LIMA survey shows 4.4% growth with entertainment and corporate trademarks leading the way.
LIMA has unveiled the results of its third annual Global Licensing Industry Survey – with retail sales showing a healthy increase of 4.4% for 2016.
According to the report – which was released ahead of the opening day of Licensing Expo in Las Vegas – global retail sales of licensed products and services reached $262.9 billion in 2016.
Entertainment/character licensing remains the largest industry category, accounting for $118.3 billion, or 45% of the total global licensing market.
Corporate/brand trademarks was the next biggest property type, generating $54.6 billion in retail receipts for 20.8% of total revenues, followed by fashion, with $31.1 billion (11.8% of the total) and sports at $25.3 billion (9.6%).
“The 2017 Survey reinforces the positive momentum of licensed products worldwide and across all categories, especially the large and growing entertainment/character sector,” said LIMA president Charles Riotto.
“This year’s results also speak to the impressive reach and strength of licensing initiatives in growth markets around the world, contributing to the continued vitality of the industry.”
Among the product categories, apparel led the way with 14.9% of total global licensed retail sales. This was followed by toys (13.3%) and fashion accessories (11.3%).
The fastest growing categories included infant and pet products, while sales of licensed home décor products grew 8.2% during the current survey period.
Video games/software/apps is now the fifth largest category, accounting for 6.9% of revenue, growing 8.1% during the survey period.
Royalty revenue from sales of licensed merchandise and services rose 1.3% to $14.1 billion. The modest increase is the byproduct of a 3.5% decrease in the weighted average industry royalty rate, from 8.5% to 8.2%.
In terms of territories, the US/Canada remains the largest market for licensed merchandise and services, with revenue accounting for 57.9% of the global total, up slightly from 57.7% last year.
The Southeast Asia/PAC region was the fastest growing of all areas worldwide, with 6.8% year-on-year growth. Notably, it now accounts for 3.4% of global licensing revenue.
Further information from the LIMA Annual Global Licensing Survey – which was conducted by Brandar Consulting – will be published on its website. The complete report – including regional and country by country breakdowns for major markets – will be made available to LIMA members later this summer.
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