- Pull & Bear
- Uniqlo
- Urban Outfitters
- Zara
Best Department Store or Mixed Retailer Brand Licensed Retailer Execution
- B&M
- Boots
- Home Bargains
- John Lewis
- M&S
- TK Maxx
- Very
Best Supermarket Brand Licensed Retailer Execution
- Asda
- Iceland
- Lidl
- Morrisons
- Ocado
- Sainsbury’s
- Tesco
- Waitrose
Best Specialist Brand Licensed Retailer Execution
- B&Q
- Blue Diamond
- DFS
- Dunelm
- Habitat
- Moonpig
- Superdrug
- Waterstones
- The Works
The Radar Award (this new award is for retailers which have upped their brand and lifestyle licensing activities in the last year)
- Barker and Stonehouse
- Brewers
- Hillarys Blinds
- Hobbycraft
- Hollister
- Oliver Bonas
- My 1st Years
- Pooky
- Sofas & Stuff
Stay tuned to LicensingSource.net all of next week to find out the finalists across all categories.
The B&LLAs 2025 Retail Validation Panel, chaired by Richard Pink, Pink Key Licensing – Adam Bass, Golden Goose; Angharad Moynes, House of Hearst; Anne Bradford, Difuzed; Becky Bird, Seminal; Becky Stanford, National Trust; Bryony Dyer, Dexam; Cathy Snow, RHS; Claire Potter, Metrostar; Denise Penn, Octane5; Francesca Lisle, Lisle Licensing; Gabrielle Sims, Sanderson Design Group; Maxine Lister, Natural History Museum; Poppy Marshall-Lawton, Laura Ashley; Rob Kimm, Kimm & Miller; Rob Spindley, Crayola; Sasha Lerner, CAA; Serena Sibbald, Beanstalk; Steve Manners, Licensing International; and Teri Niadna, Brandgenuity.
The Brand & Lifestyle Licensing Awards 2025 takes place on Thursday 24 April at the Royal Lancaster London.
Tickets and tables can be reserved quickly and securely online by visiting Max-Tickets.net or by contacting Clare Hollick at Create Events: clare@createvents.co.uk or phone +44 (0)1183 340085.
For general questions regarding the B&LLAs 2025, please contact Ian Hyder, Jakki Brown, Rob Willis or Samantha Loveday.
